By HAPC Editorial Team
Amidst escalating geopolitical tensions in the Horn of Africa regarding Red Sea access, Mr. Ahmed Youssouf Mohamed, Chairman of the Eritrean Afar National Congress (EANC), has unveiled a comprehensive political vision that redefines the “Assab Port” crisis from the perspective of its indigenous inhabitants.
In a detailed video presentation, Youssouf deconstructs what he terms the “colonial narratives” advanced by the Eritrean state, proposing a “third way” that could save the region from the specter of conflict.
Challenging “Internal Colonization” and Erasure
Youssouf begins by shedding light on the “internal colonization” policies orchestrated by the regime in Asmara against the Afar nation. He argues that the Eritrean state is pursuing a systematic strategy to:
Displace Indigenous Populations: Forcibly uprooting the Afar from their ancestral homeland in Dankalia.
Distort History: Denying Afar historical proprietorship over the land and coastal territories, while replacing centuries-old customary laws with exclusionary state decrees.
Instrumentalize Sovereignty: Using the concept of national sovereignty as a pretext to deny Afar entitlements to autonomy and self-rule.
Assab Port: Afar Proprietorship as a Regional Solution
The core of the EANC Chairman’s proposal lies in a pragmatic solution to the “sea access” dilemma. Youssouf asserts that Assab Port is historically Afar property, and acknowledging this reality is the key to stability.
His proposed roadmap is based on a strategic equation:
Afar Self-Determination: Granting the Afar people internal self-determination and genuine autonomy over their territories.
Access for Ethiopia: An autonomous Afar governance structure would facilitate Ethiopia’s access to the sea through the Port of Assab via economic partnerships.
Preserving Sovereignty: This arrangement would operate under the umbrella of Eritrean sovereignty, thereby maintaining Eritrea’s territorial integrity while satisfying Ethiopia’s economic needs and addressing Afar grievances.
Democratic Transformation: A Prerequisite
Ahmed Youssouf emphasized that this vision requires a democratic transformation in Eritrea. He argued that internal self-determination for nationalities is the only path to a stable nation-building strategy, warning that the current exclusionary policies will only lead to further instability.
He concluded by championing a future where regional partnerships in trade, security, and poverty reduction are built on the foundation of human rights and the restitution of indigenous rights.
[Watch the full presentation by Mr. Ahmed Youssouf Mohamed here]