Eritrean president denies presence of Egyptian troops in Sudan
January 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki accused interested circles in Sudan and Ethiopia of attempting to create a conflict between Khartoum and Asmara, stressed that there were no Egyptian troops at the
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January 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki accused interested circles in Sudan and Ethiopia of attempting to create a conflict between Khartoum and Asmara, stressed that there were no Egyptian troops at the Sawa base, which borders the Sudanese border.
On Thursday, Sudan officially announced sending troops and equipment to the border with Eritrea and spoke about security threats after the alleged arrival of Egyptian troops to the Eritrean military base of Sawa, an area bordering the eastern province of Kassala in Sudan.
In an interview with Eritrean television on Sunday evening, Afwerki ridiculed Sudan’s allegations about the presence of Egyptian troops at the Sawa military base and slammed the Qatari Al-Jazeera TV channel which broadcast the news.
He further said that Asmara has information about an attempt to deploy Ethiopian troops on the Sudanese-Eritrean border to be financed by Sudan.
He added that Khartoum and Addis Ababa seek to push Eritrea to war pointing to the broadcast in the Sudanese media of footages of troops and weapons dispatched to Kassala state.
“The Ethiopian and Sudanese intelligence services are promoting false information. These accusations are an attempt to escape forward.”
“Some circles in Sudan and Ethiopia are trying to create a clash between Sudan and Eritrea,” he said.
In a joint press conference with his Ethiopian counterpart Sunday, the Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour said his government does not accuse a specific country but speak about threats for its security on the eastern border.
“Some opposition forces are in those areas,” he said. “There are some people who are trying to harm the security of the country and we will explain this in detail in due course,” Ghandour stressed.
Speaking about the Turkish military presence in the Red Sea region, Afwerki said it “is not acceptable”.
“I am not sure about the Turkish military presence in (the Sudanese town of) Suakin, but the Turkish presence in Somalia is unacceptable and does not contribute to the stability of the region,” he said.
The head of the embattled east African country was recently in Egypt for talks with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi following several reports about a rapprochement with Cairo which is in conflict with Khartoum and Addis Ababa over the Nile water.
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amanuel January 15, 2018
His answer was as predicted with 100% accuracy. He never said a single truth in over five dacades, why should he tell the truth now. He is born lier. He does not even know that there are officials, journalists and religious leaders in his prison cells. He swears there are no eritrean refugees. Do u think he is suffering from alztheimers disease? He is aregit but no, he is just a pathological lier. No question he thinks that weyane is done if guns are smuggled into gonder with small trained army like g7. The only obstacle is albeshir and wants to overthrow albeshir using some opposition that are inside eritrea. No question supplies have been flowing from egypt to the sudanese and ethiopian rebels in eritrea through massawa and by air directly through sawa. I do not think he can convince anybody by denying the facts that every body knows, not even adey Amete/hgdf.
Asmara Eritrea January 17, 2018
Isaias is a liar and a thug, who does not know the meaning of truth – in short he is a fraud. That’s why our country has turned to a banana republic. This man cannot have an Eritrean brain nor blood.
Power to the People!
Tekie January 15, 2018
PFDJ habits of denial!, denial! ….always denial. Eritrea’s gold export earning all went to finance Al-shabab and other terror groups and PFDJ kept on denying on broad day light; Is there any instance in the history of Issayas where he admitted his guilt? None what so ever! The most foolish collection of PFDJ places itself atop of the world while indeed is the most incompetent and incapable!, and now that it has created another crisis with Sudan, It has successfully sealed itself from the outside world and its economic situation will go from grave to extreme worst! PFDJ learns nothing from life and had failed to learn from Ethiopia and Djibouti similar squander. As usual Alem Goitom of Meskerem.com in defense of PFDJ is using the same old trick to put the blame on Ethiopia. His father Let. Goitom of King Hailesilassie and Derg army had committed multiple genocides against the Eritrean people and his son Alem working day in day out in collaboration with the PFDJ gangs against the Eritrean people which is propelling the youth in mass exodus to unknown world. Now that it had cornered itself between a wall and a Hard rock , ignite a war against sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti is inevitable,and the 75-years old aging Issayas has nothing to loss and give no damn to take the Eritrean people along with him! In support of Egypt against Turk, As Issayas in his televised address rejected to the presence of Turks in the Sudan’s Island , fomenting a crisis with Sudan was not accidental but premeditated in support of Egypt and Saudis.and there will be a lot of Military activities in the months ahead from all sides, but the question is who stands to loss the most- No question that will be the ordinary Eritrean people!
k.tewolde January 15, 2018
The players are back at it again to deflect the focus away from them and the audience seems to fall for it all over again.It is the same old game with a new twist and the poor nation continues to bleed towards irreversible shock.
k.tewolde January 15, 2018
The sad thing is nobody seems to have a sense of urgency to plug the hole and attempt recitative measures.
