Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 39 – 28 December 2020

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Europe External Programme with Africa is a Belgium-based Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peace building, refugee protection and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean Route. It cooperates with a wide network of Universities, research organisations, civil society and experts from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and across Africa. Key in-depth publications can be accessed on the website.

Reported situation in Ethiopia (as confirmed per 28 December)

– Fears that the security operation by the Ethiopian National Defence Forces in the Metekel Zone of Benishangul Gumuz region will especially target ethnic Gumuz.

– The fears of an ethnic profiling in Gumuz was further aroused by a hate-speech tweet of an official of the Amhara Regional state, Asemahegn Aseres: “We have to defend ourselves. They don’t let us live. Let us not allow them to live. We are confronted with existential threat. As the former president said, the question is; shall we be vanished or shall they. The choice is clear. They have to vanish!”, where “the former president” refers to Mengistu Hailemariam; and “they have to vanish” to the Gumuz people.

Regional situation (as confirmed per 28 December)

– Three people have been injured by Somali and AMISOM forces in a peaceful protest calling for the release of 50 people arrested during security operations. Soldiers shot into the crowd.

– Special Kenya Defense Forces carry out an operation to storm an Al Shabaab military camp in Boni Forest. Several Al Shabaab militants were killed and the camp was destroyed.

– The Sudanese governor of Blue Nile died in a car crash on his way to Khartoum.

– Negotiations on the border demarcation between Sudan and Ethiopia failed. The negotiators decided to hand the file to the political leadership of the two countries.

– The Sudanese minister of information has said that the Sudanese army has taken control of most of the land it says Ethiopia was encroaching on. It has taken control of 11 settlements that Ethiopian militias were controlling. Among the recaptured settlements are: Asmaro, Lebbaki, Pasha, Lamlam, Melkamo, Males, Ashkar, Arqa, Umm Pasha Teddy.

– According to the report in the Sudan Tribune, the Sudanese army expelled the Amhara forces and militias from the settlement of “Lilli” where army commanders, major traders and farmers of the Amhara ethnic group were based. Over a thousand Ethiopian farmers are living in these areas.

– Military sources review to the Sudan tribune newspaper that Eritrean army forces moved from the city of Umm Hajar, located on the border between Sudan and Eritrea, to Abd al Rafi area on the border between Sudan and Ethiopia. They were carrying heavy weaponry, according to the report.

– Unconfirmed reports that Sudan will receive extensive financial support from the Middle East.

Situation in Tigray

– Reported that Ethiopian troops in Mekelle city, Tigray, are checking mobile phones of citizens with a view to delete the videos and photos related to the military operations, in an apparent attempt to delete evidence of any potential wrongdoing.

– Reported in social media that more than seven Amhara special forces have raided Eritrean refugee camps in Tigray (no specific report on name of the camp ) and confiscated more than 100 mobile smartphones.

– The Tigray interim provisional government makes a statement that it will work with the youth.

– A leader of TPLF, who is the former deputy mayor of Addis Ababa, addressed youth in Tigray on facebook: “In our current struggle for self-determination, the role of the youth is very important. So, any youth who can and wants to join the struggle, shall join Tigray defence forces directly or shall go to members of the Tigray regional government leadership and fight in an organized manner to free Tigray.

– Report that 60 civilians were killed by Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Eritrean forces while hiding in a church in a small village called Tashi (ጣሺ), which is approximately 60 km from Mekelle.

– It is reported that five members of one family were killed by Eritrean forces at Dengelat St Mary church, Edagahamus Tigray. List of the members killed: Kahsay Gebremeskel; Solomon Kahsay Gebremeskel; Haftom Kahsay Gebremeskel; Semere Rezene / grandson of Birhan Gebremeskel; Dawit Mulu Tsegay/ grandson of Amit Gebremeskel.

– Confirmation of yesterday’s report that Debesom Abraha, a well known Tigrayan businessman, was killed in his house in Adigrat, Tigray, by Eritrean troops.

