Eritrea says Qatar using Sudan for destabilization agenda

The Eritrean government has levelled destabilization claims against Qatar saying the Gulf nation was through an elaborate scheme using Sudan as its “springboard.”

A November 28, 2019 statement from the Eritrean Ministry of Information said the Qatari government was deploying religious, political and guerilla tactics to achieve its aim of destabilizing Eritrea.

The current development is the latest round of accusation that Asmara is throwing at Doha. Eritrea has also in the past jabbed the Doha-based Al Jazeera news outlet for biased and unprofessional reportage on the country.

The 10-point scheme of subversion that Qatar has mapped out consists of: (the scheme also includes fueling ethnic clashes in Port Sudan)*

1. To regroup Eritrean opposition political leaders; unify their associations and extend requisite support to the latter;

2. To give special focus to Eritrean youth; unify their associations and incite them to engage in acts of rebellion against the Eritrean government;

3. To instill religious extremism on Eritrean Islamist opposition elements and thereby induce an uprising of Eritrean Muslims against their compatriots;

4. To sow the seeds of ethnic cleavage and hatred among the Eritrean people;

5. To launch efforts to induce protests and demonstrations in Eritrean cities against the Government;

6. To give military training (in the Sudan) to “Muslim Brotherhood” opposition elements in the planting of landmines, ambushes and assassination of prominent government officials; to facilitate their infiltration into Eritrea to conduct these operations;

7. To assassinate influential Eritrean leaders;

8. To conduct acts of economic sabotage in Eritrea;

9. To intensify hostile propaganda;

10. To publicize human rights violations in Eritrea in international organizations and foreign countries; to disseminate documents and videos to that effect.

The Ministry said the points raised were in “brief and skeletal form.” Asmara holds however that Qatar and its unnamed sponsors and minions continue to see their chances of success growing slimmer.