Danilo January 15, 2018
In my opinion this fluid accusations and counter accusations, the drum of war, diplomatic solution uncertainty, regional ambiguity and nonsense interest will only lead to total darkness / destruction. no one of the concerned country leaders sincerely want to talk in matters relating peace and tranquility. .
Gezae January 15, 2018
As I always say, it is true when the people are discontent and angry from being powerless and dispossessed, the pressure will mount and it won’t go anywhere. The people want to vent out their frustrations. The corrupted Woyane regime knows that responding for grave repression is only directly greater desire of the common people to rise up, so instead of fighting it in a wise democratical way prefers to re-channel that pent up energy elsewhere to faded away the people movement. However, the great Ethioipian people movement raging in a rapid leap. So the diversion is complete remained useless as the people are more interested in alternative issues of transition.
If the Woyane regime want to reduce the dangers of its political ignorance and deception, needs to peaceful withdrow its army from the occupied Eritrea toritories without precondition. Hence, let’s the greed along with fear of others and the leaders who have taste war disregard for human life and do not feel that human life is very valuable halt the negative propagadas of war-drum. Otherwise again the dumb thing to do bloodsheds could start and continues when the treaty that is meant for peace do not actually find the solution
almaz January 16, 2018
You talked about repression of ethiopians by weyane. I do not agree or disagree with that. It is not even our business. But do you believe that repression exist in eritrea or not gezae?
Gezae January 16, 2018
Unquestionably, yes I do. Repression is every where; it varied only and only in degrees and the way you face it.
.Anyway let me ask you a quick question why/what do you think the Woyane regime recruits a paid Eritrean movements?
Dear,in contemporary regional politics since we are neighbors and have a very intermingle circumstances, it is very comparative to say it is not our business..
Signorita Asmara February 21, 2018
With 300,000 Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia alone, not to mention how many in the neighboring countries,with more people inside prisons, a bit of an exaggeration buy you get the point, you can pretty much answer your own question.
Gezae January 15, 2018
Recently I have been reading comments from diffent people saying they are being exposed to propaganda from arround. Also I keep hearing propagandas about Eritrea that played out on. But what are we forgot were/are is that when the media present the reader information, they also suppossdly or pecificaly accomodated with propaganda tactics to help them shape the presentation of the information to be more effective and help persuade people to think about the topic in a certain context.
Excuse me, I am not advocating that propaganda is wrong here ; because my believe is one person’s propaganda is another person’s truth. As a life time politician I know propaganda is one of the most widely used and effective political tactics. It gives its user the ability to move people to action in both positive and negative ways, by either bringing praise or shame to a selected person or idea. Thus I have tried to show, that overall it is usually helpful to respond to messages mindlessly, and that the truly only way to defend against it is to be more aware of the tactics being used.
On the surface what I agree is that, but a deeper look at propaganda exposes a huge difference between what most influence professionals consider propaganda and what is government information. For instance, if one disagrees with PIA, can label what he says as propaganda, but that is not true – well usually. Of course the President has a partisan opinion and will present facts which represent mostly his own perspective, but for the most part this is not considered propaganda specially by influence professionals.
I know propaganda works with the emotions to get a mass to do a certain action. Hence, it is used to sell a belief to the public, whether by ruining the government policies, or by falsely advertising an idea of your own as better than to defame the government and place uncertainty around the society. Negative propaganda is one of the most effective political tactics because it warps the public’s ideas by using scandal, lies, or fear. Thus why much Eritrean media propaganda is aimed at belittling the government, making it seem untrustworthy or idiotic.
Of cource, name-calling tactics and invectives/verbal abuses are themselves nothing new in Eritrean political life. PIA was called in different names several times, coward, and atheist; Yemane baboon; others identic.This shows not only a wide variety of slander, but also always been a part of politics by the so called Eritrean opposition groups and Associated Net Groups. Accordgly, the most obvious method that these so called organizations and journalists employ to shape public opinion were/are this. This sordid practice has been well runned for almost two decades.
