Guys I noticed about Eritrean Somali relations

[Zak12]

yet the possibility cannot be entirely dismissed

A UN study more or less confirms that there was never any evidence that Eritrea supported Al-Shabab hence why the sanctions were lifted in 2018.

it may well have offered support

Again, this was all the grasping of the straws by the international community. What we can say for certain is that after 2009, Eritrea offered zero implicit support for Al-Shabab.

I am uncertain what the term is even meant to signify in this context

Within the backdrop of the war on terror, the ICU was slandered by the U.S and Ethiopia as a Taliban like extremist group. This was in effect no different to how previously Meles claimed that Al-Ittihad was a terrorist group.

When it came to the ICU's governance of Mogadishu, analysts and journalists never found any evidence of that being the case.

who declared openly that his ambition was to liberate Ethiopia from “Christian rule” and to perform the Eid prayer in Addis Ababa

Could you give sources for these? I've seen those claims often but never found any proof. The ICU spokeperson made it abundantly clear that they were only interested in fighting the warlords and controlling southern Somalia, nothing about attacking other countries. Perhaps they meant supporting the ONLF and Somalis in Ethiopia but nothing about going to Addis.

hostile to AMISOM

They were opposed to AMISOM yes but that didn't made them extremist. AMISOM was an occupying force causing instability after all.

where did they truly differ?

How about the fact that Al-Shabab was doing terrorist attacks on other countries starting in 2010 whereas ICU never once commited any terrorism in or out ot Somalia.

Both envisioned an Islamic Somali state governed by Sharia law

There is a major difference. The ICU was a domestic Islamic-nationalist group that wanted (southern) Somalia governed by sharia. Al-Shabab on the other hands wanted to transform Somalia into an Al-Qaeda province and use the country as a jihadist platform against other countries.

 

[Jaffar]

I think Eritrea was sanctioned because it backed the ICU or Shabaab during the war against Ethiopia this was when the sanctions came Surely after they sanctioned they might have stopped supporting these insurgents and jihadist. I do agree though that ICU never attacked outside of Somalia that is true we would really never know how it would unfold had they remained in power. As for indhocade saying that he will pray in addis ababa for the eid prayer, i will look it up for you and dig in the sources

 

[Riftvalley]

I do not dispute your point regarding the Islamic Courts Union during the Mogadishu war of 2006. The principal reason Eritrea chose to back al-Shabaab, the ICU, or whichever faction was then ascendant, was nothing more than a matter of political calculation on the part of Isaias Afwerki. His cousin, Meles Zenawi, had thrown his weight behind the Transitional Federal Government, and thus, by way of counterbalance, Afwerki felt compelled to support its opponents a move which ultimately proved ruinous. After all, who in their right mind wagers on jihadists at a time when Uncle Sam is waging his global war on terror?


When President Guelleh later brought Sheikh Sharif to Djibouti to establish a new government for Somalia, Afwerki again felt betrayed this time by Sharif and his allies. Whether or not Eritrea continued to support al-Shabaab after 2009 remains unproven Asmara denies it, yet the possibility cannot be entirely dismissed. One cannot exclude the reasoning that, given Eritrea’s refusal to recognise the governments of Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, it may well have offered support in order to undermine what it perceived as Ethiopia’s growing ascendancy in Somali affairs.


Nor do I agree with the oft repeated claim that the ICU were “moderates.” I am uncertain what the term is even meant to signify in this context. The ICU harboured figures such as Indha Cadde, who declared openly that his ambition was to liberate Ethiopia from “Christian rule” and to perform the Eid prayer in Addis Ababa in 2006 hardly the rhetoric of moderation. Both the ICU and al-Shabaab were jihadist in orientation, opposed to the warlords and hostile to AMISOM. In substance, where did they truly differ? I see little evidence that the ICU possessed a coherent national agenda confined to Somalia alone atleast.