Reported International dimension (as confirmed per 27 December)

– Egypt and Sudan have come to an agreement regarding Sudanese use of Egyptian ports. Major works are taking place in Port Sudan. Consequently Egypt is allowing Sudanese use of its ports for import and export purposes. Tariffs and customs will not apply if the goods are going directly to Sudan.

– Confirmation of yesterday’s report. Dimsti Woyane (DW) Television started to operate from the USA with a first broadcast on facebook: The programme was presented by Liliti Gebru Hagos, a former journalist of ETV Tigrigna program.

Disclaimer:

All information in this situation report is presented as a fluid update report, as to the best knowledge and understanding of the authors at the moment of publication. EEPA does not claim that the information is correct but verifies to the best of ability within the circumstances. Publication is weighed on the basis of interest to understand potential impacts of events (or perceptions of these) on the situation. Check all information against updates and other media. EEPA does not take responsibility for the use of the information or impact thereof. All information reported originates from third parties and the content of all reported and linked information remains the sole responsibility of these third parties. Report to info@eepa.be any additional information and corrections.

Links of interest

https://www.garoweonline.com/en/world/africa/kdf-soldiers-kill-al-shabaab-militants-in-boni-forest-destroy-camp


https://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article70265

Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 38 – 27 December 2020

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Europe External Programme with Africa is a Belgium-based Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peace building, refugee protection and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean Route. It cooperates with a wide network of Universities, research organisations, civil society and experts from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and across Africa. Key in-depth publications can be accessed on the website.

Reported situation in Ethiopia (as confirmed per 27 December)

– The national election in Ethiopia will take place nationwide on the 5th of June 2021, as decided and announced by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).

– The Tigray Regional State is not included in the timetable. The election board announced that a date for elections in Tigray will be announced once the state of emergency in Tigray state is lifted.

Military and regional situation (as confirmed per 27 December)

– Sudan Minister of Information, Faisal Mohamed Saleh, stated that intelligence reports “indicate that the weapons used in the attacks” targeting territory in Sudan, belonged to the army.

– Sudan has reclaimed land that was occupied by Ethiopian farmers in the last 25 years, this land has now been brought under control of the Sudanese army.

– The Sudan army is mobilising defense capacity both at the Eritrean and Ethiopian border, with increasing fears of further clashes in the border areas.

– PM Abiy has denied any involvement of Addis Abeba in the border conflict with Sudan, emphasising the friendly relations between Sudan and Ethiopia. PM Abiy previously negotiated between different parties in Sudan resulting in the current government.

– The Ethiopian military is perceived to have a major say in the negotiation taking place regarding the Benishangul Gumuz Region, according to ALAIN Amharic news which reports that senior military officials have been in closed meetings with the senior officials in the zone.

– Some officials in the Benishangul Gumuz Region have been arrested (not reported by whom).

– Unconfirmed report on social media that a Major General, Commander of ENDF Eastern Division, has been killed in battle with Tigray Defense Forces in Tigray.

– Continued fighting and looting reported in social media. An elder of Adigrat Town, named Ato Debasom Abraha was reportedly killed today while defending his property from looting by Eritrean soldiers. He reportedly killed 14 Eritrean troops before he was shot.

– Reported that several civilians by Eritrean soldiers were “executed”in Adi Da’zero town, a town between Shire and Sheraro, near the Eritrean border. According to a second report, invading Eritrean forces executed a “total of 58 civilians in Adwa (31) and Adi Da’ero, (27)”. Calls for full access by the UN to investigate these killings.

– Unconfirmed report of increasing tension on the Kenya – Somalia border between Mandera and Bula Hawo as Somali troops and Kenyan backed Janan fighters are increasing the number of fighters at the border.

Regional situation (as confirmed per 27 December)

– Report of VICE suggests Amhara youth militia Fano was involved in the massacre in Mai Kadra, as Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) looked on as the massacre went on and ethnic profiling was carried out preventing civilians from fleeing.