Danilo January 15, 2018
Gezae, forget about propaganda or exposure. here, in assenna forum we comment on valid reason. Which is, why eritrean aspirations are hijacked for sake of one person and his puppets. Your PIA ( be imagine ) why went to war with all his neighbors starting from Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti? And now, what is wrong making coalition with regional powers? Besides, in proviso comments told us being ELF fighter properly as SAGEM member but lately told us that you abandoned ELF since 1974 which you suppose to say till 1974. What you are trying to tell us is all rubbish. be honest!
Gezae January 15, 2018
I whole heartingly believe in human rights. For everyone. I am not a biased person, As all humans do have compassion/empathy; and experience to be able to see the other’s distress and interfere. However, that said, I have limitations,these capacities can’t be exercises thoroughly. If political bias is present, then how does it influence the discipline of advocating the rights of one country people?By “political bias,” I don’t mean whether the positions being defended in professional publications seem more left-leaning or more right-leaning. But the concern superfluous asides, selective choices of example, and political references that cue the reader to the opinions.
We know a people is a plurality of persons considered as a whole in a nation. Can you elaborate me in your Assenna group who do aim the people is in Eritrea? Do you think Hgdef is not part and parcel of the people? Damn sure it is quite a surprise,do really believe your depreciated group/s are the people. What I got to witness is you are never stand any time for the rights of the common people as well as for peace, unity and reconcillation. You are not working to bring people together but for retalation and revenge for your G 15 what so ever. For me G-15 are not different from what is known Hgdef. Do not exagerate too much the so called G-15. To my understand they were never been democrat nor more ultranationalists than any members of the Hgdef. I wish to get justice as any citizen, but not more or less
Asmara Eritrea January 16, 2018
In my view the G-15 created the monster in Asmara. Clearly, the G-15 have been denied their human rights in that they did not receive the due process of law. But do I feel sorry for their long incarceration? No,I do not. They were with the dictator for over 40 years when Isaias was eliminating his opponents one by one and they did nothing to stop him.
Call me inhuman if you like but I feel the G-15 probably got what they deserve.
Let’s talk about the Eritrean people who are now suffering in the hands of the dictator because of the inaction of the so called G-15. A lesson perhaps for those who keep silent whilst their own people are being abused day in and day out.
Eritrea forever, death to dictatorship.
abe January 15, 2018
Thi is the same guy who has repeatedly denied the presence of UAE troops in Aseb.HGDEF is consistent only with one thing;Denial.
alem January 15, 2018
True nature of iseyas and his hgdf. It does not matter wthether it is sawa or massawa, epyptians and uae have been in eritrea without disscussion and intellectuals consultation which is and has been destroying the country. Infact 3 of the 4 intellectuals interviewed by voa about iseyas’s decision to join the saudi coalition warned against it. Infact the only one who supported iseyas avoided to express his opinion about it. But untill when are we going to accept one man’s rule, and blunders and reject and criminalize intellectuals.
rezen January 16, 2018
Subject:Eritrean president denies presence of Egyptian troops in Sudan, January 15 2018
Commentary, 15 Jan 2018
Quote: “But untill when are we going to accept one man’s rule, and blunders and reject and criminalize intellectuals” alem, January 15 2018 Unquote
Let us split the above into two topics: 1. “until when are we going to accept one man’s rule , and blunders”?
2. until when are we going to reject and criminalize intellectuals”?
Question 1: Duration ofone man’s rule
Issayas Afewerki Abraha has been in power for 53 years >>> twenty seven years as the Leader of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) and twenty six years as President of Eritrea. It is an extraordinary achievement for a college drop out at his freshman year (at the age of 20) from Addis Ababa University [as a citizen of Ethiopia]. I stand to be corrected in any of the figures and the history of such awesome success.
In any case, it is likely that Issayas is determined to continue being the absolute Dictator President of Eritrea until he gets tired, or mother nature takes over . There has been NEVER been a Presidential election in Eritrea. Why? Because there is NO ONE, in the entire country, to openly challenge and dethrone Issyas Afewerki Abraha from his quasi-domain of a territory named Eritrea. This is NOT a question of emotional tantrum of liking or disliking Issayas; itis a question of devoid emotion and entirely dependent upon rational analysis,, taking into account the history and the characteristic of the people of Eritrea.
