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A glimpse of current status in Eritrea
Gemechu Tussa
Past twenty six years witnessed the suffering of the Eritrean people. This is the first time the people of Eritrea have been crying for help inquiring the international community to lend them a hand. However, the international community has ignored them.
The recent demonstration in Asmara was the real reflection of the long time suffering of the people of Eritrea. According to BBC reports, at least 28 people have been killed, more than 100 people were injured and 40 people were arrested in the protests.
While the people of Eritrea have been struggling to win their daily bread, the state has engaged in aggravating activities to avert the attention of its people ignoring the question raised by the people for democracy at different times. According to State 2016 Department report, any practices of Islam are banned in Eritrea that the people are prohibited from any involvement in their country’s political, social and economic affairs.
The Eritrean government has been committing terrorist activities. It has been working to poison the peace in the region since 1991 when it came to power. It has no notion of creating peaceful coexistence among people in its surrounding rather it at different times conquered territories of its neighbors.
As historical documents asserted, the state in Asmara conquered areas of Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti at different times. Besides, it has been strongly not only associating with Al-Shabab but also fueling to the conflict in South Sudan. Despite the huge loss it faced due to its attempt to conquer its neighboring territories, the state in Asmara has continuing its destabilizing efforts.
According to political and economic analysts, the state in Eritrea has no end to its combative actions. It has no room for itself to look inward and learn from its grave mistakes. It rather continued fully sponsoring terrorist groups that it thought could destabilize the region and jeopardize developments.
One of its merciless actions is fueling conflicts. It has been interfering in South Sudan attempting to make hay all the peace efforts conducted there. In Somalia, Eritrea’s interference is beyond one can imagine. It has not been offering logistics to Al-Shabab but also providing them trainings and contributing to them its own soldiers. The other ugly concentration of the State in Asmara is obviously interfering in other countries internal Affairs. Its participation of fueling conflicts in South Sudan and in Ethiopia could be considered as justification.
In Ethiopia, it has trained and send group of terrorists to destabilize Addis Ababa, to destroy mega projects like Tekeze Dam and the historical dam of Ethiopia. It supports some extremist opposition political parties, plot different terrorist activities, train terrorist groups and provide them with all the necessary logistics for their destabilizing activities.
“Al-Shabab, ONLF and Ginbot 7 have been supporting by the Eritrean government in their aim to destabilize Ethiopia. Eritrea has continued providing logistical and financial support to these terrorist groups”, according to the report of the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea. The crucial question is why the Eritrean government has devoted in such destabilizing activities instead of plying its roles in poverty alleviation so us to help its food insufficiency people to win their daily bread?
The Eritrean government has been funding millions of dollars to terrorist groups; the people in Eritrea have been suffering of winning their daily bread. It is festering why the government allocated a large amount of money to attack other countries while the Eritrean people were suffering of hunger. All these have done under the expense of the people of Eritrea.
It is public secret that Eritrea is now in a critical situation. Its citizens have been leaving their country for good. Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen and Kenya are busy in receiving refugees from Eritrea and from countries like Somalia and South Sudan where the State in Asmara has been interfering in poisoning the stability. The people leaving their country are rising from time to time. Though the number of refugees varies frequently due to their daily arrivals, the estimated number of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia is about 700 thousands.
In fact, in some African countries, governments have been working to improve the lives of their people. There are also states that have been engaged on elongating their power though people demand them to leave and hand over it to other capable leaders. It is obvious that the need of the people in the region is peace, their question is bread.
The fact in Eritrea is quite different from these two issues. The Eritrean government has been working not only against the need of the Eritrean people but also against the need of the people in the Horn region. It has been engaged in peace poisoning and terrorist activities.
Despite regional, continental and international efforts to bring an enduring peace and stability in the volatile Horn region, there are still major destabilizing activities supported by the state in Asmara and other states in the region. The Eritrean government has been shamelessly working against peace and stability.
Its continued aggravation against all countries in the region and its strong support to the terrorist groups working to destabilize the entire region in general and Ethiopia in particular witnesses its very mission. It has been supporting Al-Shabab both technically and logistically and the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabaab has contributed being a threat to the region since recent years though it is weakened currently.
You may ask why the Eritrean government engages in creating havoc and chaos in the region. The answer is quite clear. It wants to divert public attention at home. It aims to ease its internal instability through regional havoc and instability.
It has been funding terrorist and anti-peace groups who have regional destabilizing roles. This is happening still now at a time when the socio-economic situation of Eritrea has deteriorated. It gave priority to bring disputes after disputes.
The state in Eritrea is a failed state. It has no acceptance by its people, the people of the region, the continent and the globe. However, it has continued its destabilizing activities. It failed to sense the interest of its people and the international community for peace.
Its people are currently suffering of hunger, murder and torture. The recent violence is emanated from such merciless deeds of the government. The history of the state in Eritrea is that of aggression and peace poisoning since its coming to position in 1991. It spares no time for peaceful coexistence. The Eritrean people have been suffering of merciless rules of that regime. It needs international intervention so that the people in Eritrea could get relief.