– New witness report on the Mai Kadra massacre published by VICE, interviewing refugees who had reached Al Qadarif, Sudan: “He was working as a day labourer on a farm near the city of Mai Kadra when Ethiopian government-aligned ethnic militias known as Fano, from the neighbouring region of Amhara, descended. “Fano from the Amhara region came, then took us all out from our homes. We
saw our neighbours killed and slaughtered, in the same way as you cut wood, with an axe and knife.” Fano is a youth militia from Amharic region in Ethiopia, neighbouring Tigray.

– According to the report of VICE: “youths were sent to kill us. [A group of] more than 70 were trying to kill us. We hid ourselves in the fields. They hunted us. On the way many were killed. We passed many dead bodies.” The witness states that only six made it to the border out of a group of eight:“They checked the IDs of people…if they find someone with Tigrayan origin…[they] slaughter with a knife.”

– The report of Vice alleges that: “As chaos tore through the city, (..) Ethiopian federal forces stood by as Fano fighters went door to door, demanding to see IDs in order to identify ethnic Tigrayans.”

– According to the report of Vice “Fano militants continued to terrorise civilians attempting to flee to Sudan.” In earlier reports it was observed that ENDF troops blocked refugees from passing to Sudan.

Reported situation in Tigray (as confirmed per 27 December)

– Reported from Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, that civil servants and university employees are not yet back in office and that they are in a state of uncertainty on their situation. Besides, government employees and civil servants have not received salaries since October.

– Banks in Mekelle are still closed.

– Dimsti Woyane (DW) Television from the TPLF-led administration in Tigray is back on air after having been taken off the air, when PFDJ lost control of Mekelle. It is not known where the TV channel is broadcasted from.

– The Alameda Textile Factory and other factories are reported to have been completely destroyed and looted by Eritrean troops.

International dimension (as confirmed per 27 December)

– The official account of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) #UNGeneva states that “if civilians were deliberately killed by a party or parties to the conflict, these killings would amount to war crimes.” The office points out that independent investigation is needed that is impartial, thorough, transparent.

Disclaimer:

All information in this situation report is presented as a fluid update report, as to the best knowledge and understanding of the authors at the moment of publication. EEPA does not claim that the information is correct but verifies to the best of ability within the circumstances. Publication is weighed on the basis of interest to understand potential impacts of events (or perceptions of these) on the situation. Check all information against updates and other media. EEPA does not take responsibility for the use of the information or impact thereof. All information reported originates from third parties and the content of all reported and linked information remains the sole responsibility of these third parties. Report to info@eepa.be any additional information and corrections.

Links of interest

https://www.pmo.gov.et/articles/8/
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201226-sudans-information-minister-accuses-ethiopia-army-of-border-attack-involvement/
https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzqw/hes-planning-to-exterminate-us-all-ethiopians-speak-of-ethnic-massacres
https://twitter.com/UNGeneva/status/1342908035505684480?s=20
https://www.makdawian.com/new-blog/et7twpqrxkl18ntvpqjg8mj5rzaiephttps/wwwmakdawiancom/blog-page-url/new-post-title

EU urges investigation of Ethiopia massacre

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

EU Observer | Ethiopia must investigate and hold accountable gunmen who killed over 100 people in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region last week, in what looked like “ethnically targeted violence”, the EU foreign service has said. The Benishangul-Gumuz massacre comes amid other fighting in the Tigray region, further north, raising EU concern that Ethiopia is beginning to unravel. “Ongoing reports of non-Ethiopian involvement raise additional worries,” the EU foreign service said, on the Tigray-region conflict.

Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 37 – 26 December

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Europe External Programme with Africa is a Belgium-based Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peace building, refugee protection and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean Route. It cooperates with a wide network of Universities, research organisations, civil society and experts from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and across Africa. Key in-depth publications can be accessed on the website.

