Asmara — In an interview with Shabelle Radio & Television based in Mogadishu, President Isaias Afwerki said that Eritrea’s support to Somali nationals fighting for the reconstitution of their country in particular and the Somali issue in general emanates from its legal right and moral obligation, and is not a benevolent gesture. It should also be viewed within the context of Eritrea’s endeavors towards promoting regional peace and stability, he added.

Noting that relations between the people of Eritrea and Somalia is both historical and brotherly, the President underlined that the all-round support of the Somali people to the Eritrean people in the days of the struggle for independence occupies a special place in the history of this nation. He further pointed out that Eritrea’s present support is essentially channeled to the Somali people and the issue of Somalia in general, rather than to a specific group against another. In this respect, President Isaias elaborated that the Asmara Conference on the Reconstitution of Somalia in which Somali nationalists took part was a vivid demonstration of the aforementioned stance.

In the detailed briefings he gave as regards the history of Somalia in general and the tragic situation that unfolded after 1991 in particular, the President explained that the existing tribal politics fomented by external interference that is exposing people to horizontal polarization is aggravating the Somali issue. In this respect, he called on the Somali people to join ranks and strengthen the struggle for the reconstitution of their country by taking note of the conspiracy targeting their national unity and very existence.

Stressing that Eritrea has no hidden agenda in Somalia, President Isaias indicated that the dissemination of rumors alleging that Eritrea and Ethiopia are ‘engaged in proxy war in Somalia’ are but totally baseless and a manufactured pure fiction which has been serving as an excuse for invasion and external interference.

He went on to underscore that peace in Somalia means peace in the entire Horn region, and that ensuring Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and independence is the pillar for this lofty goal. As such, creating a political atmosphere that would enable the Somalis sit at a round-table and resolve their issue themselves is decisive, President Isaias explained.

The President noted that imposing so-called “government” from the outside is tantamount to adding fuel to the flame, and that attempts to classify the people and leadership of Somalia and their struggle under the label of ‘the Asmara wing’ or “the Djibouti wing’ is but a conspiracy that constitutes an insult to the Somali people’s intelligence on the one hand, and making the Somali popular struggle appear as if it is an appendage, as well as part of other state of affairs on the other.

Moreover, he pointed out that it is indeed distressing to witness regional and international organizations blessing the invasion of a member state and paying deaf ear when Somalia languishes for years under the rule of warlords and falling victim to external interference. In this connection, President Isaias stated that the UN, the AU and IGAD are to be held accountable to all the adversities that befell upon Somalia as a result of invasion and external interference. Indicating that the Ugandan and Burundian soldiers deployed around Mogadishu under the guise of ‘peacekeeping mission’ are only aggravating the situation, and hence should withdraw, the President declared: “How come governments that could not ensure peace and stability inside their own countries claim to bring about peace in another nation?”

Replying to a question whether he believes that there exists terrorism in Somalia, President Isaias explained that the socio-cultural makeup of the Somali people does not provide room for such phenomenon, and that this claim is but a deliberate slander designed to lay the groundwork for invasion and external interference. In this regard, he underscored that there exists no terrorism in Somalia apart from the struggle for the realization of a just cause.

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