Admittedly, I will concede that al-Shabaab represents a more extreme incarnation one might say a version of the ICU on steroids. Yet in terms of ideology, the distinction is not nearly as sharp as some would suggest. Both envisioned an Islamic Somali state governed by Sharia law; the divergence lay only in degree, not in essence indeed.

Were you from AK? Ma Soomaali ba tahay ama Ethiopian?

 

[Jaffar]

Somali baan ahay saaxib

 

[Riftvalley]

Somali baan ahay saaxib

Interesting.

 

[Jaffar]

Why what is so strange and interesting .

 

[Riftvalley]

Why what is so strange and interesting .

Merely for research purposes. You made some interesting points.

 

[Guure⁸]

I think Eritrea was sanctioned because it backed the ICU or Shabaab during the war against Ethiopia this was when the sanctions came Surely after they sanctioned they might have stopped supporting these insurgents and jihadist. I do agree though that ICU never attacked outside of Somalia that is true we would really never know how it would unfold had they remained in power. As for indhocade saying that he will pray in addis ababa for the eid prayer, i will look it up for you and dig in the sources

ICU and al shabab are two different things, holding sharia ideology doesn't make them the same if it does then boko haram&daesh are the same as alqaeda knowing the fact they takfeer each other

 

[Guure⁸]

Somali baan ahay saaxib

Qoloma tahay?

 

[Jaffar]

Boko Haram and deash dont operate in the same area of the world Alshabaab and ICU were operating in the same city

 

[Guure⁸]

Boko Haram and deash dont operate in the same area of the world Alshabaab and ICU were operating in the same city

Tho this wasn't my point but al qaeda and daesh do operate in the same place

 

[Jaffar]

and its good that you mention that Deash came out of Alqaeda , the same way ALSHABAAB CAME Out of ICU

 

[EritreanPost_]

That is not the whole truth.

In the 1940s and 1950s, it is a matter of historical record that no less than two thirds, if not more, of Eritrea’s Tigrinya-speaking population lent their support to the Unionist Party, Mahber Fikri Hager. The majority of the Tigrinya-speaking highlanders firmly backed Emperor Haile Selassie, whom they regarded with deep respect and loyalty during those early decades. The widespread sense of regret and disillusionment would only emerge much later, particularly in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s.


The British, who administered Eritrea following the Second World War, quickly discerned the region’s inherent political difficulties. Their proposal was to partition Eritrea the highland Tigrinya speaking Kebessa would be joined to Ethiopia, while the lowland populations Beja, Tigre, and others would be absorbed into Eastern Sudan and the Kassala region of sudan. This was indeed the suggestion put forth by the British colonial authorities.


It is true, of course, that a handful of Christian Tigrinyas, such as Woldeab Woldemariam Eritrean nationalist, advocated for outright independence. Yet, as a middle ground between full secession and outright partition, the United Nations advanced its own formula federation with Ethiopia. This compromise was adopted in 1952, but by 1962 Haile Selassie had unilaterally annexed Eritrea, extinguishing its federal status. Still, in the earlier years, the highland Tigrinya held Haile Selassie in high regard, and this explains the considerable strength of the Unionist Party.


One must also recall prominent Eritreans such as General Aman Andom, who rose to the highest ranks of the Ethiopian military. As the commanding general, he even led forces during the Ethiopian Somali border war of 1964. Such figures testify to the degree of integration and identification with Ethiopia that existed among many Tigrinya Eritreans at the time.


It is therefore a distortion of history often propagated by certain revisionists, particularly from the highlands to suggest that the Tigrinya were at the vanguard of the independence movement. In truth, the majority of Tigrinya speaking Eritreans were, for the most part, ardent supporters of Ethiopian unity. This is further proof by the stance of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front Shacbia in 1991 though they possessed the power to dismember Ethiopia entirely, they chose instead to preserve it, for Ethiopia still carried profound meaning, especially to those of the highlands indeed. It is telling that in the 1940s and 1950s, it was customary in Kebessa households to name newborn daughters “Ethiopia” a striking symbol of loyalty and affection to the Ethiopian Empire and Abysinian Heritage.


