Streets of Asmara - Eritrea
In the last few weeks IGAD and the African Union have aggressively campaigned for sanctions against Eritrea. The Security Council of the United Nations has recently released an official statement on the issue.
In the statement the United Nations warns that any party breaking the arms ban in Somalia will have to face sanctions.
The ban is now being monitored very closely by a UN group, which will report back to the Security Council later this month. Sanctions will be applied on any country violating the embargo depending on the findings of the monitoring group.
Sanctions would have a number of negative side effects on Eritrea because they harm the local economy, which would negatively impact the ordinary citizen and civilian population. Historically, it is the ordinary citizen on the street who pays for sanctions. Not even the so called “smart sanctions”, which try to minimize the negative impact of sanctions on civilians, can change this fact.
Moreover, the Security Council should look deeper behind the sensitive layers of ethnic and political realities in the Horn of Africa, before taking advice from the African Union. Besides, the Council should be aware that sanctions against Eritrea would be a risky move to the stability of the socio-political and socioeconomic aspects in the region as whole.
Everyone is aware of the historic tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia and the root of the Somali problem can not be solved without dealing with a vast number of other regional issues.
Eritrea has been isolated and pushed into a corner by the previous US government, which did supply military aid and intelligence to Ethiopia without creating a regional consent on the issue by including Eritrea or others.
It has been proven that outsiders’ interference in sovereign state issues won’t bring a solution rather than exacerbating the situation.
The good news is that it seems the present US government understood this, which is very important not only in the Horn of Africa but also in other regions of the world with similar issues.
To predict that this would cause opposition on behalf of Eritrea needed no thorough analysis. Nevertheless, the question is, what the long term interest of Eritrea and its people is meant to be?
Is it to have a new Islamic state as a neighbour and risk sanctions, because Eritrea wants to stop Ethiopia’s influence in the region? Is it to avoid sanctions and let Somalia be Somalia, because we only care about Eritrea?
Fact is that the new US administration and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, urged Ethiopia to stay out of Somalia. Further, he held talks with the Eritrean foreign minister next to the AU summit in Libya, which gives hope that the current US government takes the sensitivity of ethnic, historical and political issues in the Horn of Africa more serious than the previous government.
The US Ambassador to the United Nations has left a door open for Eritrea by saying that it is not too late and that the Government of Eritrea should seize the window of opportunity. Eritreans are fed up, they do not want to suffer anymore and they do not want to see their people bleeding. Neither IGAD nor the AU has the moral right to call out for punishing Eritreans.
International law should be equally binding for all nations and apply to small as well as powerful states. The purpose of the United Nations is to make sure that every nation adheres to this law . However, the five major countries of the permanent UN Security council (USA, Russia, England, France, and China) do have the right to veto legislation, which other states do not have.
For example Russia is violating human rights seriously in Chechnya while the UN watches in silence, because Russia has a right to veto. Another example is Tibet, which has been brutally raped for decades, because China has a right to veto. Sanctions are only against smaller states, such as Eritrea.
The major powers are immune against sanctions and therefore power rules over law not only in Somalia, but also at the United Nations. The Eritrean people should not suffer for the hypocritical politics of this world - No thank you!
July 13, 2009 at 1:37 pm
if they block our sea and airspace for flights this is done by ethiopia and its ally and we will do the same thing to them we will close BABIAL MENDEB THAT MEAN WE ALL THE SAME
July 13, 2009 at 3:41 pm
No Eritrean can support sanctions against his own people! Seriously!!! Except something is wrong in his head!
July 13, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I pray for Eritrea!
July 13, 2009 at 7:09 pm
if its true that Eritrea is in Somalia! it should stay out of Somalia so that our people do not suffer! We have our own problems.
July 13, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Well written article and thought out. Eritrea sending weapons to Somalia is like Saudi Arabia sending ice to Alaska - It’s a joke.
America, Ethiopia and Uganda have openly been aiding somali factions with weapons, yet Eritrea, a country that shares no borders with Somalia, is somehow magically delvering weapons to Somalia. There are American and French troops in Djibouti, American naval ships on the coast and Ethiopian troops inside Somalia, so how is Eritrea able to send weapons? More importantly, with Ethiopia invading Somalia, how is arming any factions on par to an illegal invasion and occupation of another country? The truth is Eritrea has never sent weapons to Somalia, yet Ethiopia invades and continuous to invade Somalia at will, in violation of international rules. Ethiopia is the one destabilizing the horn, yet Eritrea is being blamed for Ethiopia’s invasion and disastrous occupation that led to their defeat. Ethiopia and US created the the AL-shabab when America sent Ethiopian slave troops into somalia to dislodge them. Now they know the limitation of the defeated Ethiopian army and they are asking them to stay put.
Iyob u are Tigrayan, stay out of this. Eritreans know there are no Eritreans in Somalia.
July 14, 2009 at 1:19 am
Where was the AU and IGAD when U.S.A was giving money to Ethiopia to buy weapons from North Korea even though United states drafted a resoulation against North Korea when it conduct its Nuclear test. Further more where was the AU and IGAD during the Ethiopian and zaimbawa corrupted election and durfter. Where was the AU & IGAD during the border war. This clearly proves that these establishments are puppies of foreign countries and seek their goals rather then solve problems.
July 14, 2009 at 5:06 am
This sanction is drafted by the arch foe Ethiopia and echoed by the instrumental AU. What is AU for Eritrea, nothing, it’s is a group of chimpanzees gathered in Addis to have fun with the beautiful ethiopian ladies, nothing else. They don’t know their duties.
Again the people of Eritrea is betrayed by the United nations as they did in the 1950′s.
We Pray for the almighty God to protect our country from the warriors.
July 14, 2009 at 7:06 am
Wad Massawa,
I am Eritrean!
We have to change this kind of culture! There should be free discussion without blaming others – even for raising a question.
July 14, 2009 at 8:07 am
Well it’s not a question of helping or not helping the Somallians its just not necessary to put sanction on Eritrea no mater what, under the sercumstances of the people living there putting sanction will only worsen the living of the society.To this if the UN aprove that it would mean as if to say what are people for us what matters are only Governments and powerfull rebellions so we will rebell for our rights.!!!!!!!!!!
July 14, 2009 at 8:44 am
Iyob, you are not raising questions, but distributing lies. This is the trait of Tigrayans. Making up rumors and lies is the calling card of your people. The World knows there are no Eritreans in Somalia, so why would you state for them to leave when they were never there? It’s easy to see your nature, for god has cursed your people with repeated famines for a reason.
Eritrea will prevail, regardless of fabricated stories of “2,000 Eritrean troops in Somalia” or “captured Eritrean Generals in Somalia”.
February 9, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Eritrea need’s to make peace with Tigray sate rather than fighting each other. after all they are the same ppl same language so Eri need to open it’s border peace fully with the south of the mereb rever or face a lot of problems. GOD Bless the ppl of Tigray and Eritrea and Ethiopians.