Eritrea urges U.N. action after Ethiopia attack
By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA | Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:13pm GMT (Reuters) - Eritrea urged the United Nations to take action against Ethiopia on Friday for an attack inside its territory which the government in Asmara
By Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA | Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:13pm GMT
(Reuters) – Eritrea urged the United Nations to take action against Ethiopia on Friday for an attack inside its territory which the government in Asmara branded provocative.
The Red Sea state said it would not be “entrapped” by the military incursion, signalling its reluctance to be sucked back into armed conflict with its bitter foe.
Ethiopia announced on Thursday its troops raided three military bases in Eritrea which it said were used by Ethiopian rebels.
The assaults were the first on Eritrean soil that Addis Ababa has admitted to since the end of a 1998-2000 war that killed 70,000 people. Eritrea claims there have been others.
“The objective of the attack … is to divert attention from the central issue of the regime’s flagrant violation of international law and illegal occupation of sovereign Eritrean territories,” Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Eritrea … will not be entrapped by such deceitful ploys that are aimed at derailing and eclipsing the underlying fundamental issues.”
A vicious row over the position of Eritrea and Ethiopia’s shared border was not resolved at the end of the war.
The Hague-based Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission ruled in 2002 that the border village of Badme belonged to Eritrea.
However, the village remains in Ethiopia, Washington’s main ally in the volatile Horn of Africa.
“It is patently clear that the Ethiopian regime could not have unleashed such a flagrant act of aggression with such audacity without the protection and succour of the United States in the Security Council,” Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council seen by Reuters.
“Eritrea urges, for the umpteenth time, the U.N. Security Council to shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities and to take appropriate measures to rectify acts of aggression against Eritrea’s sovereign territories.”
Eritrea gave no further details on what action it hoped for.
PROXY WARS
Unable to match Ethiopia militarily, Asmara has launched a proxy war in lawless Somalia to weaken its neighbour, some analysts say. President Isaias Afewerki’s government has been hit with sanctions for links with Somalia’s al Shabaab rebels.
“I suspect there is little fallout to expect from the raid – unless Eritrea chooses to unleash one of its proxies, perhaps in Somalia,” said J. Peter Pham at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.
“Of course, if that happens, it would give the lie to Asmara’s hitherto denials of linkages with groups like al-Shabaab.”
Shimeles Kemal, Ethiopia’s government spokesman, said Eritrea has used the bases to train an Ethiopian rebel group that Addis Ababa says killed five foreign tourists and kidnapped two others in Ethiopia’s remote Afar region in January.
“The Eritrean defence force is not in a position to launch an attack against Ethiopia and were they try to do so, the results would be disastrous,” he told journalists on Thursday.
Eritrea denies any involvement.
“As we underlined at the time, the recent deplorable killing and abduction of tourists has also been misconstrued by the … (Ethiopian) regime and its backers as a ‘blessing in disguise’ to rationalise its unlawful acts,” its foreign ministry said.
A Western diplomat in Addis Ababa told Reuters the neighbours — two of the poorest countries in the world — are unlikely to harbour intentions for an all-out war, but both would be happy to see the other’s government unfold.
“Ethiopia will take whatever means necessary to topple the regime in Asmara, but a full-scale war is unthinkable. I believe these type of incidents will happen again,” he said.
(Editing by Richard Lough and Richard Meares)
Cambo March 16, 2012
The Asmara regime knows its demise is coming faster. Just listen how Ali Abdi is shitting in his pants and trying hard to avoid the questions.
The regime is so scared and lost confidence in itself, it has sent its foreign minister to Egypt to get some diplomatic and military support. I am getting some credible but unconfirmed reports that includes inviting Egypt deeply into Eritrea’s military and diplomatic efforts, including a military base and Arab League seat.
If this is the case, Ethiopia will see this as a direct military threat from Egypt in the Hoirn region and it will be forced to take full military action as early as possible.
