Eritrea became an independent country 24 May 1993, and it was recognized as a member of the United Nations 28 May 1993. Contrary to the international norm of relations between two independent countries, we have been noticing the independence and sovereignty of Eritrea becoming a subject of book business and a talking point for settling old scores with whom is in power in the Ethiopian federal government.
When Yacob Hailemariam, ex CUD prisoner, wrote a book, his main topic was putting the ownership of Assab in question. That was meant to exploit the old Ethiopian expansionist ruler’s dream and drive demand for his book up. No doubt that the wicked strategy earned him a good amount of money.
Later it was the despicable Gebru Asrat’s turn. As everyone knows he is the disgruntled member of the TPLF minority clique, who was expelled by Meles from the party. When he was the governor of Tigray region, he was a major architect of TPLF’s antagonism towards the people of Eritrea that resulted in the TPLF’s aggression against the state of Eritrea in 1998. After becoming destitute and barred from even working as a high school teacher, for him selling a book was the only option to survive financially. He too raised the question of Assab as a major book selling point to the unsuspecting Ethiopians. He told the Ethiopian people that he had a magic wand that would bring Assab back to Ethiopia.
Also, Tsadkan Gebretnasiae, another ex-member of the TPLF minority clique who cried like a child at the Tserona front, during the 1998-2000 TPLF’s aggression against Eritrea, gave an order to Ethiopian troops to rape old Eritrean Muslim women in kohaito as a revenge, and later expelled from the party, claimed that during his study in the United States he came across an information that would help Ethiopia to bring Assab back through legal means. Yes, Tsadkan was telling us he uncovered a non-existing legal clause that would bring Assab back to Ethiopia that was not discovered by the high-profile world renown lawyers represented Ethiopia during the Hague border arbitration. It is a big fat joke. By the way Tsadkan who was the chief of Staff of the TPLF military during the 1998-2000 TPLF’s aggression against Eritrea openly admitted that he gave his troops an order to occupy Assab but failed miserably.
At last, Abebe Teklehaimanot, who is also a disgruntled member of TPLF, who led the Ethiopian Air force during the 1998-2000 TPLF aggression against Eritrea and later expelled by Meles used Assab to sell books. With the current demise of TPLF he is someone who has lost his income stream and is currently struggling to make a living. The common denominator of those people who are invoking the false dream of bringing Assab back to Ethiopia is they are financially driven disgruntled officials still in bad terms with the Ethiopian Federal government.
Since then, a lot has happened. The federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accepted the Ethiopia and Eritrea Border commission’s (EEBC) decision with no preconditions and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received a Nobel prize. Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace and reconciliation agreement in Asmara and later in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. TPLF surrendered to the Ethiopian and Eritrean Armies and is currently going cold turkey in Tigray. The Ethiopian election commission refused to re-register TPLF as a party and the latter is begging the Ethiopian federal government to force the Election commission to reconsider its decision. Ethiopia is rebuilding the road that connects it to Eritrea’s Assab port.
Despite all this, it is silly to assume that TPLF would totally abandon its old dreams. During the aftermath of the signing of TPLF’s surrender agreement in Pretoria, Tsadkan said the agreement could help TPLF to divide its enemies. As they say, you cannot teach an old dog a new trick. Adhering to such failed strategy, currently TPLF foot soldiers and others who are in bad terms with the Ethiopian federal government are bringing Assab to divide Eritreans and Ethiopians. They are still hopping for the Ethiopian federal government, that accepted the EEBC border decision and prime minister Abiy Ahmed who received a Nobel Prize for accepting the border decision, to go to war with Eritrea because of the border. They could not be more desperate than this. The video below explains the truth about Assab. “There is no legal hope to bring Assab back to Ethiopia”. All the claim to bring Assab back to Ethiopia is not only a hoax it is a desperate voice from a graveyard.
Conclusion,
After putting TPLF in its graveyard, currently the two sisterly countries are very healthy neighbors rebuilding their economic, political, and security relationships from scratch. The Ethiopian and Eritrean miliary relationship forged during the two years’ war against the TPLF is a real example of the strong bond between the two countries.
It may require more hard work, but there is no doubt that the effort will end up establishing a very healthy neighborhood. Having said that it is important for all Ethiopians and Eritreans to stand guard against TPLF ethnic clique remnant spoilers. A healthy relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea is a death sentence to their dream of Tigray republic and they will do anything to undermine it.
Awet N’s Hafash and Eternal Glory to our Martyrs.