Eritrea Must be Encouraged!

Berhane Alaza

As an Eritrean American and one with vested interest in the wellbeing of the Horn of Africa region, it saddens me to see the US/Eritrea relation deteriorating unjustifiably.  It is unquestionable for the State Department to keep on blaming Eritrea for its own political blunder and the incoherent and myopic vision the Bush Administration has been pursuing in the area.

 Eritrea is a small country with limited resources that couldn’t possibly be an obstacle to the mighty US interest, whatever that might be.  That simply is some bogus claim that Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Dr. Jendayi Frazer and her likes would like us to believe.

 Sadly, the crux of the matter lies in the United States’ continued blind support for the Ethiopian regime, a regime despised by its citizens and which seems to enjoy floundering the rule of law with its signature intransigence not to abide by any internationally accepted “Modus Vivendi” if it feels it hasn’t got what it wants and not, necessarily, what the law states.  Case in point is, of course, the Eritrea Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) decision regarding the legal delimitation and demarcation of the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia .  In one of its land mark decisions, the EEBC has unequivocally given its “Final and binding” verdict back in April 13, 2002.  Yet, Ethiopia keeps on creating somewhat, frankly, boring obstacle after obstacle to hinder a UN cartographic group (or some competent body) from accomplishing their task with impunity.  This it does in spite of placing its signature pledging to abide by the final ruling!

 The State Department is quick to tell us that it is working to convince Ethiopia to abide by the ruling.  But the facts tell otherwise.  In spite of the US being one of the guarantors that witnessed the signing of the “Algiers Peace Agreement” between Eritrea and Ethiopia in December 2000, the US continues to reward Ethiopia with unprecedented economic, political and diplomatic support.  On the other hand Eritrea bashing seems to be the order of the day as it has become a favorite past time for some personnel at the State Department to continue demonizing Eritrea .  But, the question is “Why”?

 The facts are there for everyone to see.  Eritrea has been exemplary in working diligently to pacify the notoriously peace-starving Horn region.  The “International Community” with the notable exception of the US recognizes and applauds this noble effort.  It would have been somewhat comical if it wasn’t for its seriousness the absurd allegation of the State Department accusing Eritrea of being subversive based on some “Report” of a shadowy group, the Somali Monitoring Group (SMG).  The irony of it all is, this same group has accused Eritrea , among other things, of sending some 2000 Eritrean troops dispatched and operating in Somalia at the height of the war for which nobody but nobody could conclusively prove.  When the ill-conceived and ill advised mercenary army of the Ethiopian regime arrived in Somalia , there was no mention of the so-called “Eritrean troops” who seem to have the cunning ability to disappear in thin air.  That is a fact neither Dr. Jendayi Frazer nor its Ethiopian informants can deny as hard and as outlandishly they may try.  So, how on this good Earth, is one supposed to believe their latest allegations against Eritrea coming out of this godforsaken group whose origin and intentions are less than clear to most observers?

Eritrea , an African country, who is struggling very hard to break the endemic cycle of foreign dependency and the attainment of that ever elusive “Peace”, deserves better treatment by the US more now than any other time.  Eritrea is a beacon of hope and a practicing believer of self reliance that should be encouraged to be adopted as the “Modus Operand” for the rest of Africa .  Otherwise branding Eritrea for what it is not can only aggravate things and certainly does not serve the cause of peace and tranquility the peoples of the greater Horn region deserve.  Indeed Eritrea is contributing to that noble cause in no small matter.