By contrast, the lowland populations Tigre, Beja, and Saho had little attachment to Ethiopia. Their principal political vehicle, the Muslim League, favoured trusteeship under Britain led by ibrahim sultan, in stark contrast to the Unionists who sought complete and enduring unity with Ethiopia., it was then later the jebha let by Hamid idris awate that started the war with Ethiopia under the ELF during te first decade of the war for independence there were no Christians that took up arms it was only in the early 1970s when they started fighting back, the two later on fought EPLF VS ELF where the EPLF got help from the TPLF to destroy the Jebha movement and drive them into sudan till this day there are about a million or so tigre low land Muslims in eastern sudan who are now allowed to come back to Eritrea.


This is the truth about Eritrea.

This is misinformation. If its you Haragfwafi or Legend, please don't twist the federation with annexation.

There were Eritreans who supported a federation with Ethiopia in the 1940s.

when Haile Selassie started to oppress Eritreans, kill Eritrean students and abolished the federation Eritrean parliament and Eritrean constitution.

All Eritreans turned against unification with Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s annexation of Eritrea in 1962 was by force not my election. Ethiopia abolished Eritrean institutions, Eritrean constitution, Eritrean parliament and Eritrean languages like Tigrinya and Arabic.

Before you speak about Eritrean ethnicities all Eritreans Muslims and Christians fought for Eritreas independence. The Muslim people started it and Christians joined it in mass.

 

[EritreanPost_]

That is not the whole truth.

In the 1940s and 1950s, it is a matter of historical record that no less than two thirds, if not more, of Eritrea’s Tigrinya-speaking population lent their support to the Unionist Party, Mahber Fikri Hager. The majority of the Tigrinya-speaking highlanders firmly backed Emperor Haile Selassie, whom they regarded with deep respect and loyalty during those early decades. The widespread sense of regret and disillusionment would only emerge much later, particularly in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s.


The British, who administered Eritrea following the Second World War, quickly discerned the region’s inherent political difficulties. Their proposal was to partition Eritrea the highland Tigrinya speaking Kebessa would be joined to Ethiopia, while the lowland populations Beja, Tigre, and others would be absorbed into Eastern Sudan and the Kassala region of sudan. This was indeed the suggestion put forth by the British colonial authorities.


It is true, of course, that a handful of Christian Tigrinyas, such as Woldeab Woldemariam Eritrean nationalist, advocated for outright independence. Yet, as a middle ground between full secession and outright partition, the United Nations advanced its own formula federation with Ethiopia. This compromise was adopted in 1952, but by 1962 Haile Selassie had unilaterally annexed Eritrea, extinguishing its federal status. Still, in the earlier years, the highland Tigrinya held Haile Selassie in high regard, and this explains the considerable strength of the Unionist Party.


One must also recall prominent Eritreans such as General Aman Andom, who rose to the highest ranks of the Ethiopian military. As the commanding general, he even led forces during the Ethiopian Somali border war of 1964. Such figures testify to the degree of integration and identification with Ethiopia that existed among many Tigrinya Eritreans at the time.


It is therefore a distortion of history often propagated by certain revisionists, particularly from the highlands to suggest that the Tigrinya were at the vanguard of the independence movement. In truth, the majority of Tigrinya speaking Eritreans were, for the most part, ardent supporters of Ethiopian unity. This is further proof by the stance of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front Shacbia in 1991 though they possessed the power to dismember Ethiopia entirely, they chose instead to preserve it, for Ethiopia still carried profound meaning, especially to those of the highlands indeed. It is telling that in the 1940s and 1950s, it was customary in Kebessa households to name newborn daughters “Ethiopia” a striking symbol of loyalty and affection to the Ethiopian Empire and Abysinian Heritage.


