Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki has insinuated that his government is doing all it can to help Ethiopia while also expressing his concern regarding the situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
Which speaking in an interview with the government media he said ‘we are contributing in accordance to our obligation’ – although he declined to offer details.
The US had last month called for the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops in Tigray, which borders Eritrea of which both the Eritrean and Ethiopian governments have denied having Eritrean forces in Tigray.
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‘We, more than others in the region, have experienced the problem for 80 years. Therefore, peace and stability in Ethiopia is of more concern to us than others,’ President Isaias was quoted as saying.
Speaking further he Eritrea was ‘trying our level best to contribute to [the situation in Ethiopia].’
But he did not specify what kind of contribution Eritrea was making.
He termed as ‘utter madness‘ how the former Tigray ruling party, the TPLF, invaded the northern command of the federal army.
In early 2020, President Isaias had said ‘we will not fold our hands and sit still concerning matters that develop in Ethiopia’.
Conflict in the Tigray region escalated in early November 2020, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against regional forces in Tigray.
Mr. Abiy said the offensive was in response to an attack on a military base housing government troops in Tigray.
The TPLF said it had captured the bases as a pre-emptive strike as it feared federal intervention in Tigray.
At least two million people have been displaced by the conflict and more than 60,000 people have crossed the border to Sudan.
UN reports say around 4.5 million people in the region are in dire need of aid.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK