The Palestinianization of Eritrea:
An Urgent Call to All Eritreans

ሃገር ዘይብሉ ህዝቢ በራሲ፡ መሰረት ዘይብሉ ገዛ ፈራሲ

by Dr. Gebre Gebremariam, 26 October 2023

ሃገር ዘይብሉ ህዝቢ በራሲ፡ መሰረት ዘይብሉ ገዛ ፈራሲ
The Palestinianization of Eritrea: An Urgent Call to All Eritreans
Dr. Gebre Gebremariam 26 October 2023

Eritrea is a sovereign country, and it has duties and rights within the family of sovereign countries of the world. But the significance and meaning of sovereignty should be firmly established in the thought processes of the Eritrean individual first before Eritrea can effectively fulfill its duties and exercise its rights. As Eritreans, we should know that we are sovereign country, and we should act and behave as such. This means, as sovereign country, Eritrea should never delegate the protection of its sovereignty and territorial integrity to any foreign entity. Neither should it count on the applications of international legal actions in the event of the breach of its sovereignty and on the belief that Ethiopia will uphold the non-interference principle in the international relations (actually, Ethiopia is violating that same principle) as guarantors of its sovereignty. Unfortunately, and sadly, for more than three decades now, Eritrea has been ruled by a group of people who suffer from chronic identity crises and who have never subscribed to the principle of sovereignty, with serious and grave danger to the vitality of Eritrea as a sovereign country and people. During the Issaias’ regime tenure, Eritrea not only became a pariah country but also has been suffering from deep socio-economic decay, youth mass exudes, depopulation, social anomie, and international diplomatic malaise, to name but a few. This situation has, it seems, created, in the minds of Ethiopian leaders, a belief that the protection and preservation of Eritrean sovereignty is severely weakened, and it is now an opportune time to invade it.

Hence, apart from the veil and semi-official rhetoric that Ethiopia has been propagating for quite some time, it has now officially expressed its intension of invading and annexing Eritrea. The recent speech by the Prime Minister in the Ethiopian Parliament is tantamount to a declaration of war on Eritrea. Since then, by the direct order of the Prime Minister, Ethiopian official media outlets and intellectual groups have been, day and night, continuously propagating and trying to instill false narratives about Eritrea and the Red Sea among the Ethiopian masses. Recent information coming from the Horn of Africa indicates that Ethiopia is amassing its military forces on the Southern borders of Eritrea. It is also mobilizing its reserve army and militia. Arm garrisons in Ethiopia are filling up with new recruits and intensive retraining programs are continuing with a sense of urgency. Ethiopia not only has been trying to create the fundamental conditions in place but also waiting for the opportune time for the eventual invasion of Eritrea.

Here, as stated above, it should be clear that Issaias has been the main culprit of weakening Eritrea and crating this opportune time for Ethiopia – as an Ethiopian agent, he has been undermining Eritrea as a Nation-State. But now, the issue is not about what Issaias has been doing. Rather, it is about how to save Eritrea from the imminent danger of losing its sovereignty and territorial integrity. If Eritrean sovereignty is reversed, it is vitally important for all Eritreans to understand that blaming Issaias will not help us – in fact it will be foolish of us to do nothing now and wait to blame Issaias after the effect. Protecting and defending Eritrea is the duty of all Eritreans as a people irrespective of what Issaias has done, is doing or will do – if Eritrea is lost, we will be like the Palestinians and Issaias, dead or alive, will be irrelevant.

Thus, it is urgent that all Eritreans be reminded about this looming danger on the Southern Eritrean border so that we can make all necessary preparations to defend our country from Ethiopia’s aggression. In this regard, I would like to underlie the following vitally important and cardinal issues of national significance:-

1. Ethiopia’s dream of annexing Eritrea is real and dangerous. Eritreans should always remember how much we paid to realize Eritrea’s sovereignty. Almost every Eritrean family paid lives and blood. Eritrean sovereignty is precious, and it is the duty of every Eritrean (born and unborn) to protect this precious gift from our martyrs now and forever from foreign aggression.

