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Toronto – Eritreans Ambassador to South Sudan, Yohannes Teklemichael, remark about relations with Ethiopia made headlines about Ethiopian news outlets.
With the suspension of 14 weekly Ethiopian Airlines flights to Asmara and reported disconnection of phone lines between the two countries for a few months now, deterioration of the relations between the two countries was apparent.
In fact, Eritrea has been even openly forging what appears to be anti-Ethiopian alliances (military, diplomatic and political) and a formal tripartite agreement with Egypt and Somalia had been signed in Eritrea last month.
The Ambassador’s remark rather appears to be a confirmation about the unfriendly state state of relation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
According to a report by BBC Amharic, Ambassador Yohannes remarked about the relation between the two countries during an interview with the Eritrean Embassy in the UK YouTube channel. The video was reportedly removed from the Youtube channel after it made headlines in many Ethiopian news outlets.
In an interview he gave in Tigrigna language, the Ambassador is quoted as saying “At this time…due to the problems the Prime Minister in Arat kilo is creating, he is making the relationship that should exist between Eritrea and Ethiopia to be dead and buried.”
He was cited as saying Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s agenda in relation to the position Ethiopia should have over the Red Sea is directing Eritrea’s Independence towards “unnecessary things” and has caused pressure in the region. He reportedly described Abiy Ahmed’s alleged position as “intangible illusion.”
It is unclear why the Eritrean Embassy in the United Kingdom removed the video from its youtube channel.
Eritrea and Ethiopia restored friendly diplomatic relations soon after Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in 2018 – ending the two decades of no-war-no-peace relation. The two countries fought a deadly war between 1998 and 2000, and estimated 100,000 soldiers are reportedly killed from both sides.
In the first few years of Abiy Ahmed’s administration, the relationship between the two countries appeared as if it was heading to strong alliance and a range of agreements including in the security and defense areas were anticipated to be completed.
Officials from both countries did not remark as to why the relation between the two countries deteriorated.
A few months ago, a Spokesperson of Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry remarked that “there is no change in the relation between the two countries” which does not appear to be the case.
However, it is apparent that the Pretoria agreement which ended the war between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Abiy Ahmed’s Federal government is the cause for the tension between the two countries.
Eritrea was involved in the war after TPLF forces launched rockets to Asmara in what was believed to be an effort to “internationalize the war.” It appears that Eritrea wanted the total elimination of the TPLF while Abiy Ahmed opted to negotiate – apparently under pressure from the U.S. government – to end the war although TPLF was near a total military defeat.
Also, after the war Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made claims that Ethiopia needs access to the Red Sea.
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Why are you calling this man an Eritrean? You should know better not to call him that. He is 100% Abruzzi on his mother’s side and a Calabrese on his father’s side. There is no such Eritrean. There are no African race there. Haven’t you seen the IQ of every citizen there? It went thru the roof the last time they took the test. It went number one in the world at 230. That is not African. The rest of Africa IQ score was 68. So stop calling this Abruzzi man an Eritrean. Do you know that lasagna was invented by Abruzzi people you now wrongly call Eritreans? Nuff for me now educating you!
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If the video was removed from the embassy’s YouTube website without this guy’s knowledge, he better seriously think about filing for a political asylum at the nearest foreign embassy. Otherwise, he will never be heard from. Al-toweel in Piccolo Roma does not like blabber mouths without his permission.
Eritrean refugees describe police crackdown in Ethiopia
29/11/2024
Teklemariam Bekit
ritrean residents in Ethiopia’s capital have reported widespread arrests among their community, sparking fear among refugees and asylum seekers who fled their homes in search of a better life.
While not unprecedented, the scale and intensity of the current crackdown in Addis Ababa is significant, with hundreds reportedly detained in recent weeks.
Some refugees are drawing parallels to the mass arrests and deportations of Eritreans during the 1998–2000 war between the two countries, when thousands were forcibly expelled from Ethiopia.
Ties have deteriorated once again following the end of a two-year civil war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.
Flights and phone lines between the two countries have been suspended, and diplomatic contact between their leaders has ceased.
Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia are calling on the international community, particularly the UN and rights organisations, to intervene.
One Eritrean who has lived and studied in Addis Ababa for six years, described the arrests as indiscriminate and deliberate.
“Both documented and undocumented Eritreans are being targeted. Even mothers visiting detained family members have been arrested,” he told the BBC.
Another refugee said: “The arrests are unjustified, and our lives are in danger. We fled persecution in Eritrea, only to face it here.”
The reason for the deterioration of the relation between Asmara and Addis Ababa is still shrouded in mystery. Since Abiy came to power and until the end of the Tigray war, the rapport between Isaias Afewerki and Abiy Ahmed was so promising that not only normalization between the two countries appeared a given, but close cooperation was expected to be the logical outcome. What we have instead is a progressively deteriorating relations, to the point that Eritrea has now allied herself with Egypt and Somalia which are seeking no less than the demise of Ethiopia. What led to this state of affair? Could it be that Isaias was miffed by his exclusion in the peace negotiations in Pretoria and Nairobi? Is that the reason that his army occupies still some parts of Tigray? The fact of the matter is that Abiy has shown to be neither a good strategist nor a reliable ally. If he had played his cards well, he would have had no need of starting the mess that is the Somaliland debacle. I think he could have come to some form of accord with Isaias concerning Assab, if not as a military base, at least as a cheaper alternative to what Hargeisa is willing to concede.
The question I had was why did this man was chosen to give the interview from South Sudan to an embassy in London UK? It seems that his government is trying to get another country bordering Ethiopia to join the tripartite groups it formed with Egypt and Somalia. The other stern message looks to be a warning to South Sudan itself with a kind of ‘You better think seriously joining the tripartite or else. If not, the supply will be wide open to those thorns on the side of Salva Kiir’s government itself. I never heard an Eritrean ambassador targeting an Ethiopian leader personally so sharp since 1998. He did even say ‘Abiy and his group’ but he zeroed in on one particular person.
ELF and EPLF operatives used to deafen me picking on the late emperor until he was overthrown by truants students and AWOL soldiers. Just like this ambassador, those guys used to tell me the source of all problems the whole region was facing was only the late emperor. If he was gone all the problems would be gone. That was their message. And they were very, very rude in describing him. Now it is Abiy’s turn. But the actual target is Ethiopia as a whole. That is the large baked and glazed donut waiting to be sliced at will. First, the central government has to be destroyed and then in the ensuing chaos, it will be fishing in the troubled water, baby! Then Abruzzo on The Horn will be the largest exporter of coffee, oil seeds, hides, gold, iron ore, potash, live animals and who knows even lithium, rare earth, platinum, diamond, you name it. We had seen that working like a charm during the years 1993-98. Ain’t gonna fly this time around.
The Eritrean forces played a decisive role to save and prop up the government of Abiy Ahmed when the army collapsed in the face of the TDF operations. Eritrea is now using the Amhara forces to overthrow Abiy Ahmed and replace him with their proxies.
Make that:
He didn’t even say Abiy and his group’ but he zeroed in on one particular person.