By Abel Kebedom

June 17, 2016

Source: mdrebahri

It is public knowledge that the geo-strategic location of Eritrea in the Horn of Africa is its main Asset. However, that very strategic location has also become a source of its liability (troubles). Many countries that have an interest in the Red Sea have tried to wage vicious propaganda, and worse than that, used the United Nations as a tool to weaken Eritrea hoping that the government in Eritrea may collapse and replaced by a a puppet regime. Such strategy has been used by successive Ethiopian governments and other associated intelligence agencies. Before independence the Ethiopian Mengistu Hailemarim Regime branded the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) as an agent of the Arab World sent to weaken Ethiopia and deliver Eritrea to the Arabs. That demonization of the EPLF by Mengistu helped his regime to get full support from the Israeli government.

As a result, Mengistu was able to receive military support, including the dangerous cluster bombs from Israel. Among other places in Eritrea the cluster Bomb was used against innocent civilians in Massawa. Such propaganda had also inflicted some damage on the image of the Eritrean struggle for liberation and helped to mobilize the Ethiopian people against EPLF. After the independence of Eritrea, the situation changed. After the treatment of Isaias Afeworki in Israel for Malaria, the propaganda war against Eritrea intensified. The propaganda was anchored on the false presence of Israel’s base in the Red Sea and listening station in the Mountain of Embasoira, located in southern Eritrea. Such propaganda had been the longest anti Eritrea propaganda waged in the history of the country.

The Eritrean government tried to dispel the damaging news but with no avail. The aim of the propaganda was to antagonize Eritrea with the Arab world. The news was repeated for years and appeared in bigger newspapers such as Al-haram. When Isaias Afeworki visited Iran in 2009 then the Houthi story started to get momentum. Although no evidence was presented, Eritrea was accused of supporting the Houthis and becoming the messenger boy of Iran. There is no question that the news on alleged Eritrea’s support of the Houthis touched nerve in the Middle East and had its own toll on Eritrea. In fact, that news led to cooling of diplomatic relationship between Saudi Arabia and Eritrea and the TPLF regime bragged about it as its major diplomatic achievement against Eritrea.

After the start of the Yemen war things changed again quickly. When a disagreement between Djibouti and the Gulf states surfaced, they turned their faces to Eritrea and Eritrea welcomed them. Since then Eritrea provided them with a temporary base in Assab, trained troops for the legitimate government of Yemen, opened its Air Space and its Navy helped to secure the Red Sea from any illegal and terrorist activities. To cement its relationship with the Gulf States further Eritrea publicly condemned the attack on Saudi Embassy in Iran. By all accounts it is possible to say with certainty that currently Eritrea enjoys a warm diplomatic relationship with the Arab World and the Gulf states in particular.

Recently I came across an article written by CALLUM WOOD and published in Trumpet. com titled “Ethiopia and Eritrea Are Fighting Again”. What is interesting about this Article is it is full of intentional distortion and has all the finger prints of an Intelligence agency work. Although it is known that currently Iran is not in good terms with Eritrea, mainly over the Yemen war, the article tries to propagate that Iran is working with Eritrea to destabilize Yemen, Somalia and Ethiopia. Moreover, it claims that Eritrea has also been accused of supporting Islamist groups in Djibouti, Uganda and Sudan, and of providing safe haven for Ethiopian Islamists.

The article has three main objectives. First to create mistrust between the gulf states and Eritrea. Second to show that Eritrea is a destabilizing figure and third to show that Ethiopia is not a friend of Iran and has no problem with cooperating with the Gulf States. Remember the Ethiopian TPLF government has voiced concerns about the relationship between Eritrea and the Gulf states publicly and often receives financial support from Iran. However, the writer tries to insinuate that it is not Ethiopia that works with Iran, it is Eritrea. In fact, it claims that Iran is the one accused of spreading Wahhabism in East Africa through Eritrea, not Saudi Arabia. Finally, the article turns to the Bible and Predicts Ethiopia will occupy some parts of Eritrea including the red sea cost.

Here you have. Folk’s be careful of undercover Journalists like CALLUM WOOD.

Awet N’Hafash and Zelealemawi Zikri N’Sewatna

To contact the author of the above article, please write to: Abel101@yahoo.com