In the above context, ONE SINGLE occurrence comes to mind. On 18 September 1991, eleven high ranking Eritrean Freedom Fighters of the highest caliber were rounded up, from their respective houses, in the wee hours of the night at precisely 03:00 AM and disappeared,, never to be seen again. I stand to be corrected on the details.
The cardinal point in the above purge (and should never be forgotten) is ONE fact: Following the arrest, there WAS NOT A SINGLE BLIP OF REACTION from their comrades i.e. the World Famous Gallant Eritrean Freedom Fighters of thirty years, fighting against the mighty Ethiopian Military Forces to achieve their goal to make Eritrea a Free, Liberated and Independent State and be a Member of the United Nations Organization. It was an extraordinary achievement, by any world standard.
Yet (and this a big YET!) the wonder of the Wonders,is this >>> They COULD NOT question Issayas’ single dictate of liquidating their comrades without the due process of justice, for which they fought, and ready to sacrifice their Lives, during thirty years of war against Ethiopia!!! It is indeed a mystery of all Mysteries, for History to ponder for ever.
Question 2: Intellectuals acceptance of one man’s rule
It is perhaps an exaggeration to say that there are about five thousand (5000) Eritrean Intellectuals, of the Highest Order, scattered around the Globe. It is also safe to assume that they are leading comfortable Life outside the Dictatorial atmosphere of Eritrea. By the way, Issayas has/had the lowest opinion about Eritrean Intellectuals and, equally, no use for institutions such as University in Eritrea! Again, no blips of protestation.
Anyway,, going back to the Intellectuals, regardless of their superior intellect, as well as their relationship with various international organizations around the Globe, the Eritrean Intellectuals could NOT get together for a COMMON cause to liberate Eritrea from one-man ‘show”. Why? We know why; after all, we are talking about Africa and, needless to say, Eritrea is an African State. THE END .
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p.s. If Readers have HOPE on the consequential outcome of the Eritrea-Sudan conflict it is to our sanity to get prepared for the worst i.e. Eritrea, once again, falling onto foreign ‘colonial’ power in line with its history >>> Ottoman empire >>> Pharoes of Egypt >>> Italy >>> British >>> Ethiopia >>>Issayas and now ???? colonial power. or continuation of Issyas. Is there such a thing as CURSE? .
almaz January 16, 2018
Rezen
I believe there is a curse, and i belive we ( i mean eritreans) are prime example of that.
k.tewolde January 16, 2018
Yes there is Rezen,in every sense of the word,Cultist,Unyielding,Rigid,Self=defeating,Existence. Welcome back to the conversation.
rezen January 16, 2018
Acknowledgment, 16 Jan 2018
1. To Almaz
Curse: “we are prime example” Almaz, I agree with your interpretation of ‘curse’
Let me now jump onto the wagon. If we honestly believe in the concept of FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, in its depth of meaning, then I would dare say that ERITREA is guilty of its own doing. It is too harrowing to decipher the reason, at this moment.
In any case, if ERITREA continues to be dishonest to itself, by itself, it will continue to be the pony of international chess game – eventually, to disintegrated oblivion; and no amount of artificial internet bravado [insults] is going to save it. ERITREA is a perfect example of classical TRAGEDY.
2. To k. tewolde
Thank you for the welcoming gesture. I always follow your commentaries, though behind the ‘curtain’ ( It is a long mysterious story beyond my control!!!)
Please continue to be insightful CRITIQUE. The self-deception of ERITREA has outlived its ‘usefulness’ (i.e. wishful thinking) a long time ago. It is TIME that ERITREA examines ITSELF and come to REALITY of its situation. In short, (daring to say) it is its own enemy. It is time to confess and accept.
To be further truthful to History, Issyas Afewerki Abraha knew ERITREA’S “FAULT LINE” in depth and utilized it perfectly – patiently – revealing his true self only after thirty-three years of perfect maneuvering. We must admit: he is a diabolical genius, and no single PhD [Doctor of Philosophy Degree] holder (out of five hundred, or five thousand) can match his wittiness and analytical mind. And that is one reason why Issayas have the lowest opinion about them , especially when they came crawling to his ‘door steps’ for attention. Oh! YES, we have observed so much.