Asmara – The Eritrean Minister of Information, Yemane Gebre Meskel, has accused Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party of seeking to ignite an “unjustified war” and revive expansionist rhetoric. This accusation comes in response to recent statements by the Ethiopian Foreign Minister alleging Eritrean destabilization efforts.
In a series of posts on social media, Minister Gebre Meskel stated that the Ethiopian Foreign Minister’s address was not based on facts but rather reflected an “institutional inability to confront historical realities that confirm the roots of the conflict originate from Ethiopia itself.” He accused the Ethiopian ruling party of misleading public opinion by “repackaging its old war rhetoric and attempting to portray itself as the aggrieved party.”
The Eritrean Information Minister further noted that Addis Ababa had recently “lowered the tone of its inflammatory rhetoric regarding forcibly obtaining access to the sea and projects of influence in the Red Sea,” after realizing that these proposals were not well-received domestically or internationally. However, he argued that “their current silence is not a revision, but a maneuver aimed at justifying a potential war as self-defense.”
Eritrean Opposition Welcomes Ethiopian Stance
Meanwhile, the Eritrean National Democratic Alliance (ENDA), an opposition coalition, welcomed the Ethiopian Foreign Minister’s remarks, viewing them as “a positive step that can be built upon to reshape relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia on a more balanced and stable foundation.”
In a statement, ENDA’s Foreign Relations Department said that “strengthening cooperation between the Eritrean and Ethiopian peoples can serve as a model for reducing foreign interference and tensions that have affected the region for years.” The Eritrean National Democratic Alliance is a political opposition entity that brings together a number of Eritrean forces and organizations operating abroad.
Background of Tensions
The Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Gideon Timothewos, had described relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea as one of the “most prominent sources of chronic tension” in his address to the Foreign Policy Forum in Addis Ababa.
