A perennial story told by Ethiopian politicians for decades is that Egypt incubated and then consistently supported Eritrean rebels because it is “our historic enemy.” The facts show otherwise. Here’s a timeline from 1956-1991. To ensure Prosperity Party cadres remain engaged I will include talking animal Aesop story at the end.
1956–1963 (7 years)
Egypt: Socialist/pan Arabist Gamal Abdel Nasser
Ethiopia: Imperialist/Zionist Haile Selassie I
Egypt was highly supportive of the Eritrean activists for independence. It granted Woldeab Woldemariam (radicalized and exiled by 7 Ethiopian assassination attempts) a microphone on Radio Cairo to broadcast, in Tigrinya. In 1960, it hosted the founding of the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) and provided military training bases near Alexandria, modest financial aid, and arms. The support was suspended in 1963 as Nasser and HSI focused on OAU diplomacy.
1963–1970 (7 years)
Egypt: Socialist/pan Arabist Gamal Abdel Nasser
Ethiopia: Imperialist/Zionist Haile Selassie I
After the OAU founding Congress, Egypt de-emphasized direct involvement with ELF due to regional conflicts (Yemen War) and domestic (Aswan Dam) priorities. Egypt did just enough to contain Ethiopia.
1970–1973 (3 years)
Egypt: Socialist/pan Arabist Anwar Sadat
Ethiopia: Imperialist/Zionist Haile Selassie I
Egypt became even more ambivalent towards Eritrea as Sadat was re-positioning Egypt from socialist Pan Arab to pro-Western country and focused on opening relations with Israel, then a strong ally of Emperor Haileselasse I, having trained his Commando (“commandis”) units.
1974–1981 (7 years)
Egypt: Pro-West Anwar Sadat
Ethiopia: Socialist Mengistu Hailemariam
Egyptian support for Eritrea was non-existent. Sadat publicly requested Eritrean ceasefires but backed Somalia in Ogaden War (1977–1978) instead, providing $30M in arms against Ethiopia’s Derg.
1981-1991 (10 years)
Egypt: Pro-West Hosni Mubarak
Ethiopia: Socialist Mengistu Hailemariam
This is the decade Egypt shifted its position from ambivalence and neutrality to hostility to Eritrea. For two reasons: (1) new president in Egypt who opened diplomatic (trade) relations with Ethiopia and (2) Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF, now PFDJ) defeated ELF. EPLF, which accused ELF of being Arabist and Islamist in language more strident than the language used by Ethiopians, never had any relationship with Egypt. In fact, then Foreign Minister (later UN Secretary General) Boutros Boutros-Ghali publicly opposed Eritrean independence in 1991 and despite the raging famine said no aid should go to rebel occupied Eritrea.
(There is a video of President Isaias Afwerki railing against Egypt in one of the “public meetings” he used to have before the Internet and satellite TV. Egypt was the only country between 1991 and 1993 that publicly expressed its position against Eritrean independence)
Because God has a great sense of humor, he made Egypt’s former Foreign Minister, now UN Secretary General, publicly announce the official membership of Eritrea to the UN on May 28. 1993.
Now, do the math and claim, with a straight face, that Egypt was a consistent Eritrean ally.
As promised, here is some Talking Animals Story (straight from Abiy’s book on Leadership, by way of Aesop, which apparently is the only book he has read)
The Elephant and the Ants
“ዝሆን በእንስሳት ላይ ተነፍሶ፡ ‘እኔ ከሁላችሁ ተልቆ እቀጠፋችኋለሁ’ አለ። ጉንዳኖቹም በሌሊት ወደ ግንድ ውስጥ ገብተው እስከ ሞት ድረስ አስጨነቁት።”
“The elephant boasted to the other animals: ‘I am bigger than all of you; I can crush you whenever I want.’ That night the ants crawled into his trunk and tormented him until he wished for death.”
Same story: pride precedes fall.
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