Eritrean soldiers and 400 hundred Afar rebels abandoned PFDJ

Tigrai Online, Ethiopian News, July 23, 2016

Ninety four Eritrean soldiers from rank and file of the Eritrean army surrendered to the gallant Ethiopian Defense forces an Eritrean opposition radio said this week. The Eritrean soldiers which include high ranking officers, squad leaders, military reconnaissance leaders and infantry soldiers crossed the heavily militarized Ethio-Eritrean border risking their lives to come to Ethiopia.

After the June 12 lighting military punishment of PFDJ positions in Tserona, fear of full scale war between the two countries is still in the minds of many Eritreans including the Eritrean soldiers.  The Eritrean government recently informed the United Nations and other international bodies that Ethiopia is getting ready to launch a full scale war.

The past few days the PFDJ sites have been awash with articles and analysis about some interview given by Ayte Abay Tsehaye. They are claiming he said “there will not be any war with Eritrea”. The question the has to be clear to these people is, was he speaking in an official capacity representing the Ethiopian federal government in an official government media or was he just answering a question? We don’t think the Ethiopian Federal Government policy towards Eritrea has any change.

The funny thing about PFDJ and its supporters, facts don’t mean anything as long as they feel better by the lies they create. The reality is totally different than the make believe spread around by the Eritrean government unofficial media. The reality is the border between the two countries is extremely tense more than ever and both countries have brought heavy weapons and additional troops to their respective sides.

The Eritrean people are not stupid they know what is going on inside their country and in the region. The Eritrean forced recruits are more aware what happening in the frontlines and they have better chances to escape the African North Korea to cross to Ethiopia.

Last week 4oo hundred Afar rebel fighters and the leader of the rebel group Alo Aydahis laid down their arms and returned home to Ethiopia. The group belonged to a group calling itself the “Afar People’s Party” and it was part of the multitude of Ethiopian rebel fighters inside Eritrea trying to overthrow the Ethiopian government. The Afar People’s Party fighter’s decision seems to coincide with the Eritrean soldiers timing to surrender to Ethiopia. It is an indication fear and anxiety is wide spread in the Eritrean soldiers, the population, and the Ethiopian rebel groups in Eritrea.