Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (right), Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki (left) (Photo: EPC)
Addis Abeba – Eritrea’s Ministry of Information has issued a statement rejecting accusations by Mulatu Teshome, Ethiopia’s former president and a close ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accusing Eritrea of involving “in almost every major conflict in the Horn of Africa,” and engaging in actions that could “reignite war in northern Ethiopia.”
In the statement, Eritrea said that Ethiopia’s internal crises should not be externalized or blamed on Asmara.
Yemane G. Meskel, Eritrea’s Minister of Information, described Mulatu’s claims as ” audacious claim…precisely intended to conceal and rationalize a war-mongering agenda,” adding that that Eritrea has acted in accordance with international law and has no interest in interfering in Ethiopia’s internal matters.
“Eritrea has always upheld its commitment to peace and regional stability. The issues Ethiopia faces today stem from its own internal political dynamics, and scapegoating Eritrea will not provide a solution,” Yemane stated.
Eritrean also blamed the 1998-2000 bloody border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia on the Ethiopian government’s occupation of Eritrean territories.
Ties between the two countries were normalized in 2018 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced Ethiopia’s acceptance of the EEBC ruling after two decades of no-war, no peace standoff.
However, relations were strained again following the signing of the Pretoria agreement to bring to an end the two years atrocious war in the Tigray region, which saw the involvement of Eritrean forces who committed crimes against humanity and war crimes during the war. Eritrea defended its involvement in the war, stating that it provided sanctuary to Ethiopian troops.
Eritrea also rejected claims that it was unhappy about the Pretoria agreement and said, the agreement is “an internal Ethiopian matter. Eritrea has neither the interest nor the appetite to obstruct or interfere,” the statement added, rejecting claims of continued Eritrean military presence in Ethiopian border areas.
Regarding Ethiopia’s internal conflict in the Amhara region, for which the former president blamed President Isaias Afwerki of engineering “a militia”, Eritrea said Ethiopia’s internal conflicts should not be projected onto neighboring states. “The myriad problems besetting the region originate from Ethiopia, not elsewhere. The solution does not lie in externalizing conflicts or blaming Eritrea.”
Furthermore, Eritrea has criticized Ethiopia’s recent moves regarding access to ports and the government’s intent to acquire maritime access; it claimed that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Ethiopia Somaliland has precipitated “commotion and disquiet,” and is “another element of regional tension.”
Although, in his article published in Al-Jazeera, the former president accused Eritrea of attempts to “exploit divisions within the TPLF” in the Tigray region, with its leader who Mulatu said has “found common cause and joined forces with elements within the TPLF who were unhappy with the peace agreement,” Eritrea’s statement neither mentioned the accusation, nor responded to it. AS