Military situation (as confirmed per 26 December)

– Reported that US Africom has begun an operation called Operation Octave Quartz (OOQ), with a mission to relocate U.S. forces in Somalia to other East Africa operating locations “while maintaining pressure on violent extremists and supporting partner forces”. US Africom is the military command for US operations in African. OOQ started after the Trump administration announced the reduction in the number of US military deployed in Somali territory.

– The US operation Octave Quarts consists of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group. This is an amphibious emergency response group led by the USS Makin Island assault ship (28,000 tons and a length of 258 meters and a bridge for the flight operations of the F-35B Lightning fighter-bombers II and AV-8B Harrier and the tiltrotor MC-22B Osprey).

– The Government of Sudan announces the completion of the restoration of its border lands with Ethiopia where the army of Sudan has taken over control.

– Military exercises and drills by the Egyptin army are intensified given heightened tension in the region, including joint exercises with Sudan.

Reported situation in Ethiopia (as confirmed per 26 December)

– Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres states that the UN has sent two teams to assess the humanitarian needs in Ethiopia’s conflict-ridden Tigray state. One team is currently stranded in Addis Abeba requiring additional permits.

– Second UN team to assess humanitarian needs has arrived in Mekelle, is planning to go to Adigrat.

– Reported that the Ethiopia federal military killed 42 armed men who “took part in a massacre in western Benishangul-Gumuz region.”

– Ethiopia Human Rights Commission releases monitoring report on Konso Zone in SNNPR (South Ethiopia), reporting “gruesome killings, injuries, displacement and property destruction” leading to the conclusion that a “sustainable solution” is needed.

– The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced that the registration of 26 political parties is cancelled.

– The Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP) has been cancelled from registration for the elections. The EDP was founded by the Lidetu Ayalew, who was in police detention for several months and was released last week.

– NEBE is consulting today with political parties to decide a draft election timetable for Ethiopia’s general elections expected to take place in the first half of 2021.

Regional situation (as confirmed per 26 December)

– Reports that Eritrea is withdrawing its troops from Tigray.

Reported situation in Tigray (as confirmed per 26 December)

– New cabinet members appointed in the provisional interim regional administration in Tigray appointed are named as: Dr. Kahisay Birhanu, Finance Bureau Head; Engineer Alula Habteab, Construction, Road and Transport Bureau Head; Dr. Fasika Amdeselassie, Health Bureau Head; Mr. Abera Nigussie, Justice Bureau Head; Mrs. Etenesh Nigussie, Communications Affairs Bureau Head; Mr. Yosef Tesfay, Trade, Industry, Urban Development Bureau Head; Dr. Tesfay Solomon, Education Bureau Head; Dr. Gebrehiwot Legesse, Water Research and Design Bureau Head; Mr. Solomon Abera, Water Resources Bureau Head; Mr. Abrha Desta, Social Affairs Bureau Head; Mr. Gebremeskel Kassa, Tigray Interim Administration Office Head.

– The new head of the Bureau of Health in Tigray, Dr. Fasika Amdesellaise, spoke in an interview of the death of civilians in Mekelle. He served as a surgeon at Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekelle where he worked during the military operations in November.

– New head of Bureau of Health, Dr. Fasika Amdesellaise, confirmed that Wukro and Adigrat hospitals were “completely looted and empty”.

International dimension (as confirmed per 26 December)

– Egypt backs Sudan in the clashes at the border with Ethiopia.

– EU expresses concern of “grave violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law”.

– EU states that it is “of paramount importance that hostilities cease completely, that civilians are protected and that all parties to the conflict uphold international humanitarian law, including ensuring the safety of aid workers. Unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need in all affected areas of the country must be guaranteed, to carry out needs assessments, deliver response and monitor aid in line with the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence. (..) All  refugees and displaced people within Tigray and beyond must be effectively protected, including preventing any act of forced and premature relocation or return.”

– EU further expresses concern with the situation of “ethnically targeted violence in Benishangul-Gumuz as well as all other allegations of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law need to be impartially investigated and accountability ensured.”

