Visit the new AsenaTv Website

https://asenatv.com

Eritrea asks U.N. to replace “biased” Somalia panel

By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Eritrea has called on the United Nations to replace what it says is a "biased" monitoring group on Somalia after the panel's report prompted sanctions on Asmara

By Aaron Maasho

ADDIS ABABA, Dec 23 (Reuters) – Eritrea has called on the United Nations to replace what it says is a “biased” monitoring group on Somalia after the panel’s report prompted sanctions on Asmara over links with militant groups in Mogadishu, according to a letter sent to the Security Council.

The reclusive Red Sea state is incensed by a raft of accusations published by the U.N. Monitoring Group report on Somalia in July which accused Asmara of providing political, financial, training and logistical support to al Shabaab militants and other armed groups in Somalia.

Eritrea denies the charges.

The report triggered a Security Council resolution on Dec. 5 that expanded sanctions against Eritrea for continuing to provide support to Islamist militants. The resolution also urged countries to make their companies involved in mining in Eritrea to exercise vigilance to ensure funds were not used to destabilise the region.

Eritrea had already been slapped with an arms embargo, assets freeze and travel ban in 2009.

In a letter obtained by Reuters, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh urged the Security Council’s current chair, Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin, to establish an “independent, impartial and credible body”.

Saleh said the monitoring group had “failed to garner the support of many (council) members due to its lack of independence, professionalism, impartiality and objectivity, as well as its susceptibility to political influences”.

Saleh also called for the lifting of sanctions, saying they were rooted on “fabricated” accusations emanating from “hostile political objectives”, according to the letter dated Dec. 19.

Despite repeated denials that it is not a destabilising force in the volatile Horn of Africa region, Eritrea is widely regarded in the international community as a pariah state and is deeply mistrusted by its neighbours. Analysts say its latest request will probably fall on deaf ears.

The monitoring group was set up by the Security Council in 2002 to monitor embargoes on the delivery of arms to Somalia. Its mandate was expanded in July, allowing the group to investigate revenues generated from rebel-held seaports in the anarchic country.

Eritrea, however, says the monitoring group has come under heavy influence from arch-foe Ethiopia and the United States and dismisses any links with Somalia’s militants, including the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels.

Eritrea is at loggerheads with Ethiopia over disputed territory and accuses the U.S. of failing to force Addis Ababa to hand over disputed land that was awarded to the Red Sea state by a U.N. commission after a border dispute a decade ago.

The Horn of Africa nation has also accused Washington of obstructing President Isaias Afewerki’s attempt to address the Security Council ahead of the sanctions resolution.

aseye.asena@gmail.com

Review overview
27 COMMENTS
  • Freeprisoners December 23, 2011

    The government or HGDF need to understand that we Eritreans know we have no terrorist background. The case of the profound that given to the Eritrean people by the UN is because of the poletical performance of the Eritrean govenment in general.
    The case is we in our homeland have no the rights as a people, Eritrea is the onloy country that are ruled without constitution and arbitrary detention without due process. such hard stans by the government has made the UN to decide as the supports of terrorisim. Otherwise people of Eritrea has no backgrounds or knowledges of terrorism. The only terror is the regime that leads the people which is seen by the UN the only terrorist. If there is oppression and no rights in our land that means terrorizm by itself. That makes specculation among the other countries deplomacy. It could not be approved by any countries unless the Eritreans have the basic rights before hand.

  • thomi December 23, 2011

    The gang regime in asmara likes to deny everything. The mafia leader, DIA, has denied that young eritreans were leaving their beloved country because these oppressive stripped of every right they deserve even the right sleep in your own home. Our truly eritrean brothers and sisters are dying while cross the deserts to run way from the barbaric regime. However, murder Issayas calls that ” they are going for some picnic and they will return”. This beast leader do not care about the life of anyone as far as he remains in power. This evil regime has even denied that it has jailed and killed our only and a few profession journalists, our former hero leaders who fought for 30 years to liberate the nations and even our war disabled veterans. But, the very sad thing is as there were Hitler lovers; there are extremists Issayas lover among us. What a cursed nation and people!

  • Footprint December 23, 2011

    Good initiative! The Somalia panel have been fabricating evidence for too long now. And the world has now recognized this. Good job by the government of Eritrea. Ethiopia has now launched an advice to its followers abroad to comment on every web article written about Eritrea to give an impression as if the eritrean people are dissatisfied. Again the world has discovered that too!

  • Dawit December 23, 2011

    It’s laughable to read that PFDJ wants to have the Monitoring Groups make up changed. After its image has badly been tarnished due to its systematic abuses of human rights, support to alshabab, and destabilizing influence in the horn, it appears now that PFDJ is feeling the pinch.

    PFDJ is learning the hard way, albeit slowly-it can’t be suddenly equal to a super power. You can’t pick a fight with the United States.

    PFDJ has wrongly been overestimating its might. Now it is so weak that it can’t even think of picking a fight with Ethiopia that has long occupied Badume.

  • Abrhaley E't'iDne December 23, 2011

    What is not written in the books of the sanction is eritrean leader is unelected with no mandate service an terrorize his own people.
    The physco leader thinks he is better than any one.

  • Abrhaley E't'iDne December 23, 2011

    Funny ..it is like pfdj choosing its probe officer in prison. Who damm is advising the moron isayas..

  • Zeray December 23, 2011

    PFDJ will not listen to the advice of decent Eritrean citizens. The PFDJ was begged by many elders, priests and the like to respect their own people be it religious, civil etc… The G13 also did their part. The G15 did their part and are paying with their lives etc etc…The more you ask PFDJ for mercy the more sadistic they become. Maybe, they will listen to the international world now, simply because if they refuse, the consequence of not listening can be the International court. Al Bashir of the Sudan is a wanted man. No wonder they are trying to save their faces. But because they score zero, zilch, Bado on diplomatic relations they will loose. If they think Ethiopia is lying about Eritrea, maybe they need to learn the ABC’s of diplomacy from them. How come Ethiopia is succeeding to get what they want.

  • Dawit December 23, 2011

    PFDJ may effectively control Eritreans through exploiting people’s fears, yet PFDJ is inadvertently cultivating deep seated anger. As the people’s fear dissipates, the anger boils and comes out to the surface, a small spark by any event (significant or insignificant) could ignite a popular upprise and would violently remove PFDJ and and its lieutenants.

  • lemelem 1 December 23, 2011

    If you think everyone hates you, then be sure the problem is with you. If PFDJ thinks the the monitoring group are biased then by implication the security council members who voted to include the members in the monitoring group are biased themselves. Which then implies change of the whole structure of the UNSC or so for the sake of the “corretness” of PFDJ. What always surprises me is, for how long does the PIA want to live in denials and betrayals. The whole world can’t be wrong to categorise him top of the worst dictators in our globe.

  • lemelem 2 December 23, 2011

    ….continued from the above…The many deki hager who had to fled the country and take refugee almost any where out side Eritrea is a concrete proof of the the fact that life is miserable under the brutal rule of the PIA. If he is so cruel to the very people who empowered him to the throne, then there is no doubt he will do anything at his disposal to creat havoc on those who he believes are enemies. No more proof for those of us who know how sha’abiya operates when it wants to contain rivals. It uses anything including terrorism. Unless there is something sick in his mind, how can he ever think of to fight and spare Eritrea from the evil conspiracies of the world, even when that is miserably stupid to start of? I wander…

1 2 3

POST A COMMENT