By contrast, the lowland populations Tigre, Beja, and Saho had little attachment to Ethiopia. Their principal political vehicle, the Muslim League, favoured trusteeship under Britain led by ibrahim sultan, in stark contrast to the Unionists who sought complete and enduring unity with Ethiopia., it was then later the jebha let by Hamid idris awate that started the war with Ethiopia under the ELF during te first decade of the war for independence there were no Christians that took up arms it was only in the early 1970s when they started fighting back, the two later on fought EPLF VS ELF where the EPLF got help from the TPLF to destroy the Jebha movement and drive them into sudan till this day there are about a million or so tigre low land Muslims in eastern sudan who are now allowed to come back to Eritrea.


This is the truth about Eritrea.

Isaaq somalilanders shoudnt speak about Eritrean ethnicities and claim they supporters of the Ethiopian annexation of Eritrea.

Your isaaq led Somaliland national movement was armed and hosted by Ethiopia, fought against the Somali army and committed war crimes against Gadarbursi people in Borama and other Somali qabils

While eritrea’s EPLF and ELF fought Ethiopian imperialism.

Eritrean Muslims and Christians have a long history of fighting Ethiopian imperialism.

Even the Tigrinya leaders of the Medri Bahri kingdom like Ras Wolde Michael
Solomon fought against Ethiopia. So did the tribal leaders of the Beja Saho and Tigre

The ELF was founded
Muslim Eritreans and the EPLF was founded by Muslim and Christian Eritrean. The majority of the EPLF fighters and key generals were Tigrinyas

 

[Guure⁸]

and its good that you mention that Deash came out of Alqaeda , the same way ALSHABAAB CAME Out of ICU

Yeah they came out of the icu cause they are different that's what I'm saying if they were the same they wouldn't come out of it

 

[EritreanPost_]

Thats not true they supported Hassan daahir aweys and he spend most of the war against ethiopia in Asmara , hassan daahir aweys was the founder of hisbal islam which was a group that was aligned to alshabaab, Eritrea refused to engage with sharif ahmed goverment and hassan sheikh first term. presidency they clearly had links with Alshabaab during the war against ethiopia they backed all opposition against ethiopia and alshabaab was one of them.

I think Eritrea was sanctioned because it backed the ICU or Shabaab during the war against Ethiopia this was when the sanctions came Surely after they sanctioned they might have stopped supporting these insurgents and jihadist. I do agree though that ICU never attacked outside of Somalia that is true we would really never know how it would unfold had they remained in power. As for indhocade saying that he will pray in addis ababa for the eid prayer, i will look it up for you and dig in the sources

Stop spreading misinformation.

Ethiopia waged war on Eritrea and Somalia.

The tplf led Ethiopian army invaded Eritrea from 1998-2001 and Somalia from 2006-2018 illegally without UN approval.

The ICU was a legitimate gov in southern Somalia which united Somalia based on religion one nation one people.

ICU brought stability and peace to
Somalia

Even your Somalis from Hargeisa and Somalis from
Ogaden came to
Mogadishu and fought the Ethiopian invaders

 

[Jaffar]

The ICU was never the legitimate government of Somalia; the Somali people did not elect or select the Islamic Courts Union as their rightful authority. The government that most Somalis accepted at the time was the Transitional Federal Government TFG While there were certainly some who opposed Ethiopian involvement, the majority recognised Abdulahi Yusuf, a seasoned Somali statesman, who played a pivotal role in founding the current Somali Federal Government SFG


If you profess such concern for Muslims, why then do you not advocate for the Lowland Eritreans’ return to their homeland in Gash Barka? u rather let them rot in eastern sudan and kebessa folks such as ur self claim their land, To be frank, the Ethiopia you claim to despise so deeply could have spared us all immense suffering and hardship had you and your socalled “Shaebia” dissolved Ethiopia back in 1991. There is little point in lamenting Ethiopia now when you were instrumental in shaping this new Ethiopia, keeping your Tigrayan cousins in place. You are no different from the average Amhara, galla or Tigrayan all you extremist Kebessa folk do is displace land from the lowlanders.


