Defending Eritrea: Duty, Dignity, and Resolve

by Tesfay Aradom

The defense of our sovereignty and territorial integrity is a collective and solemn historical duty.
During the post-independence era the GOE consistently exhibited magnanimity and resilience even under relentless Western initiated diplomatic and financial conspiracies. This was done in collusion with a government in Ethiopia that was bent on destroying Eritrea through diplomatic isolation and insidious financial conspiracy. Touted by successive US administrations as the regional anchor state for the Horn of Africa, has remained the beneficiary of unfettered financial, military and diplomatic support. Despite the odds stacked against it, Eritrea has been able to develop and practice a fiercely independent foreign policy, create a self-reliant economy and maintain peace and stability within the country.

The current government in Ethiopia is following the footsteps of its politically inept and corrupt predecessors has plunged the nation into a spiral of internecine conflict and a veritable quagmire that may well unravel the very fabric of the nation’s fragile political situation. Its prime minister, obsessively possessed by a messianic complex, has been making territorial claims which are totally unprovoked and blatantly devoid of any legal and historical facts. His contemptuous military threats against Eritrea, his proclivity to project his nefarious intentions onto Eritrea and his embarrassingly ingratiating demeanor toward his handlers and benefactors are clear indicators of his insecure and unstable personality. His incompetent diplomats, generals and media pundits have become hapless sycophants exclusively beholden to him through his political and financial incentives.

Given the dismal situation discussed above, appeasement, as was clearly demonstrated during World War II in Germany and Italy, will not produce the desired diplomatic outcome. It will be a fruitless endeavor doomed to fail. It will only further embolden him and exacerbate his idiosyncratic delusions. An ominous warning, one hopes, the UN and the AU in particular, will heed to avert a catastrophic conflict with a potentially irreversible sequence of events. His handlers and benefactors, who have also been our persistent detractors, have scrambled to sanitize his irrational behavior to protect their financial and geo-political interests in this volatile but strategic region. Needless to say, , he is too egotistic to be able to develop much less utilize the intellectual and socio-emotional skills necessary to successfully navigate an exceedingly complex political and diplomatic world. Western leaders, however, still harboring racist views about Africans and Africa still persist on imposing their obsolete prescriptions and diktat.

The patience and magnanimity that the government of Eritrea has been consistently exhibiting should not be misconstrued. History indeed attests to Eritrea’s military prowess and political acumen to deal with duplicitous political forces and elements. Similarly, Eritrean people continue to exhibit a great deal of resilience and unflinching support for their government. As in previous years, they will continue to protect the national freedom and dignity that they cherish. They are also cognizant of the fact that these were achieved because of the unparalleled sacrifices of an indomitable people. Both individually and collectively, they are psychologically prepared to face any challenges to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country.
Wetru Awet N’hafash