U.S. accuses Eritrea of arming Somali Islamists

[Gabbal]

U.S. accuses Eritrea of arming Somali Islamists

 

 

By Katie Nguyen Thu Oct 19, 12:07 PM ET

 

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United States accused Eritrea on Thursday of opening another front against its foe Ethiopia by shipping arms to Somali Islamists who are rivals to a Western-backed interim government.

 

"I think Eritrea is quite clearly attacking Ethiopia on another front. We have pretty clear evidence that's a fact and (they are) shipping arms into Somalia," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said on Thursday.

 

Eritrea has long denied any involvement in Somalia, but a

U.N. Security Council report in May said it has sent weapons to the Islamists repeatedly in a bid to frustrate Ethiopia with whom it fought a 1998-200 war and remains on bitter terms.

 

Ethiopia, in turn, is believed by many to have sent troops across its border to bolster Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf's interim government against the Islamists' expansion.

 

Diplomats fear the Somali crisis could spark a regional conflict across the Horn of Africa, already one of the world's poorest regions due to conflict and its harsh terrain.

 

"The role of Eritrea in arming the ICU (Islamic Courts Union) and Ethiopia with its threats of intervention are unfortunate because it brings the conflict in Somalia to a regional level," Frazer told reporters at a meeting in Nairobi.

 

The Islamists, who took Mogadishu in June and have been expanding across southern Somalia since then, recently declared holy war on Ethiopia, which regards them as terrorists.

 

Addis Ababa has threatened to "crush" them.

 

Analysts believe Asmara has little motive for intervening in Somalia other than to spite Addis Ababa.

 

"Eritrea says it's against extremist governments and so it's against its natural interest to ship arms to the courts which have Shabab (youth wing) and others which are of an extremist orientation," Frazer said.

 

She urged Ethiopia and Eritrea not to impose their ongoing border row on the Somali crisis.

 

"We have been very clear we don't think the boundary dispute should be brought into Somalia," she said.

[erselam]

Yusuf lost confidence on Muslim countries and relies on America and Ethiopia.

 

Earlier Thursday, Somalia’s Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf told Frazer and the other diplomats in Nairobi the Sudan talks are in jeopardy because his government has lost confidence in Arab League’s mediation.

 

http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article18234

[Gabbal]

Eritrea is not a Muslim nor a Muslim-ran state. What gives them the right to interfere in our internal affairs?

 

I'm opposed to Eritrean interference as much as I am opposed to Ethiopian interference.

[Socod_badne]

Who cares which side Ethiopia or Eritrea support. What we should instead be discussing and arguing for is who is better fit to lead the country.

[Gabbal]

^I think it's time you went back to the general section.

[Socod_badne]

why?

[RedSea]

Horn,SB made very solid point there,which is closer to the truth, so are you saying he has no right to express his views in here? come on now.

 

In addition, regarding the topic,I would have to say, it's gotta be the the U.S to accuse of anyone of supplying weapons? gimme a break here.The U.S needs to stop killing men,women, and children across the globe,before telling others of what is right and what is wrong.

 

Besides,since when was U.S concern of Somali problems,well since they have seen the red cumaamad right ---oh please, and who is to take them seriously?

[Wiilo]

Talk about arming anyone, isn't the u.s who armed Muqdisho warlords? I don't think the u.s is in any position to accuse anyone of arming anybody......

 

 

Go figure:.................

[Gabbal]

Wadankayagu ma meel dawlada shisheeye isku hardamaan bey noqotay?

[NASSIR]

What are you waiting U.S.A? Cut off Aid to Eritrea or offer some incentives ?

 

I think Eritrea is trying to leverage things in Somalia and prevent a whole Somalia under the tutelage of Ethiopia. This is a mutual political interferance which entails a direct act of destablization.

Since the two countries are marred by ceaseless conflict of border disputes, each country views Somalia a buffer zone.

 

It is we who should realize the machinations of these enemies using our country a ball they can both score against each others' goal.

[General Duke]

Ersalam, who are you kidding? Eritrea is ruled by a Christian coptic...Here is a profile..

 

Isaias Afewerki (born 2 February 1945) is the first president of Eritrea.

 

Born into a prominent Eritrean family of the Hamasien Latos (Judaic-Christian) aristocracy, Isaias Afewerki was the nephew of Dejazmatch Solomon, who served as the administrator of Wollo province for Ethiopian Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen. Isaias was a member of one of the more influential Eritrean families during the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. He became an engineering student in Addis Ababa, and left to join the forces fighting for Eritrean independence in the mid 1960s after the federation of Eritrea with Ethiopia was dissolved.

 

 

[NASSIR]

Duke, How does Christian coptic change the profile or the fundamental source of their conflict? You are implying that national interests of the two countries haven't eroded their old political and cultural ties. 70,000 people died in their border conflicts in several months, which caused the U.N to launch African peacekeeping troops. Afawerki is a dictator just like Zenawi, so sooner or later, one or both of them should go.

[General Duke]

^^^No, my point is strightforward, Eritrea is not a Muslim country, it has even less Muslims than Ethiopia.

 

Some people are trying to fool the Somali's by branding this nation as "Islamic" as they brand themselves as "Islamic courts".

 

You are right 70,000 died and Eritrea lost, so if I had to get arms I would bet on Adis than on Asmara..

[Chimera]

^^loool Eritrea still has assab and badme

 

plus

 

Ethiopia: Number of war dead soldiers reportedly 123,000

 

BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 10, 2001

 

After the ghastly war between Ethiopia and Eritrea stopped following the agreement signed by the leaders of the two countries in Algiers, the EPRDF [Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Front, ruling coalition] government has begun announcing names of the dead soldiers to their families... Apart from condoling the families of the dead soldiers, the first phase announcement letters, which are signed by the head of the ground forces personnel department, Lt-Col Akalu Kebede, do not mention any future benefits for the families. We reported last week that the families will only get 3,000 birr each and pensions. Although most of the soldiers died in the last one or two years, their families have been receiving remittances on a pretext that the soldiers were alive. In principle, a soldier's remittances are supposed to continue only for six months after he died. Insiders say that the payments were made in a bid to conceal

the deaths. Meanwhile, several families have been able to know the fate of

their children since the announcements began.

 

In its broadcast last Sunday [8 April], the Voice of the Democratic Path of Ethiopian Unity reported that the number of dead soldiers had reached 123,000. This number indicates how heavy, ghastly

and horrifying the war was.

 

Source: BBC Monitoring of Wonchif, Addis Ababa, in Amharic

10 Apr 01

 

this wasn't a borderwar this was pure onslaught

 

meles send send send

 

and the poor soldiers were massacred

 

link

[General Duke]

^^^A country that can sacrifice 120,000 is a dangerous foe to have right?

Also the Ethiopian army is 640,000 and more.