Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, on Friday, addressed the nation on Eritrean Independence Day (May 24). He warned that another cycle of war was being fomented.
He started his speech by congratulating Eritrean people on Independence Day. Much of his speech focused on global and regional issues. He spoke very little about internal issues. He claimed that new world order imposed by western powers to contain China, Russia and subjugate other countries was collapsing. He said people of Africa are rising against western countries which are plundering African resources. The Eritrean President praised Palestinian people for their struggle against Israel.
Towards the end of his speech, he shed light on the situation in Eritrean neighborhood. This part of his speech is being seen directed towards Ethiopia. Ethiopia Eritrea relations are tense these days. He said,” Current developments and trends in our neighbors and that have much closer influence and impact – both directly and indirectly – on our domestic situation are numerous indeed. The complications and devastation inculcated by the agendas of instigating division; creating and managing crises; and even provoking invasion and war, concocted and pursued by the elites of “domination and monopoly”, especially in the last 33 years of our Independence, have been enormous. The failure of their myriad hostilities seems to have engendered higher frustration in the camp of “domination and monopoly”. They are accordingly embroiled these days in fomenting another cycle of war. This has become an open secret (all its details will be divulged at the appropriate time).”
It seems that in veiled terms he warned that some forces were trying to fuel a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. But he told Eritrean people to stay calm, assuring them that Eritrean military is fully capable.
Interestingly, Eritrean government supported Ethiopian forces militarily during the two year long internal civil war in Ethiopia between Tigray regional forces and Ethiopian federal forces. But after Ethiopian warring parties signed Pretoria peace deal in November 2022, Eritrea-Ethiopia relations became tense.
In another related development, Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa hosted Eritrean opposition group Brigade Nhamedu last Saturday. Dozens of Brigade Nhamedu members held a convention in Addis. Eritrea accuses Brigade Nhamdue of being a non Eritrean group backed by Eritrea’s enemies and hostile intelligence agencies.
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