Funny, the Egyptians are keeping thousands of Eritreans in its jails and Sinai gulags harvesting their organs and they are being invited to Eritrea. Classic, adding salt to our fresh Sinai wounds.
Asmara, 16 March 2012 – Mr. Osman Saleh, Eritrean Foreign Minister, on March 15 delivered a message from President Isaias Afwerki to Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt.
Cambo March 16, 2012
Note that Ato Osman Saleh, Eritrean Foreign Minister, was not sent to the Arab Republic of Egypt to save the young Eritrean prisoners in Aswan, al Arish, Alexandria, Cairo … many other Egyptian jails, nor for the release of the enslaved Eritreans who are held hostage by the Arab Beduines in the Sinai gulags but to save the Hgdef regime’s azz from being punished and whopped by Meles Zenawi, the new Goblel of the Horn of Africa.
Issaias Afewerki’s time is up, he belongs to the dustbins of history. His future as a significant political figure is over. This reminds me of Mengistu in 1991, Gaddafi in 2011, Abdela Salah of Yemen in 2011 … it will soon be Issaias in 2012.
Samar March 16, 2012
Egypt at this time is not in a position to take sides aend support Isaias. For Egypt Ethiopia is more important than Isaias, and if it takes side it will be with Meles Zenawi, but at the present they will not side either with Isaias or Meles Zenawi. They have internal problems to settle.
Osman Saleh went to Egypt to stop meetings of the Eritrean opposition with different parties of Egypt and interviews with the Egyptian media, but he can’t stop it because Egypt has changed, it is not the old Egypt that Isaias knows.
Weldit March 16, 2012
You are right Samar. For Egypt, the biggest national security or national threat comes from its water lifeline of the Nile River, and they don’t want to risk any of that by siding with Eritrea against Ethiopia. But it is desperate and puzzling for PIA to send his foreign minister at this very moment. What was he thinking? EVen if this was something that was scheduled long time ago, he should have postponed it.
henok March 16, 2012
The Egypt trip by Eritrea is to give hope to PFDJ supports that Isias will do anything to respond to the attack. Would Egypt break diplomacy with Ethiopia for Eritrea.? I doubt it. Right now Egypt has thier own problem to worry thanabout Isias’.
Selamawii March 16, 2012
wdket mengsti eritra zerii eyu. b presidente isayas zmrah mengsti nhagerna ertra hizwa ywedk alo.
azyu zehzn guday eyu. nezi wdket kendi tehateti degefti presidenti isayas zkonu ab wetsa hager zmkmatom ertrawian eyatom.
kgage kelo ageb, hager bzery hgi kmerh kelo gega akndi mbal nehan nsu nsu nhna yblu nierom.
zguhaye
Anti-HIGDEF March 16, 2012
The beginning of the End !
THE END March 16, 2012
The U.N. will not save the Shifta gangsters. Why the fuck should I care what the Woyane thugs do to this damn Country? Did these rapist lift a finger when hundreds of youth perished in the high seas? Did they do anything to try to save the one who are being murdered for their organs? So let the Woyane criminals fuck up the place. They can’t be worse than the ones in power. Every power that ruled Eritrea was an oppressive one. And if i remember that is why Eritrea paid a heavy price to curve out an identity. But these Shifta have proven to be far worse than the strangers. Youth are made to be slaves and young girls used to satisfy the sexual urges of these ugly ass mother fuckers. I hope Ethiopia takes it back and make it a province. I say go and fuck up everything.
Samar March 16, 2012
There are many countries in the world which were and are still ruled by dictators. Some of these countries may be colonized by foreigners in the past, but having a home grown dictator doesn’t mean that you import a dictator and a colonizer.
The people of Eritrea struggles against Isaias to bring peace and democracy for the people of Eritrea not to be annexed and become a province of Ethiopia. The stage of being part of Ethiopia have forgotten it since decades, it is just part of history. The people of Eritrea will not go back and open a black page that is closed. Eritrea is suffering of some bigots and they will not live long, they will be dealt with the way they understand. I suspect you are one of these bigots who doesn’t survive except as slave, thus you are calling to be enslaved by Ethiopians.
