Abiy Criticises Eritrea’s Development Record Since Independence

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has criticised Eritrea’s development since independence, claiming the country has lost industrial capacity and seen its cities decline since separating from Ethiopia in 1993.

In an interview with state-owned media, Abiy said Eritrea had more than 300 industries when it was part of Ethiopia and was among the more industrially developed areas, with thriving cities.

He claimed that Asmara had since fallen behind Ethiopian cities such as Arba Minch and Jigjiga, while the Red Sea port cities of Massawa and Assab had become largely deserted.

Abiy blamed Eritrea’s leadership for prioritising opposition to Ethiopia over economic development and institution-building. He said the country’s population, which he described as hardworking and hospitable, had increasingly come to be associated with migration and hardship.

Eritrea’s separation from Ethiopia followed a 30-year armed struggle that began in 1961. The country had been federated with Ethiopia under a United Nations-backed arrangement in 1952, retaining a degree of autonomy. In 1962, Emperor Haile Selassie dissolved the federation and incorporated Eritrea into Ethiopia as a province, a move that became a central grievance in the independence struggle.

Eritrean forces captured the capital, Asmara, in 1991, and independence was overwhelmingly endorsed in a United Nations-supervised referendum held in April 1993. Eritrea formally declared independence on May 24 that year and joined the United Nations days later.

Abiy’s comments revisit the economic and political consequences of that separation, as he contrasts Eritrea’s past industrial position with what he describes as its current decline. His claims about the number of industries operating before independence and the present condition of Eritrean cities have not been independently verified.

Source: FSX Business News