From: awetnayu@hotmail.com
Date: Mon Dec 07 2009 - 02:01:18 EST
The Significance of President Isaias’ Visit to Port-Sudan
Amanuel Biedemariam
With all the attention Eritrea gets one can easily get the impression that Eritrea is a Superpower capable to do many things in the region and beyond. The truth however, while not a superpower, it is crystal-clear that Eritrea’s role is a major impediment to objectives set by greedy Westerners. They are having hard time stopping a resilient country unfazed by their deceitful strategies geared at plundering and pillaging African resources as they have for centuries. Eritrea is an island of stability in the middle of stormy waters; positioned to prosper based on her resources and strategic location. Their objectives are seriously hampered because they have failed to destabilize the united people of Eritrea. They have done all that they can do to stop Eritrea. They ignited wars, bought surrogates in the Diaspora in order to impose leadership change on Eritrea by coercion as they do to all over Africa and failed. This time they are using the UN to impose punitive measures with fabricated accusations. To that end, they have umpped their noises like barn-chicken-clucks after intrusion by foxes. They are angry because they are not used to seeing black African leaders that are furiously independent and with gumption telling them off! A precedent they fear can take hold in other places.
Unfortunately, all that noise makes it nearly impossible to get good news from Eritrea or the region. That in large part is a result of deliberate campaign put forth by propaganda outlets like Reuters and BBC that are engaged on venomous PR campaigns forwarding British hegemonic agendas. In addition, good news from Eritrea has become bad news for the West and they are hell-bent on suppressing it by any means necessary. They are screaming sanction and entry into a list of State that Sponsor Terrorism in order to discourage investors and weaken Eritrea by falsely accusing Eritrea with their fabrications. But regardless of their tireless efforts to sally and black-ball Eritrean image; as the famous Eritrean saying goes, the Camel is marching while the dogs bark!
On November 16, 2009, at the invitation of President Omar Al-Beshir of Sudan, His Excellency, President Isaias Afwerki, visited the Red Sea region of The Sudan. President Isaias has taken many such trips in the past but this one resonated for many reasons. It was significant because it touched on many important areas with future ramifications regarding trade, cultural exchange programs, and youth related activities. It shed light on the entangled web of alliances in the region and how it is likely to impact the geopolitical makeup. It also showed the likely political, economic, and the social stands of Sudan and Eritrea. It gave hints on the likely security cooperation they will engage in and steps they need to take to bring the bilateral relations between Sudan and Eritrea to the highest levels. Some possible implications include:
Economic:
One of the biggest problems Africa faces is the constant diplomatic breakdowns between countries. Every time a new leader comes due to coups and political upheaval they tend to curtail economic and trade relations amongst people of bordering countries. One can take the current Chadian and Sudanese relations as example. At the moment the tense relation between the two leaderships makes it difficult, if not impossible, to establish a high level trading partnerships amongst the people of the bordering states. The Sudan -Eritrea relationship went through that at one point but the current relation will transcend that for many reasons. The proposed new road from Port Sudan into the Red Sea region of Eritrea will bear major fruit by enlarging existing doors to facilitate efficient trade between the two countries. It will give the two countries new opportunities to bring multitude product lines into the region thus enlarging the free-trade-zone. In other words the two countries can agree on the type of products they can bring for the sake of efficiency, convenience and price. For example; Port Sudan may be able to accommodate heavy machinery while Massawa can reach to areas of Sudan faster and cheaper.
This is certain to get international attention quick, if not already, because The Sudan is a major consumer with growing appetite and expandable income generated by oil revenues. These ports will be major hubs for tradable goods from around the world as well as imports and exportable locally produced industrial as well as agricultural goods. That is certain to provide economic stability and generate employment opportunities for millions in the region for years to come.
This is precisely what African countries have failed to do in the past. Partnership founded on mutual benefits and alliance that can grow based on economic, cultural and security needs without the meddling by greedy outside actors. In essence, they can strengthen their hands by playing smart-international-business and become commercial centers. These types of efforts provide the very foundation that the continent desperately seeks. It will also boost cross border trade in a way that is going to raise the standards of living of the people of Eritrea and The Sudan and the benefits are endless.
Security:
Strategic alliance between Eritrea and The Sudan is crucial to the security of both countries and the region. The direction these countries take will impact the international geopolitical chess-game at play led by the US and China. It will also have a major impact into the political, economic and military dynamics of the region.
The Sudan shares borders with Ethiopia, Uganda, Chad, Egypt and Eritrea. Throughout the last 40+ years there has been constant instability across all borders. There has not been time when peace was achieved amongst bordering nations in the region. When relative peace was achieved, it is normally based on alliances that are essentially marriages of convenience. For example, before the Eritrean Ethiopian war, The Sudan was in bad terms with Ethiopia and Eritrea. Shortly after the war broke out however, Meles courted Sudan and made alliance that focused on weakening Eritrea. At that time, The Sudan did many things to weaken Eritrea. It gave Ethiopia all the access it needed including allowing Ethiopian contingency to use its territory in a vain attempt to encircle the Eritrean Defense Forces that were in the area. It also became a staging ground for all the anti Eritrean terrorist-elements who were disguised as Eritrean”Opposition”. NO MORE!
