Eritrea Stands with Sudan: A Majority Mandate for Unity and Sovereignty

By. ALULA FREZGHI

On November 29, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki arrived in Port Sudan at the invitation of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Traveling 305 miles by road from Asmara to the Red Sea port city, President Isaias was greeted by thousands of Sudanese citizens who lined the streets to welcome him. Their presence was not ceremonial alone, it was a vivid demonstration of the Sudanese people’s overwhelming support for national unity and their government’s struggle against fragmentation.

Eritrea’s Ministry of Information described the visit as “both symbolic and a vivid gesture of the warm and robust solidarity that Eritrea harbours towards the people of Sudan and their government in these times of adversity.” By standing alongside Sudan’s national army, President Isaias reaffirmed Eritrea’s commitment to Sudanese sovereignty at a moment when the country faces existential threats of partition and foreign exploitation.

The People’s Mandate for Unity

Despite the devastation of civil war, the majority of Sudanese citizens continue to rally behind the national government and armed forces. In Port Sudan, the turnout for Isaias’s arrival reflected a broader sentiment: Sudanese communities across Gedaref, Kassala, and the Red Sea States regions most vulnerable to spillover violence see unity as their shield against chaos.

This majority support is not abstract. It is rooted in lived experience:

• Displacement and famine: With over 13 million displaced and 635,000 facing famine conditions, Sudanese families know that only a unified state can coordinate relief and resist further collapse.
• Security and sovereignty: Communities along Sudan’s eastern border understand that disunity invites arms trafficking, human trafficking, and foreign-backed militias.
• Historical memory: Sudanese citizens recall the trauma of the 2011 partition, which weakened both Sudan and South Sudan, leaving them vulnerable to external agendas.

The humanitarian crisis is staggering. The International Rescue Committee has called Sudan “the largest recorded and fastest displacement crisis in the world.” More than half the population 30.4 million people, now require aid. Yet aid delivery is obstructed by attacks on humanitarian workers, leaving millions without food, medicine, or shelter. In this context, the majority of Sudanese citizens see unity not as a political slogan but as a matter of survival.

Rejecting External Agendas

The so-called “Quad” the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE has proposed a ceasefire and transition plan that equates Sudan’s legitimate national army with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). General al-Burhan has rightly rejected this, calling it “the worst yet” for echoing Abu Dhabi’s talking points.

Sudanese citizens overwhelmingly view such proposals as attempts to sideline their government and weaken their institutions. The majority stand with al-Burhan’s insistence that any truce must begin with the RSF’s total retreat.

The RSF, born from the Janjaweed militias of Darfur, has become a mercenary force serving foreign interests, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Yemen. Today, it consolidates parallel governance in Sudanese territory, threatening to partition the nation once again. Sudan’s March 2025 application to the International Court of Justice accused the UAE of complicity in genocide against the Masalit people in West Darfur. Though the ICJ dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds, the allegations underscore the depth of external involvement in Sudan’s suffering.

How can de facto perpetrators also be mediators? This contradiction lies at the heart of Sudan’s rejection of externally imposed solutions.

Eritrea’s Role in Regional Stability

Eritrea’s solidarity is not only symbolic but strategic. With over 100,000 Sudanese refugees already crossing into Eritrea, the country has a direct stake in Sudan’s stability. By aligning with Sudan’s government and majority population, Eritrea is defending both nations against spillover violence and neocolonial resource exploitation.

The porous 605-km border between the two countries is not just a line on a map, it is a shared lifeline of ethnic, cultural, and economic ties. Eritrea knows that instability in Sudan means instability in Eritrea. By standing with Sudan’s legitimate institutions, Eritrea is also protecting its own sovereignty.

A Continental Call

President Isaias’s visit underscores a broader African truth: sovereignty and unity are the only path to survival in the face of external manipulation. Sudanese citizens, in their majority, have made their choice clear they stand with their government, their army, and their right to self-determination. Eritrea’s gesture amplifies that mandate, reminding the world that Sudan’s unity is not negotiable.

The African continent has long suffered from externally driven conflicts, resource exploitation, and imposed solutions that weaken states rather than strengthen them. Sudan’s crisis is the latest chapter in this history, but it is also a turning point. The majority of Sudanese citizens, supported by their government and allies like Eritrea, are asserting that sovereignty cannot be outsourced.

Conclusion

President Isaias Afwerki’s arrival in Port Sudan was more than a diplomatic visit. It was a declaration of solidarity with the Sudanese people and their government at a time when unity is both fragile and essential. The thousands who welcomed him embodied the majority’s mandate for sovereignty, stability, and resistance to external agendas.

Sudan’s struggle is not only Sudan’s. It is Africa’s. And Eritrea’s stand alongside Sudan is a reminder that the continent’s future depends on unity, sovereignty, and the rejection of foreign manipulation.

“May Sudan rise in Peace.”
“May the Horn of Africa Stand United.”
“May our Red Sea shores shine with Peace and Stability.”
“Eritrea and Sudan-Brotherhood forged in Struggle.”
“ Solidarity Without Conditions “