Isaias Afwerki: “No External Powers, No Foreign Bases — The Horn Can Solve Its Own Problems”
In a wide-ranging interview with AlQahera News aired from Cairo, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki delivered one of his most candid and uncompromising statements on the state of the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and Africa’s enduring struggle against external manipulation. His words were steady, deliberate — but carried the weight of decades of independence-era clarity.
“The problem with this region,” he said, “is the endless flow of envoys. These envoys are the reason for the complications and crises we see today.”
Isaias argued that the Horn of Africa does not need foreign mediators or imported formulas for peace. “The countries of the neighborhood are trying to keep external interference away and find local solutions through their own efforts,” he said. “If the alternative is to depend on external envoys, then matters will only become more complicated and take longer to resolve.”
The Red Sea Belongs to Its Littoral Nations
On the Red Sea — a topic that has dominated global attention amid rival military bases and power rivalries — President Isaias was unequivocal. The security of the Red Sea, he said, is a regional and global duty, not the playground of foreign powers.
“This maritime corridor serves the entire world, but before any external power, the primary responsibility lies with the coastal states,” he explained. “This is not an option; it is a historical, regional, and global necessity.”
He dismissed the notion that any country outside the region has the right to claim involvement in its security. “If one country from the north or west claims that right, it is illegal and strategically unacceptable,” he stated.
The President listed the coastal states one by one — Somalia, Yemen, Djibouti, Sudan, Saudi Arabia — insisting each can and must protect its own shores. “Why should anyone from outside come to protect you? That’s the root of all complications,” he said. “Those who allow foreign bases are inviting trouble for their own people and for the Red Sea itself.”
Sudan Is Being Targeted
Turning to Sudan, Isaias was equally blunt. He rejected the framing of the conflict as local or ethnic. “Fashir is not the issue,” he said. “Sudan itself is being targeted — by regional and international powers pursuing their own ambitions.”
He warned that the instability in Sudan was designed to ripple across the entire Horn and Red Sea region. “If Sudan is unstable, the Red Sea will not be stable. The Horn of Africa will not be stable. Even far parts of Africa will not be stable,” he said.
For him, the solution begins with unity among neighboring countries and the removal of all external hands from Sudan’s internal affairs. “The foreign interference must end first,” he said. “That is the starting point for peace.”
Eritrea and Egypt: A Shared Vision
Asked whether Egypt and Eritrea shared the same outlook, Isaias replied without hesitation:
“100 percent — even 200 percent. Our views are completely aligned,” he said.
He described the convergence between Asmara and Cairo as rooted not in politics but in principle. “This is not a matter of governments or parties,” he said. “It is the will of the peoples of the region — to take responsibility for their security, their waters, and their future.”
Africa’s Fight Against Modern Slavery
The President expanded his reflections to Africa’s broader condition — and what he called the “modern slavery” of the 21st century. “Africa remains marginalized, its resources looted, its markets exploited,” he said. “Even the basic services — energy, infrastructure, food — are withheld because of external interference.”
For Isaias, the task before the continent is nothing less than liberation. “Africa must free itself from this system. Eritrea is a small country, but we contribute with what we have toward the goal of freeing Africa from colonialism and subjugation.”
He criticized the African Union for losing its founding mission, saying bluntly: “There is no African Union in the real sense. It has failed to meet the continent’s challenges — partly due to internal failures and partly due to foreign interference.” Yet he stressed that Africans must not abandon the ideal of continental unity. “Governments must take responsibility,” he said, “and rebuild an African organization that can truly address the continent’s problems.”
A Message of Responsibility and Defiance
In tone and substance, Isaias Afwerki’s message was unmistakable: sovereignty is not negotiable, and independence is not to be subcontracted. His words from Cairo were both a regional warning and a continental call — to end the cycle of dependency and external meddling that has haunted Africa for decades.
“The Horn of Africa is capable — more than capable — of solving its own problems,” he said. “What it needs is space, awareness, and conviction. Foreign hands are not the solution; they are the problem.”