Eritrea’s Goal in the War with the Tigray Rebel Forces

September 18, 2022

The war is continuing in multiple fronts according to Eritrean government Minister for Information

Yemane Gebremeskel, Eritrea’s Minister for Information (Photo source: TesfaNews )

Borkena

Latest report by the BBC regarding alleged mass mobilization including mobilization of “reservists” put Eritrea in the limelight.  It was reported, earlier this week, that Eritrea called reservists up to 55 years of age. 

As it turns out, the report was a fake one based on a remark from Eritrea’s Minister for Information – Yemane Gebremeskel.  He dismissed BBC claims about “mass mobilization.”  In his words, it was “a tiny number of conscriptions.”

Asked as to what Eritrea’s goal is in the war with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in an interview with Ulrich Coppel (which is cited by Tesfanews ),   Mr. Yemane said that “Eritrea has no special interest in the Tigray Region.” 

He explained his government’s point of view further in a way highlighting that Eritrea’s action manages from a duty to self-defense and defending its sovereignty. 

He said: “The 2018 Peace agreement is between Eritrea and Ethiopia and it naturally includes the Tigray region as well as other regions in Ethiopia. But the TPLF – not the people of Tigray – has an entrenched hostile agenda against Eritrea that includes the incorporation of Eritrean territories; regime change, and sometimes the destruction of Eritrea’s national identity to incorporate Eritrea’s highlands and the eastern lowlands into “Greater Tigray.” 

He also insinuated that the United States and the European Union have an agenda in the region when he said that “The EU and the US are well aware of these toxic TPLF policies, but they prefer to accommodate it for their own agendas.” 

It has been over a month now since the TPLF opened its third round of fighting against Ethiopian Forces, rejecting the unconditional call for a peace talk which was meant to take place in Kenya.

Eritrea’s Ministry of Information interview with Ulrich Coppel confirmed that the war continued on multiple fronts. 

The Ethiopian government has been silent about the state of the war – gains of losses. However, there are indications that the war is going on in some parts of Tigray too although the TPLF has controlled areas in Kobo (Amhara region) and parts of the Afar region. 

Last week, two conflicting pieces of information were released by the TPLF forces. 

General. Tadesse Wolrede, who is said to be commander of “Tigray Defense Force,” said that his forces lost territories including Zalambessa, Adarkai and the Dedebit area – the traditional TPLF military ground.  

Just two days after his statement, Getachew Reda, TPLF spokesperson, claimed that TPLF forces annihilated over 100,000 Ethiopian and Eritrean forces. 

Meanwhile, a new video shared on social media purportedly reveals that hundreds of TPLF forces were captured as they attempted to sneak into the region from Sudan.