Eritrea Rejects Allegation It’s Trying to Destabilize Ethiopia
Eritrea Rejects Allegation It’s Trying to Destabilize Ethiopia
Eritrea’s government rejected allegations by neighboring Ethiopia that it’s trying to destabilize the country after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned last month.
Ethiopia has been struggling to quell sporadic anti-government protests over the past two years that have left hundreds of people dead. The government has regularly accused its eastern neighbor of interference in its affairs since the two nations separated in 1993 after decades of armed conflict.
“This false allegation doesn’t merit serious response,” Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said Monday in an emailed response to questions. “The regime is desperately trying to deflect attention from its intractable domestic crisis — of its own making — and find external scapegoats.”
The state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corp. on March 17 quoted the country’s police chief as saying Eritrea has “tried to destabilize the peace and security of our country by organizing and sending anti-peace forces to Ethiopia.” The interference has taken place since before and after a state of emergency was declared in the Horn of Africa nation, it said.
Ethiopian Information Minister Negeri Lencho and foreign ministry spokesperson Meles Alem didn’t immediately respond to two text messages and two calls seeking comment.