Rahayta March 16, 2012
Samar wrote “… bigots who doesn’t survive except as slave…”
as an ethnic Afar many people like me have every right for self determination. we have every right to side with our Afar brothers in ethiopia or dijibouti. we have every right to look after our language and value. in my case i will look after my Afar af as the Afars of ethiopia or its Oromos or Tigrais.
i am proud of my Afar values so are the kunamas i met in Hawasa. i am no body’s slave. a slave is person who can not and does not want to speak his language. i am no an Arab slave or an Amhara slave, i speak my language.
Samar, see yourself in the miror, you will see an arab slave who hates himeself. i do not care about eritria anymore i care about my language and values first.
i speak my langauge and i did not burn my tigre language as the slaves like u did.
ahmed saleh March 17, 2012
Rahayata
It looks you misunderstood the comments of Samar. The response was based on objection of other commentator’s expression to the idea of Ethiopian re-annexation. I like not to argue deeply to a question of ethnicity and religions because HGDF’s policy has done enough damage to it. Hade-Libi staff is only for fools , that is why we come together
as Eritreans to heal the wound and to achieve substancial unity of our society. I feel your anger because I have mine too ,but do not forget our martyr brothers promise for justice, liberty and equality. More we unite , more we get strong. RESPECT
Dawit March 16, 2012
The spokesman said “The Eritrean defence force is not in a position to launch an attack against Ethiopia and were they try to do so, the results would be disastrous,” reflecting Ethiopia’s assessment of PFDJ. I wonder what Issayas , his ruthless subordinates , and his unscrupulous supporters would think when they hear or read the spokesman’s statement.
John March 16, 2012
Meskerem and rubanseba are reporting Eritrea and Ethiopia will start peace dialogue soon under the mediation of Israel and quater . Those who been in the war ; they know the price of war. We lost countless of people . Assenna should do its PR compaigh against war. We don’t want another war. Period.
Fenqil Norge March 16, 2012
The PFDJ regime have been saying that the woyanes are their students, now thy are almost admittyng that they are the teachers! In 2005 they claimed that they will do whatever they can even take military action to retrieve Badme, now Ali baba is saying that the regime will not be drawn into a war!! very surprising, since there is no spirit de corps within the Eritrean military to combat any enemy. Gone are the days of YKEALO KULU ZKEALO! because all the youngsters were forced to desert or flee from the country with some of them becoming victims of organ traffickers. The question is: If the Ethiopian army pushes further where wil Isayas go? Maybe tio Morth Korea or China! until he is called by the ICC of course.
Zalambesa March 16, 2012
Isaias and Ali Abidu are only to lengthy time. They know very well that Eritreans does not like them. If Ethiopiia attack Eritrea, of course it could be their end. Now the only way they can do is to avoid fight even shoots were made by Ethiopians. Therefore its their task to beg the UN to interfer in the border. Otherwise they know very well that, they can try to defend whatever lives of young eritreans are paid, but it at the end, its their turn.
my only advise to Isaias and Ali Abudi and Monkey, you should hand the freedom the Eritrean we want, emplement constitution, so we can all defend our country together. and you will not be found to be criminals, otherwise, without giving the rights to the people, no one will be with your sides except the fools and selfish people living in comfortable countries. At the end it will not suit you and your families but giving up the rights of Eritrean will give you respect and protection of your future generation.
dehay hager March 16, 2012
Am saddened and filled with pity the fact that the land of our marteries is at last harrased by the weyane junta.i hate shaebia for cousing the mighty eritrean people to cowards due to their crule style of leading.as from now I didnt think we will bring our glory back
abz6g5b@yahoo.com March 16, 2012
This is the end of Isayas anybody is better than the current president.