Disclaimer:

All information in this situation report is presented as a fluid update report, as to the best knowledge and understanding of the authors at the moment of publication. EEPA does not claim that the information is correct but verifies to the best of ability within the circumstances. Publication is weighed on the basis of interest to understand potential impacts of events (or perceptions of these) on the situation. Check all information against updates and other media. EEPA does not take responsibility for the use of the information or impact thereof. All information reported originates from third parties and the content of all reported and linked information remains the sole responsibility of these third parties. Report to info@eepa.be any additional information and corrections.

Links of interest

https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/33360/uss-makin-island-arg15th-meu-arrives-off-somali-coast-joint-task-force-quartz-public-af
https://www.africa-express.info/2020/12/24/lamerica-mostra-i-muscoli-e-schiera-agguerritissima-forza-navale-nel-corno-dafrica
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-12/25/c_139616888.htm
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ethiopia-violence-military-idUKKBN28Y0SY
https://www.fanabc.com/english/tigray-interim-administration-announces-its-cabinet-members/
https://addisstandard.com/news-tigray-region-interim-health-bureau-head-admits-civilian-deaths-in-battle-to-capture-mekelle-looting-of-hospitals-and-university/
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/12/egypt-support-sudan-ethiopia-attack-border-nile-dam-talks.html
https://africa.cgtn.com/2020/12/24/egyptian-army-intensifies-military-exercises-over-regional-concerns/
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/12/25/ethiopia-declaration-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union/

Refugees Come Under Fire as Old Foes Fight in Concert in Ethiopia

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Source: NYT

As fighting raged across the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia last month, a group of soldiers arrived one day at Hitsats, a small hamlet ringed by scrubby hills that was home to a sprawling refugee camp of 25,000 people.

The refugees had come from Eritrea, whose border lies 30 miles away, part of a vast exodus in recent years led by desperate youth fleeing the tyrannical rule of their leader, one of Africa’s longest-ruling autocrats. In Ethiopia, Eritrea’s longtime adversary, they believed they were safe.

But the soldiers who burst into the camp on Nov. 19 were also Eritrean, witnesses said. Mayhem quickly followed — days of plunder, punishment and bloodshed that ended with dozens of refugees being singled out and forced back across the border into Eritrea.

For weeks, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia has denied that soldiers from Eritrea — a country that Ethiopia once fought in an exceptionally brutal war — had entered Tigray, where Mr. Abiy has been fighting since early November to oust rebellious local leaders.

In fact, according to interviews with two dozen aid workers, refugees, United Nations officials and diplomats — including a senior American official — Eritrean soldiers are fighting in Tigray, apparently in coordination with Mr. Abiy’s forces, and face credible accusations of atrocities against civilians. Among their targets were refugees who had fled Eritrea and its harsh leader, President Isaias Afwerki.

The deployment of Eritreans to Tigray is the newest element in a melee that has greatly tarnished Mr. Abiy’s once-glowing reputation. Only last year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Mr. Isaias. Now it looks like the much-lauded peace deal between the former enemies in fact laid the groundwork for them to make war against Tigray, their mutual adversary.

Continue reading on NYT

Viktig å løse flere konflikter for å redusere antall på flukt – UNHCR

/0 Comments/in , /by

Abc Nyheter | Da FNs høykommissær for flyktninger (UNHCR) ble opprettet i kjølvannet av Andre verdenskrig trodde man de skulle gjøre seg overflødige etter tre år. 70 år senere er 80 millioner mennesker på flukt og arbeidet er viktigere enn noensinne.

Konflikten i Tigray-provinsen i Etiopia er den seneste krisen som FNs høykommissær for flyktninger (UNHCR) har måttet ta seg av. Minst 45 000 etiopiere har flyktet til nabolandet Sudan, mens det er minst 500 000 internt fordrevne.

Elisabeth Arnsdorf  Haslund, UNHCRs talsperson for de nordiske landene, sier at 2020 har vært et veldig spesielt år for alle mennesker.

