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Egypt to establish military base in Eritrea

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle April 17, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO), an Eritrean opposition group, claimed on Monday that the Red Sea nation had allegedly granted Egypt green light to build

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

April 17, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO), an Eritrean opposition group, claimed on Monday that the Red Sea nation had allegedly granted Egypt green light to build a military base within the country’s territory.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Photo Reuters)

Officials from the opposition group, quoting “reliable” sources in Eritrea, claimed Asmara has allowed Cairo to acquire a military base in Nora locality at the Dahlak Island for an indefinite period of time.

The agreement, RSADO further said, comes in the wake of last week’s high-level visit of the Egyptian delegation to Eritrea.

An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Egyptian naval forces will be deployed at the planned base, officials from the group hinted.

As it had long been anticipated and if true, Egypt will be Africa’s first and third Arab country to build a military facility in the reclusive East African nation, currently under United Nations sanctions for arming and financing Al-Shabab, a terrorist group allied with al-Qaeda.

According to previous U.N reports, Eritrea has already leased its port town of Assab to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish military bases to ease their coalition battle against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Concerned by Saudi and UAE military presence in Eritrea, Ethiopia warned the two Arab nations against supporting what it said was “Asmara’s long-standing destabilising agenda against Ethiopia”.

Recently, Egyptian leaders have reportedly been engaged in diplomatic efforts for regional countries including Somalia, Somaliland and Djibouti to grant them a military and commercial base in their selected soil. However, none of Cairo’s efforts were reportedly successful, prompting the opposition group to disclose this matter.

Some Ethiopian politicians argue that Egypt’s growing interest to secure military incursion in the Horn of Africa intends to contain Ethiopia’s massive hydro-power project, which Cairo fears the multi-billion dollar dam project being built along Nile River would eventually diminish historic water shares of the North African nation.

Redda Mulgeta, a member of Ethiopia’s ruling Peoples Republican Democratic Front (EPRDF), says Cairo’s motive to have a military presence in Eritrea was clear.

“Egyptian leaders’ motive to have a military base in the soil of rival Eritrea is to sabotage the construction of Ethiopia’s mega dam project by supporting Eritrea sponsored anti-Ethiopian elements and al-Qaeda-allied Somali militant group,” Mulgeta told Sudan Tribune.

“Egypt is conspiring with Eritrea to subject Ethiopia engage in proxy war with its enemy Eritrea, local armed opposition groups and further with al-Shabaab”, he added.

Meanwhile, despite the various U.N reports, Eritrea has previously dismissed revelations that it has leased lands for foreign countries.

Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea has remained odd after 1998-2000 border war, which killed an estimated over 70,000 people.

(ST)

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6 COMMENTS
  • hilmiab/tigray April 30, 2017

    If it s true then well done Eritrea,
    Eritrea have the right to have alliance with any country for their own interests.
    Their is no eritrean afar state that is a complete lie propaganda trough ethiopian afar claiming to be eritrean some as tigrayan do to every refugee agency ,
    tplf regime seek to reclaim the costal erea it won’t happen

  • Sol April 30, 2017

    hilmiab/Isayas
    Which Eritrea are you talking about, such an alliance if it is to be done it should have done through the approval of the peoples” representatives which doesn’t exist in Eritrea. The problems of Eritrea for the last 26 years and more are due to decisions that are made by one socially sick dictator named Isayas Afwerqi. And this news as you said if true it will be a great shame on our history.
    hilmiab, when DIA handed Bademe to his x-allies TPLF in 1981 may be you considered that blatant action as a wise action but we are still paying very hard price fro the adventurous act.

    • AHMED SALEH !!! May 1, 2017

      The extremist TPLF leaders lost an advantage once they compromised to satisfy
      the demand of Ethiopian extremists agenda against Eritrean sovereignty .
      Beside Badme they were legitimate partners with HGDF leadership in every aspect
      of financial activities including on Aseb and Massawa ports
      Issayas got permission to negotiate at Eritrean lands and resources as he wishes without
      any objection from the time people blessed his conspiracy at national sovereign lands .
      He will buy and sell our national resources since nobody can open his mouth to question
      him . For me it is too late to shed crocodile tears .We pay what we deserve . Blame our
      arrogance and self-serve selfish attitude that led us into this mess .

  • Massawa April 30, 2017

    If this is true, the so called leaders in Eritrea are playing with fire and in bed with the most despicable and opportunists of the evil world. The idiots of Eritrea had forgotten Gundet, Dogeli and GuraE. This is an indirect welcome for the Ethiopians using this legitimate pretext to take over Eritrea.
    Only an idiot will be surprised if the Ethiopians drive their tanks across the Mereb next month or after. Imagine if the Ethiopians had built a military base in North Sudan, near Aswan dam, or the Ethiopians building a military base in north Yemen in Hoothi territory, facing Saudi Arabia.
    The question: How long will the Ethiopians sleep as the Arab Muslims build bases around and against them in Assab, Somaliland, South Sudan and now Egypt in Massawa and Asab.
    This is an insult to the Eritrean Christians who are suffering in the hand of the savage Arab regimes in Egyptian, Libyan, Yemeni and Saudi jails, as well as those who were murdered and snatched their body organs by the Arab Muslims in Egypt, Libya and Sudan, and those Christians who were beheaded by the Jihadist Islamic State ISIS savage Wahabi animals .

  • Sami May 1, 2017

    ተኽላይ (Massawa)
    ኣበይ ደኣ ጠፊእካ ኔርካ ዶሞዝ ሕጊግደፍ ዶንጊያ ኔራ መስለኒ።

  • hailu May 1, 2017

    Mengstu Hailemariam
    was accusing Shabiya or Isayas of selling Eritrea to Arabs.

    Here cones to our own eyes
    he is selling portion by portion to Arabs.
    Assab to UAE
    other Island to Egypt
    lets wait what will come later.

    We Eritreans were so blinded to support Isayas revolution.
    Sad.

    Egypt has never been a good intentioned neighbor aside she wants us as a bargaining tool for its agenda.

    My grandfather once mentionef this in 1992.
    He was 88years old and said’yea the independence is good but hope they pfdj will not sell the country for lack of wisdome’
    is not it true.

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