The Sudanese Ethiopian relation was not genuine and it was established at the expense of Eritrea. The interests of the two countries were likely to clash at some point because Ethiopia is a client state of the US that takes its marching orders from the State Department. The US is at odds with President Beshir of The Sudan regarding South Sudan, Darfur and other matters. Therefore, regardless of how it is masked Ethiopia’s position was not compatible to that of The Sudan.
The Sudanese Eritrea ties places Meles Zenawi in a precarious position. First, he is out of the loop. Secondly he failed to achieve one of his biggest planned objectives, alienate Eritrea. Thirdly, it denies Ethiopia access for mischief; giving Eritrea a major security buffer from any threats that could come through the Sudan as it did during the last Ethiopia instigated war of aggression against Eritrea. It will also deny a platform to those who may plan terrorist activities in the name of opposition. Plus this united effort will put on notice; those who want to cooperate with the West at the expense of The Sudan or Eritrea as in the case of Yoweri Museveni, a man that has made a personal threat on President Beshir on behalf of the ICC. The implications are varied and great.
Emotional/Personal level:
>From the early 70’s, majority of the people that left Eritrea as refugees used The Sudan as a transit point. The Sudan is and has been a destination for Eritreans who want to flee the country because of the constant Ethiopian regimes atrocities committed against them. The Sudanese people have, for decades, accorded Eritreans utmost hospitality, by giving Eritreans refuge from danger and access to the world. They provided Eritreans employment opportunities and allowed them to be a part of their lives. However, even with all that goodwill, the life of a refugee is dangerous, unpredictable and miserable.
>From 1979-1981, there was a sizeable Eritrean refugee population in Khartoum due to the culmination of the civil-war that just ended with the defeat of the ELF by the EPLF. In addition many of the liberated areas were exchanging hands between EPLF, ELF and Ethiopian soldiers. That instability was the key factor behind the exodus into Sudan.
At that time, Mengistu Hailemariam visited Khartoum. And in preparation for his visit the Sudanese soldiers went door-to-door at dawn into the homes of Eritreans in Khartoum and forced the Eritreans out of their homes and loaded them onto Lorries on their way to a deserted area near Gedaref. The area was in the middle of nowhere, heavily populated with scorpions, without facilities, drinking water and shelter. The UN gave tents for shelter and some food for sustenance. There was no drinking water so people had to travel long distance to fetch water from cholera infested waters making many people violently ill. This was done in the name of security. But why bring it up?
To show the irony the visit of President Isaias presented. As Eritreans, we were treated like sub-humans when Ethiopian despot Mengistu Hailemariam visited Sudan. In contrast to those dreaded moments, Eritreans and Sudanese people lined up to cheer President Isaias and President Beshir. The streets were full of people from both countries dancing to Sudanese and Eritrean songs, ululating and screaming Awet-N-Hafash. The Presidents of both countries addressed emotional crowd with messages full of hope for the future of both countries. That was a moment for the ages and a moment to be cherished.
But, more than the gallantry, the dance, the shows at the stadium and the fanfares, the substance both presidents talked to the people-about was new and refreshing. For the first time, probably in the history of Africa, two leaders addressed the public in a campaign-style-rally and talked about bread-and-butter issues and a bright future. They talked about cultural exchange programs, youth activities, music, sports, education, trade and industrial development of the region. The areas of common interest run the gamut from fishery, to agriculture and tourism-development. These are crucial areas to the future prosperity and security of both countries and certain to make a difference in the lives of the people at the highest level for years to come.
However, the statement that resonated most was the idea of “NO-entry VISA” for the people of Eritrea entering into The Sudan and vice versa. That is emotional, exciting and profound. It is a game-changer that will impact the lives of millions of Eritreans for good and for the better (unless of course, you are one of the terrorists that paraded as opposition in Khartoum sewing the seed of hatred). For decades, Eritreans have perceived The Sudan as a place to run- away from Eritrea. This will change that perception in a powerful way. Eritreans will not be accepted as refugees’ into The Sudan any more! Those who want to escape to Sudan will do it as fugitives.
That is powerful because it is a beginning of change. Change in perception and the way business is done in Africa. This may seem to be overreaching, but the reality is, an open border between Eritrea and Sudan is no different than open door between US and Canada or amongst European countries. The level will of-course vary, but the function and impact on industry, trade, human relations and the lives will be similar. It will go a long way into bringing a new way of thinking, looking and approaching bilateral relations. It will bring stability into a region that never knew stability. The positive influence will encourage multilateral trade. And once that is established fully, it will be difficult to reverse because the interdependency will take hold making it difficult for change of leadership to impact it negatively. In other words, this will empower the people.
Conclusion
The seeds for the current developments have been percolating for decades naturally because the two sisterly countries are natural allies regardless of the prevailing political environments. For generations, Eritrea and The Sudan have traded across borders even during the most difficult times. The only thing it lacked was formality, legality as well as enforcement mechanisms. Over the last 18 years the relations between the two governments has been acrimonious at best and hostile at times. That didn’t sit well with people because it got in the way of a genuine love and affection between them. There are some undeniable facts here: the Sudanese people have faith on their Eritrean brothers to be there for them and Eritreans know their Sudanese brothers will be there too. That is a time tested and proven fact without a doubt. Both President Omar Al Beshir and President Isaias Afwerki deserve kudos for getting the people this far. It has been a long, testing and arduous journey, but it is where it needs to be considering the undue pressure that is being exerted by Western greed. And ultimately it is up-to the people of Sudan and Eritrea to safeguard and nurture this milestone.
Awetnayu@hotmail.com
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