– Allerede i starten av pandemien appellerte FNs generalsekretær til global våpenhvile. Men våpnene har ikke stilnet, konflikter fortsetter, blusser opp igjen og nye oppstår, sier hun og peker på spesielt utfordrende områder som Sahel, Syria, Mosambik, DR Kongo og Etiopia.

Les mer >>

Ethiopia accused of war crimes in Mai Kadra massacre

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Source: Morning Star | December 27, 2020

INVESTIGATIONS into potential war crimes committed during Ethiopia’s military offensive against the northern Tigray region must be impartial, thorough and transparent, the United Nations said today.

The UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) says an independent probe must take place to determine what took place in Tigray amid reports that civilians were targeted and massacres took place during the operation which started in November.

Between November 9 and 10, a massacre took place in Mai Kadre in western Tigray in which at least 700 men, women and children were brutally executed.

Government forces sought to blame the Tigray People’s Liberation Front for the atrocity. But subsequent investigations, including testimony from eyewitnesses have pointed the finger at the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF).

Those that fled the scene alleged that the killings were carried out by members of Fano – a government-affiliated youth militia from the Amhara region.

One witness said: “Fano from the Amhara region came, then took us all out from our homes. We saw our neighbours killed and slaughtered, in the same way as you cut wood, with an axe and knife.”

According to reports, Ethiopian government forces stood by as Fano fighters went door to door, demanding to see people’s identification papers in order to identify ethnic Tigrayans.

“Youths were sent to kill us. More than 70 [Fano militia] were trying to kill us. We hid ourselves in the fields. They hunted us. On the way many were killed. We passed many dead bodies.

“They checked the IDs of people…if they find someone with Tigrayan origin…[they] slaughter with a knife,” the witness said.

UNOG said in a statement: “If civilians were deliberately killed by a party or parties to the conflict, these killings would amount to war crimes.”

Elections are to be held in June, although Tigray has been excluded from the poll until a state of emergency is lifted in the region.

Ethiopia Entering a Dangerous Phase

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Paulos Tesfagiorgis is interviewed by Pierre Beaudet.

Source: The Bullet: International Relations

During the liberation war from the mid-seventies to the early 1990s, Paulos Tesfagiorgis was head of the Eritrean Relief Agency (ERA), the central organism that organized the provision of goods in the liberated areas of Eritrea and supported the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) shadow state they had set up throughout the country until their victory in 1991. As a senior member of the EPLF, Tesfagiorgis was involved, along with Isaias Afwerki, in the core leadership until the end of the 1990s, when serious cracks occurred within the government and the party, which led to the imprisonment and exile of many leaders, including Ministers and journalists and Tesfagiorgis. Read more

Over 100 skal være drept i ny massakre i Etiopia

/0 Comments/in , /by

NTB-AP-AFP | Et stort antall mennesker er drept i en massakre i en landsby vest i Etiopia, ifølge landets menneskerettighetskommisjon og øyenvitner BBC har snakket med. 

Massakren skal ha funnet sted i Metekel i Benishangul-Gumuz regionen onsdag. Dagen før besøkte statsminister Abiy Ahmed området og krevde at skyldige i tidligere overgrep ble stilt til ansvar.

Den etiopiske menneskerettskommisjonen (EHRC), som står regjeringen nær, opplyser at «over 100 mennesker er drept i branner og skyting forårsaket av væpnede menn».

Ifølge kommisjonen foreligger det grusomme bildebeviser fra angrepet. Det skal ha startet før daggry mens innbyggerne fortsatt sov, og det skal ha fortsatt til utpå ettermiddagen.

Les mer >>

How to Stage A Military Coup: From Planning to Execution | SWJ Book Review

/0 Comments/in /by

Source: Small War Journal | Major Aaron Gookins

How to Stage a Military Coup: From Planning to Execution. By Ken Connor and David Hebditch. La Vergne: Sky Horse Publishing, 2017. 187 pages.

