Eritrea’s Belligerent Behaviors in Horn of Africa

By Yimer Ayele

Eritrea has been known for its infamous belligerent behaviors in the Horn of Africa. The repressive regime in Asmara has been characterized as a state destabilizing agent of the region.

As a destabilizing agent of the Horn of Africa, Isaias Afweorki hatched conspiracies in neighboring countries to exacerbate regional instability. The state in Asmara is a terrorist sponsored bent on inciting regional destabilization and instability.

During the 34^th Independence Day of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki boasted as if he is a global player. Internally, Eritrea remains one of the world’s most repressive states. It has no functioning legislature, no free press, no civil society, and no independent judiciary. Since its independence from Ethiopia, Eritrea has held no elections.

He shamelessly laid the horn’s myriad of troubles at the feet of foreign powers, obscuring plot in fomenting regional instability. Eritrea has played destructive role in undermining the peace and stability of the horn region. Its interventions to instigate violence by sending insurgents, incursions, covert operations, or support for non-state armed groups, have repeatedly destabilized neighboring countries. These actions go beyond diplomatic norms.  

Hence, his speech was not an earnest call for peace; rather it was a calculated effort to shield his authoritarian regime from accountability. It glossed over Eritrea’s long-standing record of aggression and repression, opting instead for rhetorical misdirection.

Eritrea’s role in regional instability is well documented. It supports terrorist operatives such as Somali insurgents including factions linked to Al-Shabaab to undermine regional security. It also provides support and ammunitions to various armed groups in Ethiopia bent on destabilizing the country.

Issayas has never contributed regional peace and stability. He never sought mutual respect and development based on shared interests.

For decades, Eritrea has never made any attempt to meet the socioeconomic and development aspirations of the Eritrean people.

Eritrea opposed to regional cooperation on economic development. It only join forces who destabilize the region. Consider Ethiopia’s contributions to regional integration through roads, railways, power connectivity and other infrastructure, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Issayas lambasted Ethiopia’s flagship project, GERD. The implication is obvious. So is the same about Ethiopia’s access to the sea peacefully and based on shared interest! Ethiopia is a growing economy in the region with over 120 million people.

Eritrea’s rejection of regional cooperation mechanisms like the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) reinforces its isolation. While most African states pursue integration through frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area, Eritrea clings to outdated doctrines of self-reliance and military sovereignty.

Yet the Horn of Africa faces transnational challenges, climate change, underdevelopment, migration, and extremism that demand trust, cooperation, and open governance.

Its authoritarian domestic policies mirror its disruptive foreign posture. Without meaningful political reform and sincere engagement with regional partners, Eritrea continues to destabilize the region.

Issayas’s latest speech, rather than offering clarity or solutions, underscores a strategy of deflection and denial. By misrepresenting regional dynamics and shirking accountability, he perpetuates the very instability he claims to oppose. Eritrea has continued to remain an obstacle to peace or become an agent for destabilization.

Overall, the Horn of Africa remains stuck in a cycle of violence and instability largely due to deep due to warmonger states. While outside actors have long been involved, actors like Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki are deliberately complicit in the process by virtue of their own self-interest narratives and destabilizing actions. The president’s recent speech, instead of bringing forth concrete solutions, is an example of a model deflection-and-denial strategy concealing Eritrea's central role in regional instability.