The extent of land taken by the Akele Guzay Tigrayans from the Sahos is truly astonishing. Moreover, the Somali civil war was a complex conflict; at various points, all Somali factions received arms from Ethiopia, just as you obtained weapons from the Somali Republic. It was, quite literally, a tit-for-tat exchange sort of a game.

 

[EritreanPost_]

The ICU was never the legitimate government of Somalia; the Somali people did not elect or select the Islamic Courts Union as their rightful authority. The government that most Somalis accepted at the time was the Transitional Federal Government TFG While there were certainly some who opposed Ethiopian involvement, the majority recognised Abdulahi Yusuf, a seasoned Somali statesman, who played a pivotal role in founding the current Somali Federal Government SFG


If you profess such concern for Muslims, why then do you not advocate for the Lowland Eritreans’ return to their homeland in Gash Barka? u rather let them rot in eastern sudan and kebessa folks such as ur self claim their land, To be frank, the Ethiopia you claim to despise so deeply could have spared us all immense suffering and hardship had you and your socalled “Shaebia” dissolved Ethiopia back in 1991. There is little point in lamenting Ethiopia now when you were instrumental in shaping this new Ethiopia, keeping your Tigrayan cousins in place. You are no different from the average Amhara, galla or Tigrayan all you extremist Kebessa folk do is displace land from the lowlanders.


The extent of land taken by the Akele Guzay Tigrayans from the Sahos is truly astonishing. Moreover, the Somali civil war was a complex conflict; at various points, all Somali factions received arms from Ethiopia, just as you obtained weapons from the Somali Republic. It was, quite literally, a tit-for-tat exchange sort of a game.

you are stupid.

The ICU had a lot of support among Somalis. Why would Somalis from all 5 regions come and fight for the ICU if they were not legitimate.

Somalis from Hargeisa, Puntland and even Ogaden came to Mogadishu and fought with the ICU.


When did I say I support land nationalizations in Eritrea?

The Eritrean gov has nationalized all the lands on 1991, and all Eritreans be it from gash Barka or the Eritrean highlands lost their tradional lands.

Speaking about political prisoners, Tigrinya speakers have one of the highest prison rates and conscription rates. Even the head of the orthodox church was jailed in 2006 and died in 2022.


Eritrea and Somalia are natural allies and as so we will work together. Somalilanders like you wont stop the bond between the Eritrean people
and Somali people. We be it Beja Saho or
Kebessa like all
Somalis.

 

[SpaceyCadet]

Funny how these 20 year old “grievances” always surface right when Somalia-Eritrea cooperation is strengthening.

To understand your perspective a bit better Jafffar who are today’s Somalias interest partners?

 

[Guure⁸]

The ICU was never the legitimate government of Somalia; the Somali people did not elect or select the Islamic Courts Union as their rightful authority. The government that most Somalis accepted at the time was the Transitional Federal Government TFG While there were certainly some who opposed Ethiopian involvement, the majority recognised Abdulahi Yusuf, a seasoned Somali statesman, who played a pivotal role in founding the current Somali Federal Government SFG


If you profess such concern for Muslims, why then do you not advocate for the Lowland Eritreans’ return to their homeland in Gash Barka? u rather let them rot in eastern sudan and kebessa folks such as ur self claim their land, To be frank, the Ethiopia you claim to despise so deeply could have spared us all immense suffering and hardship had you and your socalled “Shaebia” dissolved Ethiopia back in 1991. There is little point in lamenting Ethiopia now when you were instrumental in shaping this new Ethiopia, keeping your Tigrayan cousins in place. You are no different from the average Amhara, galla or Tigrayan all you extremist Kebessa folk do is displace land from the lowlanders.


The extent of land taken by the Akele Guzay Tigrayans from the Sahos is truly astonishing. Moreover, the Somali civil war was a complex conflict; at various points, all Somali factions received arms from Ethiopia, just as you obtained weapons from the Somali Republic. It was, quite literally, a tit-for-tat exchange sort of a game.

U r lying most somalis didn't want aby's Gov mostly his qabiil