The Special Air Service’s (SAS) longest serving member, Ken Connor, with the assistance of a career author and historian, David Hebditch, examine military coup successes and failures from around the globe in their work; How to Stage a Military Coup: From Planning to Execution. As the title suggests, the authors claim to provide a step-by-step guide to planning and executing a military coup but miss the mark. The authors utilize a historical case study method throughout the work with comical interjections, often ill-timed, to present the analysis of over 20 coups. The end result is a book that is historically grounded, supplies a reasonably supported list of indicators of coup likelihood, and entertainment; but fails to offer a true framework for execution.

Confusion and disorganization set in early in this writing as historical vignettes are muddied with fabricated accounts of a plan to overthrow the standing government of the United Kingdom. The 2017 edition of the book addresses the insertion of the fictional account in its forward. The forward, written by Hebditch, is reasonably concise and references the most recent coup attempts in world history (i.e. the North African Arab Spring and the potentially fake 2016 Turkish coup). However, it’s not clear where the fiction stops, and the exposition begins. Also, in later chapters of the work, fictional accounts do not at all support the authors’ arguments. Additionally, Hebditch arbitrarily recounts a North Georgia FBI raid of coup planners, in which a copy of this very book was seized. It is hard to determine if the author is asserting the raid adds credibility to the book’s argument or if he finds the events comical.

At other points, the authors display their knowledge and arguments in an engaging and well supported manner. In the first half of this work it appears that each titled chapter will serve as a single step in coup planning, with the following titles: “The Military in Politics”; “Motivation and Massage”; “Planning the Perfect Putsch”; “Recruitment, Training and Tactics”; and “Keeping Your Coup Covert.” These early chapters, well written and engaging, provide sound assertions supported with historical references from around the globe. The authors’ command of historical knowledge in these chapters as well as operational experience are quite impressive and engaging for readers of all knowledge levels. However, the framework itself is less impressive to readers with military, political, or historical backgrounds. The simplicity of explanation leaves the reader feeling unfulfilled at times as the authors write what appears to be the obvious.

The oversimplification of the authors’ proposed steps is quite obvious to the experienced reader, as the authors are too broad with their analysis and reasoning. The takeaways from each chapter leave the audience wanting to say, “of course you need to do that.” The summation can be more directly put as follows: The political goals and objectives of superpowers, or near superpowers, will impact their decision to support or reject a coup. This in and of itself is a very simple and unoriginal ideal. Coups by their very nature are political, therefore, it stands to reason that decisions of other countries to support or reject coups would also be political in nature. However, although the argument itself is not innovative, the authors adequately support their argument with examples of coups from around the globe. The coup examples in and of themselves are interesting and keep the reader engaged.

The second half of the book feels like an attempt to provide engaging and entertaining reading, but no continuation of the stated argument. The disjointed nature make it seem as though two inherently different writings were forced together to create one literary work. The later chapters in the book dive into U.S. Military intervention in Iraq, irrelevant coups in the Fijian islands, and the utilization of mercenary armies. The Fijian chapter appears to be nothing more than a platform for the author further mythologize a man named “Horse” who he served with in the SAS. The chapter focusing on Iraq feels out of place and a way to force in, what the authors view to be, a failed policy in the Middle East. Additionally, the forced insertion of this chapter makes it even more difficult to transition into the authors’ discussion surrounding the utilization of mercenaries to support a coup. Once the reader is able to refocus, there are reasonable and pertinent points explaining why soldiers for hire lack the constitution to execute a successful coup. Overall, the later chapters have high points but fail to truly support the assertions established through the books title.

In summation, How to Stage a Military Coup: From Planning to Execution provides an entertaining surface level description of various coups throughout the world. The book is not for individuals seeking in depth analysis, but rather wave top level presentations. However, the authors provide several examples of military coups both successful and unsuccessful and provides two useful appendices that comprehensive list of known coups around the globe. While the book fails to rise to its title, it remains an entertaining read for anyone and an informative for a novice historian interested in broadening their understanding of military coups.

 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.