Eritrea has an interest in stabilizing Yemen, and the capability to do so − but its hated regime keeps it allied with Tehran. Houthi actions in the Red Sea, including attacks on ships in Eritrea’s territorial waters, breaching its sovereignty, go without condemnationHabtom Ghebrezghiabher
Jan 16, 2025Updated: Jan 20, 2025Get email notification for articles from Habtom Ghebrezghiabher FollowShare in TwitterGift this articleSave article to reading list
President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea addresses the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters, in 2011.Credit: Jason DeCrow / AP
On November 7, 2024, Eritrean authorities detained three Azerbaijani ships and their crews after the vessels entered Eritrean territorial waters because of severe weather en route from the Suez Canal to Abu Dhabi. This incident highlights the increasing influence of Iran over Eritrea, as the Eritrean regime appears to be targeting Azerbaijan, a close ally of Israel.
Eritrea has no prior disputes with Azerbaijan, as evidenced by the warm relations displayed during the United Nations Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 11-22, three days later. The Eritrean delegation, led by the minister of land, water and environment, expressed deep appreciation for Azerbaijan’s hospitality.
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Azerbaijan’s close alliance with Israel has made it an Iranian target in the Red Sea. Iran is leveraging Eritrea as a proxy to disrupt the maritime routes used by Israel’s allies. Azerbaijan has received a clear message, but has yet to secure the release of its ships. With Eritrea and the Houthis under its influence, Iran now effectively controls both sides of the southern Red Sea.
Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki’s collaboration with Iran’s malicious activities in the Red Sea is nothing new. The regime allowed the Iranian military vessel MV Saviz to operate in Eritrean waters, near the Dahlak Archipelago, from 2016 to 2020, coordinating Iranian operations against Israel and Gulf states in the Red Sea and Yemen.
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Eritrea informed the UN Security Council about the vessel in 2020 but took no action against the Iranian military ship or its crew. In April 2021, Israel attacked the ship after notifying the U.S.Open gallery view
This Oct. 1, 2020, satellite photo from Planet Labs Inc. shows the Iranian cargo ship MV Saviz in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.Credit: Planet Labs Inc / AP
At a May 2021 International Maritime Organization session, Afwerki’s regime accused Israel of violating Eritrean sovereignty while claiming ignorance of the ship’s four-year presence.
Eritrea has maintained an anti-Israel stance since 1998, consistently voting against Israel at the UN. Afwerki rejected Israel’s ambassador and opposed its African Union bid. It downgraded its embassy in Tel Aviv and limited its role in Israel to monitoring Eritrean asylum seekers.Despite Israel’s outreach, Afwerki has aligned Eritrea with Iran.
In an Independence Day speech in May, Afwerki endorsed the Houthis’ attacks on Israel as solidarity with the Palestinians, framing it as legitimate resistance. Despite Eritrea being heavily impacted by Houthi actions in the Red Sea, including attacks on ships within its territorial waters that breached its sovereignty, Afwerki has ignored the violations.
Notably, his regime remained silent after the Houthi attack on a Greek-flagged oil tanker just 15 nautical miles from Eritrea’s coast last August 21. The targeting of the tanker, carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil, sparked global outrage over the potential for catastrophic environmental damage to the Red Sea’s ecosystem.Open gallery view
Explosions take place on the deck of the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion on the Red Sea, in August.Credit: Houthi Military Media / Reuters
While often criticizing Israel and the United States, Afwerki has notably refrained from condemning Houthi and Iranian attacks on Israel. The regime’s silence serves as a form of support. A shared narrative and illicit economic activities link Eritrea to Iran. Eritrea sells weapons to the Houthis and aligns itself with Iran’s “axis of resistance” ideology, which targets the U.S. and Israel.
Iran is the country with which Eritrea’s regime maintains its closest ties, followed by China and Russia. The motivation lies in the collapse of the Eritrean economy, with U.S. sanctions in place since November 2021 having further exacerbated the situation. The country’s only economic activity involves mining, remittances and weapons sales to the Houthis.
