By Shimagle Mekete, Washington, DC
Eritrea was the only country targeted for sanctions when there were eight other countries who were accused of even more egregious violations of the Somalia embargo. US-backed invasion and occupation in violation of several Security Council resolutions on Somalia, the support given to the TFG by the CIA and Ethiopia are just some examples. In 2009, the chairman of the UN sanctions Committee relayed to the Security Council that 80% of munitions available on the Somali markets were supplied by the Somali government soldiers and Ethiopian troops. Members of the peacekeeping force of the African Union and Somali government soldiers were involved in arms trafficking.
The Security Council, an international organ that asserts itself as a global entity to safeguard international peace and security is using Eritrea as a bargaining chip to forward the agendas of the permanent members unrelated to peace or security of the world. To the contrary the injustices that are being perpetrated in the name of global security is increasingly doing irreparable harm to all the people in the Horn of Africa in Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya and Eritrea to name some. There are many examples of double standards and falsities to detail all. However, it is worthwhile to note that an organization that failed to enforce the final and binding Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission’s demarcation and delimitation decisions neither has the moral or legal grounds to sanction Eritrea for choosing to settle its alleged dispute with Djibouti in a manner that will bring peace, stability and security to both countries.
Eritreans have been fighting these injustices for a longtime now. And it is time for those individuals that believe in justice and peace for the people in the region to hold hands and join their fellow Eritreans in voicing, in the strongest terms, their opposition to these injustices. That will go far in deterring this body and others from committing such injustices when people are united on the things and ideals they stand for.
Eritreans are asking all friends of Eritrea to join the E-SMART campaign and voice their opposition to this injustice by contacting President Barack Obama and General Secretary Ban ki-Moon.
Click on link for detail: Join Our Worldwide E–SMART Movement
Eritrean Sanctions Must be Annulled and Repealed Today!