COUNTER-TERRORISM: Eritrea Battles Islamic Extremists

Strategy Page ^ | 2005 Sep 14

[Wiz]

September 14, 2005: A secular Moslem country of about 4.5 million, Eritrea is a one-party state with a poor human-rights record, controlled by the authoritarian Isaias Afwerki and the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), formed out of the original national front that led the Eritrean fight for independence from Ethiopia (1961-1993). The country occupies a dangerous part of the Horn of Africa, surrounded by a number of hostile neighbors, notably Sudan and Ethiopia, and close to Yemen, a potential failed state, as well as Somalia, which continues in anarchy. There is evidence that a number of insurgent groups are active in Eritrea, with at least the tacit support of several of its neighbors.

In 1999 several Eritrean dissident groups created an umbrella group, the Alliance of Eritrean National Force, for the purpose of overthowing the PFDJ. In 2002, the Alliance changed its name to the Eritrean National Alliance (ENA)

ENA, based in Ethiopia under the leadership of Heruy Tedla Biru, is made up of quite a number of groups. Their precise alignments, policies, goals, and strengths are highly uncertain. Some are believed to be mutually hostile, and tend not to cooperate.

[2banana]

Political leadership in Islamic nations failed miserably in dealing with the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Time after time, Moslem leaders shot themselves in the foot when it came to Israel. Meanwhile, they cranked up the propaganda machine to create more and more outrageous lies to explain away their incompetence. In effect, they painted themselves into a corner with their tacit, and often open, support of the Islamic terrorist goal of destroying Israel by any means available. For many Moslems, it was difficult to separate encouragement for terrorism against Israel, and preaching against using terrorism against other infidels (non-Moslems). And this often led some Moslems to believe that terrorism against their own corrupt rulers was justified.

Good Stuff...

[Wiz]

ping

[gaspar]

To call Eritrea a "secular Moslem country", without noting that the nation's population was about equally divided between Christian and Muslim is an egregious error. It is the Christian element that is fighting for its life against the Islamist terrorists funded by the Sudan.

[CBart95]

Praise this day. The light of world recognition finally falls on the ongoing Genocide of the Sudan...over twenty years of waiting for the lost innocent souls of this miserable suffering. The free world has a debt to pay.