Now that China has turn over Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad to Ethiopia, the next step is to improve the line, then complete and activate Awash-Hara Gebeya Route before reaching Mekelle the final destination. Although I would urge PM Ahmed Abiy to continue on to Axum and Shire if there is ORDER.
It seems that violence may break out any minute in Tigray as the TPLF is rallying support from external actors from Asmara to Cairo. Debretsion Gebremichael is upset about losing territory to Amhara and his political organization has been undermined by Abiy’s government forces after losing the Tigray War 2020-2022.
If Afwerki have soldiers in Ethiopia he should remove them immediately and stop looking forward to Abiy’s downfall, with peace the Tigray Region will become a shining Star, immediately.
Railway Infrastructure will lead the way and investments in mining, agriculture and energy from near and far will arrive to create meaningful jobs for the weary. Getachew Reda appointment as head of Tigray Interim Administration(TIA), didn’t sit well with Gebretsion, so he applied pressure on Abiy and hand-picked Reda successor Tadesse Woreda to try and revive TPLF name and stature. We shall see how that drama plays out.
Peace is overdue in Ethiopia. Once the dust is settled in Tigray and Gondar area, and work on the railroad to Mekelle is underway, immediately Abiy and Ruto should crank up the south line from Modjo to Moyale, onward to Isiolo, Lamu Port and Nairobi. Get that line started before Berbera Port connection.
Integrate the East African Community first with links to Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Eastern DR Congo before attempting rail network to Mogadishu. Too many foreign fighters and countries involved in that war zone. Turkey has helped Somalia with managing ports, airports and other critical infrastructure, but they are not placing their troops in harms way. And with the arrival of Egyptian troops, it will be similar to Turkey, help train the Somalia National Army.
Let’s not leave out South Sudan, a trusted partner in dire need of road infrastructure, especially to Djibouti Ports. Help them build roads so they may connect to Nekemte or Ambo by providing a freight yard after rail reaches those two cities. South Sudan Oil Transport via pipelines to Port Sudan has been hit hard by Sudan’s war, when two power hungry generals from Omar Bashir Darfur enforcerment group turn on each other and dragged down the economy of South Sudan.
It makes me wonder why Egypt would volunteer to send troops all the way down to Somalia and not to Gaza, Sudan or Libya, all three countries bordering Egypt and in need of their help.
Maybe they’re trying to intimidate Ethiopia because they want to manage the Nile and negotiations on the GERD is not working in their favor.
Ethiopia and East African Community should link up by rail and develop their economies as soon as possible.
hubiejones.com 