2. The preservation of Eritrean sovereignty is a pre-condition to a democratic and prosperous Eritrea. Let’s not confuse sovereignty with democracy or democratic governance. The current government in Eritrea is a dictator or even a kleptocrat and hence there is no democratic governance in Eritrea. Eritreans are struggling to get rid of this dictatorial or kleptocratic regime and replace it with multiparty democratic governance. Changing one’s government is the sovereign right of a sovereign people and it should not be subcontracted to a foreign power. Cognizant of the fact that there may be some Eritrean groups who would like and even invite the Ethiopian government to topple the Eritrean government through military action by invading Eritrea, I call all Eritreans to reject and fight against this kind of myopic political business. It is not only treason and against the basic tenets of sovereignty, but also it leads to colossal damages to the socio-economic matrix of the Eritrean society. It will lead to the reversal of Eritrean independence and subsequent continuous instability in Eritrea and beyond. If this kind of treason is to be successful, it will usher in the end of Eritreans as a proud society. Thus, any claim of fighting for democratic change in Eritrea from such groups and their Ethiopian sponsors is only pretext and serves no purpose apart from harming Eritrean sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the unity of the Eritrean people.

3. In the event of aggression from Ethiopia, all Eritrean, both at home and in the Diaspora, should coalesce under the banner of “Protecting Eritrean Sovereignty is First”. All other differences and contradictions should be relegated to second place. Without national sovereignty, there cannot be liberty, democracy, justice, and rule of law. If you don’t have a country, you cannot create a democratic national government, fair and simple. Eritrean should also be clear with: “Protecting national sovereignty does not mean protect the dictatorial or kleptocratic regime governing the country”. Governments are temporal whereas society and its sovereignty are eternal. It is not wise for Eritreans to engage in the business of “throwing the baby out with the bath (bath water)”. Thus, all Eritreans are called to make the necessary material and psychological preparations to defend the sovereignty of Eritrea.

4. Now like in the past, the Eritrean defense forces should be and act like a people’s forces and they should have the full and unconditional all necessary supports of the whole Eritrean population. The Eritrean defense forces know and have firsthand experience how much the Eritrean public adores and respects them; how Eritrean mothers followed them wherever they went with food and drink during the war of liberation and the border war; how the young brothers and sisters followed their footsteps; how the elderly transferred the valor of sacrificing oneself for the common good; and the unbeatable will of the Eritrean people to fight for its right of nationhood. Now again, it is time for the Eritrean defense forces to honor the Eritrean people’s trust in defending the Eritrean national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

5. Ethiopia’s war of aggression on Eritrea is illegal. All Eritrean civil societies, youth groups and political organization as well prominent individuals, both academicians and religious personalities in the Diaspora should lodge complaints against the Ethiopian’s war of aggression on Eritrean in their respective country of residence governments, international organizations, UN organizations and local prominent individuals and entities. It is also the responsibility of any Eritrean to spread among and make Eritreans aware of the looming danger of reversing the Eritrean independence.

6. I have questions to all Eritreans, born or unborn, irrespective of where they live or when they will live. My assumptions is that, and it is true as well, every Eritrean parents, including those in the Diaspora, instill Eritrean Identity in their children when they grow up and every Eritrean who ever lives or will live has or will have a child or children. Here are the questions: If your child asks you “Who am I? or What is my Heritage? Or What happened to my Eritrean Identity or Heritage? What did you do to protect my Eritrean Identity and Heritage when it was threatened? What would your answers be?” These questions may seem simple and easy. But in the even Eritrean sovereignty is lost, your answers will have deep psychological, physical, emotional, and moral implications to the wellbeing of Eritrean children, born and unborn. Hence, protecting Eritrean sovereignty benefits every Eritrean in ways that some Eritreans may not visualize or clearly see it. Please use these and similar questions to reflect on the gravity of the problem that Eritrea is facing – the potential of losing its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Avoid free riding and do your best to protect your country.

I hate to say, “I said so, I told you so, and I saw it coming”, and I wish it were not the case. Nevertheless, here are links to some of what I have been writing (in Tigrigna and English) and video lecturing on the issue of the danger of losing our sovereignty and territorial integrity:-

See also more articles from Dr Gebre Gebremariam:

See also Related / ምስዚ ዝተኣሳሰር ሓበሬታ፡-