U.S. condemns Eritrea for "destabilizing" role

ASMARA (Reuters) - The United States accused Eritrea on Monday of working to destabilize the Horn of Africa region and urged President Isaias Afwerki to bring a halt to what it called a threat to international peace.
Relations between Eritrea and neighboring Djibouti remain hostile. In June 2008 a dozen Djiboutian soldiers were killed in a clash, and last October Djibouti accused Eritrea of training militias to carry out sabotage in its territory Aimed at the country's leaders, the sanctions include an arms embargo, a freeze on assets and travel bans on individuals and firms to be designated by a sanctions committee.The U.N. Security Council, which last December imposed the sanctions, accuses Asmara of providing funds and weapons to Islamist insurgents in Somalia where 21,000 people have been killed in violence since the beginning of 2007."The United States calls on President Isaias to immediately end Eritrea's destabilizing activities in the Horn of Africa," the U.S. Embassy said in its statement.The statement released to Reuters by the U.S. Embassy in the Eritrean capital came on the same day that Eritreans abroad protested against United Nations sanctions imposed on their country and that they say were organized by the United States."Eritrea's actions in Somalia and Djibouti threaten international peace and security and contribute to a dire humanitarian crisis."