Eritrea: Opposition Leader Denounces Afewerki´s ´Military Adventures´.

Photo: Woldeyesus Ammar

Eritrea has come under heavy pressure especially from the US and Israel for its close ties with nuclear ambitious Iran and Somali militants with alleged Al-Quada connections. I spoke with Woldeyesus Ammar, Head of the Eritrean People´s Party. I first put to him what President Isayas Afwerki hoped to achieve by continuing to associate himself as head of a state with globally ostracized leaders and entities, among them Iran´s Ahmadinejad and Somalia´s al-Shabaab.WOLDEYESUS AMMAR: All past actions and reactions of Isayas Afwerki have proven beyond doubt - to all sensible Eritreans and to the world at large - the sheer irrationality of the man. His associations and diplomatic relations cannot be expected to have any logic, and one should not forget about any immediate or long-term benefits from such associations to the people Isayas is supposed to be leading. For sure, the Eritrean petty dictator obtains financial benefits from globally ostracized regimes and organizations that help him fund his security apparatus as well as his aggressive and meaningless adventures in the region. In short, by his irrational associations with this and that rogue regime and terrorist outfits, Isayas may hope to ´bully´ and thus draw the attention of Europe and the United States. Unfortunately, he sometimes feels his misdeeds serve him well – e.g. look at the recent 122 million euro grant from the Europeans with the illusive hope of keeping open "a window" for dialogue with Isayas lest the man and his regime do worse than what they are doing. But isayas cannot do worse to Eritrea and its neighborly peoples. We feel the sane world should stop living in illusion and, instead, make pressure bear on Isayas and cut short his lunacy.,,more.http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/102395