HENOK MERHATSIDK 1.pdf - Addis Ababa University

The establishment of international institutions is to protect the security of world states. When
the League of Nations was founded in 1920 for example, its preoccupation was the security
of world states. Similarly, the UN emphasizes on the security of world states. If we look at
article 2 (4) “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use
of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other
manner inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations.” Hence, the UN charter is in
favor of the security of member states. Similarly, it has granted a right of states when they
are invaded. Article 51 says:
Nothing in the present charter shall impair the inherent right of individual
or collective self defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of
the United Nations until the Security Council has taken measure necessary
to maintain international peace and security ( UN Charter 1945, cited in
Lowe, 2007: 71-75).
As ancient state, Ethiopia encountered a number of foreign military forces; Ottomans of
Egypt, Dervishes of the Sudan, Italians, Somalia, and Eritrea. The 1896 Battle of Adwa
signifying Ethiopia’s victory against Italian colonial power has multidimensional implication.
During the World War II, Ethiopia was occupied by Italy, initially, both France and British
and other colonial powers in the area were in favor of Italy, when Italy joined the axis
powers, British forces combined their armies with Ethiopian patriots and they helped
achieve the independence of Ethiopian State in 1941 (Markakis, 1998: 17; Nigussay, 1979:
47-71).
Security could be both internal and external. The two states under study (Ethiopia and
Kenya) have witnessed security problem from with- in and with -out. Indeed, many scholars
agree that the internal security problem of states in the Horn of Africa has a link with the
external. The involvement of Egypt and other regional states that wanted to export the
ideology of radical Islam in the region and the presence of trans- boundary settlement of
pastoralist groups extend conflict in one country to the other.
Currently, the ‘failed state’ of Somalia is the, ‘seed bed of terrorism’ and many more, global
terrorist groups like Al- Qaeda that use Somalia as a recruitment, training and deployment of
their forces to the neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Kenya. The repeated bombings of
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