http://www.mareeg.com/eritreas-afawerkisomalia-is-not-the-somalia-we-knew/
Eritrea’s Afawerki:somalia is not the somalia we knew
BY MAREEG · PUBLISHED MAY 16, 2016 · UPDATED MAY 16, 2016
MOGADISHU (Hiraan) -The increasing number of regional states in
Somalia have left the long anarchic horn of Africa nation fragmented
and the country no longer exists in the continent, Eritrean president
said.
The Eritrean strongman Isaias Afwerki who led the East African nation
since 1993 says that the crisis in Somalia continues to disintegrate
the country following the collapse of the central government in 1991.
“Somalia is completely a different story – It’s a problem of a nation
that has disintegrated; it’s a question of a nation that has gone into
internal and external crisis.” Mr. Afawerki said during an interview
with a local news site.
“Somalia does not exist.”
In addition, the Eritrean leader took a swipe at the growing number of
regional states and the breakaway northern Somaliarepublic of Somalia,
saying that they were the source of the country’s breakdown.
“When you have one county divided, fragmented from within – its
Somaliland, its Puntland, Its Benadirland its so many lands, but
beyond that its fragmented into clans, into tribes, into warlordism –
that’s very sad.” He said in the undated interview.
Hiiraan Online cannot determine the time the interview was taken,
however president Afawerki said that crisis in Somalia has had a
negative effect on the entire horn of Africa.
“The instability in Somalia affects the stability of the whole region
– and that’s what we have witnesses in the last 20 years – we would
like Somalia to revive, we would like this nation to come to normalcy
again.” He noted.
Despite a relative stability in the country since the ouster of
Islamist insurgents from the capital and surrounding regions, Somalia
continues to face mounting political and security challenges that
experts say continue to stand in the way of the country’s overall
improvements.
The country’s security forces with the support of the strong-22000
African Union force is struggling to defeat fighters from the Al-Qaeda
linked Al Shabab group which continues to wage a deadly guerrilla war
across large parts of the horn of Africa nation.
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Received on Mon May 16 2016 - 09:38:13 EDT