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With the West having abandoned Eritrea, Iran has gained a monopoly. Eritrea and Iran maintain regular high-level interactions, including ministerial and ambassadorial meetings. Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh has participated in Iranian presidential ceremonies and affirmed the regime’s support for Hamas by condemningIsrael’s killing of the group’s leader, Ismael Haniyeh. Iran has also expressed its willingness to share expertise with Eritrea.Open gallery view
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (C), Eritrea’s Foreign Minister Osman Saleh (L) and Somalia’s counterpart Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, after a press conference in Cairo, last week.Credit: AFP
The mining industry is fully controlled by Chinese state-owned companies, using Eritrean slave labor under the guise of national service. The Chinese ruthlessly exploit and abuse these workers, with Eritrea serving as a haven for Chinese exploitation and looting without any accountability or transparency.
Eritrea also has consistently adhered to pro-Russian positions; in 2014, it was the first country to send its foreign minister to Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula. In March 2022, Eritrea was the only African country that voted against the United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding that Russia withdraw its military forces from Ukraine.
Eritrea could be the stable anchor of a turbulent region. In Ethiopia, tribes and clans are involved in endless wars. Sudan, Somalia and Yemen are failed states, serving as proxies for expansionist regional powers like Iran and Turkey − as well as terrorists, pirates and human traffickers. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the UAE lack the military strength, strategic patience and historical memory to counter the imperial ambitions of Iran and Turkey.
Despite its dead economy, Eritrea is the most stable country in the region. It has ancient nationhood and statehood, a highly homogeneous people and no internal or external threats. Eritrea is a de-facto nation-state of the indigenous Tigrigna nation, who make up an overwhelming majority. The Tigrigna are the only people in the region with an ancient Judeo-Christian civilization that Islam never conquered.
Geographically, Eritrea is surrounded by natural barriers, such as Ethiopia’s Semien Mountains, the Danakil Desert and the Nubian Desert. Historically, Eritrea defeated Persia (Iran) in the 6th century and Ottoman Turkey in the 16th century, with the Portuguese involved in the latter.
Today, Eritrea’s regional influence is evident through its support for Ethiopia in defeating the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in 2021, training 5,000 soldiers for Somalia and aiding the Sudanese army in its civil war.
Eritrea bolsters Iran’s presence in Sudan by backing Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Given Sudan’s strategic location near Israel and Egypt, its potential to fall under Iranian influence poses a grave threat to U.S. allies, including Israel, Egypt and Gulf states.Open gallery view
Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (C) gestures to people waiting to greet him along a street in Port Sudan, on Tuesday.Credit: AFP
The Houthis do not have the power to wage war against Eritrea, if the regime in Asmara chooses to act. The Eritrean people prioritize economic development, direct democracy, the rule of law and stability, both domestic and regional.
Eritrea cannot become a maritime trading hub without peace in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, and without access to Western and Israeli technology, capital and expertise.
Israel and the U.S. can no longer ignore Eritrea. The Houthi problem cannot be resolved through air or naval strikes alone. It’s necessary to permanently deploy more than 30,000 troops to defend the legally elected Yemeni government and stop the Houthis’ missile attacks and blackmail against ships and countries.
The extremist Al-Shabaab organization has been relatively contained in Somalia due to former Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s decision to deploy the military in 2006.
Eritrea is the only country capable of deploying a competent army with a strategic interest in stabilizing Yemen. The Gulf states, India, Japan, Europe, the U.S. and others could finance the mission, and Israel could coordinate it diplomatically. But the zombie Eritrean dictatorship, sustained by total media control, narrative monopoly and isolation from the world, remains the obstacle.
Deeply hated and disconnected from its people, the regime could collapse peacefully if its monopolies and isolation were broken down by high-quality satellite TV and radio. Eritrea and North Korea are the only countries in the world without internet access and independent media. The U.S. and Israel can no longer ignore Eritrea’s role as Iran’s proxy, evident in the detention of Azerbaijani ships − Israel’s staunch ally and Iran’s foe − along with their crews.
Habtom Ghebrezghiabher is a leader of the Aga’azian movement, a popular Tigrinyan national movement in the Eritrean diaspora, based in Israel. He is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
