Eritrea Deplores European Parliament’s Spurious Accusations

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In its Resolution of 6 October 2022, entitled: “The recent humanitarian and human rights situation in Tigray, Ethiopia; notably that of children,” the European Parliament peddles baseless and untenable allegations on Eritrea. Among other things, the Resolution accuses Eritrea for “playing destructive role in the Tigray conflict” and, preposterous as it may sound, for “invading Ethiopia”.

The EU Parliament has a long history of unwarranted hostility against Eritrea. Still, the latest resolution illustrates utter ignorance and/or willful distortion of the origins and dynamics of TPLF’s War of Choice and Insurrection; as well as duplicitous interpretation of international law and established State practice.

In this context and to set the record straight, we will highlight the following facts and events:

1. The almost two-years long vicious war in northern Ethiopia was triggered solely and only because the TPLF launched massive, premeditated and coordinated military assaults on all the contingents of the Northern Command on the night of 3 November 2020. The TPLF deployed 250,000 Militia’s and Special Forces that it had trained throughout the years for the operation that its commanders dubbed as “blitzkrieg”.

2. The TPLF’s pronounced objectives in launching its reckless War of Insurrection were to totally neutralize the Northern Command; capture all its heavy weaponry (which constituted about 80% of the ENDF’s total ordinance) and topple the Federal Government.

3. Annulment of the historic Eritrea-Ethiopia Peace Agreement and subsequent invasion of Eritrea was an integral and pronounced part of the TPLF’s War of Insurrection. Indeed, the historical dilemma to Eritrea remains the TPLF’s “dualist agenda” which consists of: 1) territorial aggrandizement by incorporating some sovereign Eritrean territories to expand the land mass of the Tigray Region when it retains dominant power in Ethiopia as was the case until 2018; and, ii) Secession (Residual Plan B) if its political, economic and military dominance in Ethiopia is irrevocably reversed. The Residual Plan involves “annexation of most of the highlands and large parts of the eastern lowlands of Eritrea to create “Greater Tigray”.

4. The TPLF’s War of Insurrection was not confined to its reckless military assaults in November 2020. Even when the first offensive was foiled and against the backdrop of successive unilateral and humanitarian cease-fires that were declared by the Federal Government, the TPLF persisted in its war efforts to unleash the Second Offensive from June to September in 2021 and the Third Offensive on 24 August this year. In all these acts, the TPLF commandeered and funneled humanitarian assistance and WFP trucks to its war efforts; and, conscripted tens of thousands of child soldiers as cannon fodder in its costly human-wave war tactics.

These are the indelible facts.

The European Parliament cannot indeed feign ignorance; accuse the victims in order to absolve the villain; and, adopt irresponsible resolutions in the name of “peace and human rights”.

In the case of Eritrea, we must also recall and emphasize the EU’s decades-long, inexcusable policies – almost invariably endorsed by the European Parliament – that abetted and supported the TPLF’s occupation of sovereign Eritrean territories for almost twenty years in flagrant violation of the Algiers Peace Agreement and the final and binding EEBC Arbitral Award. These instruments were brokered and guaranteed by the EU along with other major parties. But the EU and the European Parliament chose to close their eyes and provide massive budgetary and other fungible assistance to the TPLF, when it was at the helm of power in Ethiopia, in spite of these flagrant violations of international law.

The European Parliament’s accusations of Eritrea for “invading Ethiopia” is too ludicrous to merit response.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.