On December 12, 2024, AAU hosted a panel review of a new book titled አዙሪት፤ ኢትዮጵያ እና ጦርነት ፍቺ የሚያስፈልገው ጋብቻ (Azurit) (Amharic Edition) Paperback –by an Ethiopian military author of distinction.

The book is an outcome of years of research and reflection by the author General Yohannes Gebremeskel, a veteran of Ethiopia’s wars who also served as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) from 2013-2014.

In part a memoir, the book gives a distressing account of the brutality of war and the impact on civilians and soldiers alike. The author’s autobiographical narrative is embedded in the bestiality and vanity that attends all such armed conflicts. A firsthand account of Ethiopia’s past and recent conflicts forms the foundation for the book’s calls for peace and amicable ending of armed clashes.

Discussing war and peace, the book offers an intimate glimpse into the authors’ outlook on conflict as well as the vitality of pacifism, touching on the importance of dialogue, civility, and respect for human life.

As a keynote speaker, AAU president Dr Samuel Kifle spoke in support of the book’s thesis that wars must be prevented and conflicts must be stopped amicably, citing Ethiopia’s long history of incessant conflicts and the dire costs generations of the nation have had to pay. He underscored the inculcation and promotion of values, attitudes, skills and behaviors that are necessary for multicultural harmony, peace and nation-building.

General Alemeshet Degfe, Military Advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, similarly gave an account of the need for peace and the political management of all differences. He commended the author for his pacifist stand, adding there is a need for conversation as the sole mechanism to address differences and to prevent conflicts as well as the deterring of interethnic conflict-promoting attitudes and behaviors.

Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Dr. Yonas Ashine, for his part addressed the vitality of institutional mechanisms of conflict resolution, rejection of violence in all its forms, and building a culture of peace as an approach to the prevention of violence and violent conflicts. He reflected on institutions such as schools as strategic sites for molding citizens in the art of dialogue, in the rule of law, and in the value of respect for the rights of others as qualities that form the pillars of modern society.

Reporter: Theodros Shewangizaw

Photos by: Philimon Hailekiros