Destabilizing activities in the Horn!

Gemechu Tussa

The state in Eritrea has been funding terrorist and anti-peace groups who have destabilizing roles in the Horn of Africa while the country’s socio-economic situations have been deteriorating from time to time.

According to World Bank the country’s gross domestic product growth was estimated at around 9% in the 2011-12 period up from an estimated 2.2 per cent in 2010 mainly stimulated by the mining sector and the historically high gold price prevailing at that time were key drivers. However, that development has deteriorated since the country’s aggressive dispute with its neighbors.

As a result, Eritrea remains one of the least developed countries in the world. Poverty has widespread in the country where 65 per cent of the population lives in rural areas and 80 per cent depend on subsistence agriculture for their livelihoods.

Rain-fed agriculture is the predominant economic activity employing more than two thirds of the population. The sector’s contribution to GDP, however, has been moderate and declining, reflecting challenges that include recurrent droughts in the Horn of Africa, and rudimentary farming methods. 

Eritrea suffers periodic droughts and chronic food shortages hampering development efforts. Even in times of good rainfall, domestic food production is estimated to meet 60-70 per cent of the population’s needs. The last household survey and Participatory Poverty Assessment undertaken in 2003 estimated around two-thirds of the people were living below the poverty line.

The current applicability of the estimate is questionable since 2003 followed a particularly bad drought year and agricultural production has been favorable since then. However, at the same time, economic growth has slumped and per capita incomes have been in decline.

Rural households suffer worse health outcomes, and there are no improvements. Malnutrition is of particular concern among women and children. An estimated 46 per cent of the population were estimated to be undernourished in 2002, and 40 per cent of children were found to be underweight for their age. Around 37 per cent of women have a low body mass index.

The hope of the people of Eritrea has fade away when the country began a border dispute with Ethiopia erupted into renewed conflict in May 1998. Since then the state in Eritrea continued various efforts to destabilize Ethiopia.

The Government of Eritrea has prioritized working for disputes after disputes with countries in the Horn of Africa while its economic conditions remain challenging as a result of the global economic slowdown, a difficult macroeconomic situation, and limited physical and human capital.

The country also continues to be impacted by political isolation and sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council over the government’s alleged role in the Horn of Africa insecurity. The majority of the population is young, and youth unemployment and underemployment is high. Half of the youth cohort, though well educated, has no access to jobs. Recurrent drought in the Horn of Africa region also poses a food security challenge.

The State in Eritrea has no intention of peaceful coexistence. Rather it has been working unreservedly to create tenterhook, chaos and instability. What we learnt from the very beginning of Issayas’s coming to power was its aggressive and peace poising nature. What have been happening in the Horn under the auspice of Shabia is a real confirmation to this. 

It continued its proactive and destabilizing efforts. Eritrea has been taking proactive actions an as maintaining the sovereign of the country is its moral and legal duty, the Ethiopian government has been taking proportional measures against the provocative action despite Ethiopia’s need for peace and stability.

In fact, he Eritrean people are crying for peace and stability. They are hungry of peaceful coexistence.  They are desirous to get peaceful atmosphere and work hard to win their daily bread. The Eritrean government has been waging wars and attempting to create instability in the Horn Region in contrast to the interest of the people.

The state in Eritrea has no idea of peace or development. It failed to see its grave mistakes in handling the people and in its foreign relations. Human Rights violations have risen from time to time. The number of Eritrean people leaving their country for good has been alarmingly increasing from time to time.

Ethiopia has envisioned to be a middle income country through alleviating poverty and ensuring sustainable economic development and Ethiopians have been working industriously for the renaissance of their country.

The people of Ethiopia are well aware of the need of peace as the basic factor, among many others, for the realization of sustainable development. Therefore, the Ethiopian people and government have given the highest priority for peace and stability.

However, Eritrea has been continuing destabilizing the Horn Region.  This is because Shaebia is a failed state with desperate leaders who usually give priority to aggression, war and conflict so as to cover their internal problems under the pretext of unity, sovereignty and the like.  As a desperate government, it doesn’t care for neighboring people, neither does it for the Eritrean people.

In the contrast to the deteriorating economy of the country, Eritrea’s expenditure for military logistics and terrorist supports has been increasing. It has war history since its separation from Ethiopia.  

Eritrea is the only country in the Horn Region without any national constitution to be governed with, without parliamentary elections, without court of justice, without freedom of opinion expression and press.  As a result, the number of imprisoned Eritrean people is so large and the government has been silencing the people having engaged them in an injustice war.  

The rouge state in Asmara has continued supporting terrorist groups including Ginbot 7, ONLF, OLF and al-Shabab in a bid to create havoc and chaos in the region under the sake of the people allotting a huge budget for destabilizing activities.  

While the people are suffering of hunger, murder and torture, the rogue state has increased its logistic support to al-Shabab, Ginbot 7 and other opposition parties in Ethiopia who have promised to Issayas to destabilize Ethiopia.

The state in Asmara currently intends to pursue its objectives of destabilizing the region in collaboration with some states that never want to see developments in Ethiopia for one or another region.  The Eritrean Government is also responsible for plotting bombings in Kenya, Somalia, the Sudan and Uganda at different times through backing al-Shabab to extend its reach into Kenya. Its efforts to do such bombings in Ethiopia have failed due to the peace loving Ethiopians.