Addis Abeba – The Eritrean Afar National Congress (EANC), a political group opposing Eritrea’s government, has announced it is preparing for armed struggle against the regime of President Isaias Afwerki.
Speaking to Deutsche Welle, EANC executive committee member and spokesperson Ali Mohammed Omer said the group has opened an office in Semera, the capital of Ethiopia’s Afar Region, and plans to expand operations to Addis Abeba.
“The Ethiopian government has given us the opportunity to operate and speak,” he stated, adding that their return to the region signals a shift from diaspora-based advocacy to active mobilization on the ground.
Founded in Sweden in 2014, EANC says it has spent the last decade raising awareness about the plight of the Red Sea Afar people under the Eritrean regime.
According to Ali Mohammed, the group is now working to coordinate with local actors in the Horn of Africa as it readies for military engagement. He also claimed that Eritrean forces have recently mobilized near the Bure border area, suggesting the regime’s intent to destabilize Ethiopia.
EANC has also engaged in discussions with other Eritrean opposition groups, including Brigade Nhamedu, which has also declared its intention to forcibly remove the Eritrean government.
The announcement comes two weeks after the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO), an Ethiopia-based armed insurgent group, held a public conference in Semera on 13 July. RSADO said its political and military campaign against the Eritrean government, pledging continued struggle until the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) is dismantled and the Red Sea Afar people’s right to self-determination are recognized.
Both developments come amid heightened Ethiopia–Eritrea tensions, following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s October 2023 remarks on gaining Red Sea access, which drew criticisms from both Eritrea and Djibouti.
The Afar people – who straddle the borders of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti – are increasingly at the center of recent regional geopolitical dynamics. AS