On May 24, the media platforms covered the celebrations of the thirty-third anniversary of the independence of the State of Eritrea with great attention. Having witnessed the final period of the struggle of the Eritrean people, which led to Independence Day, May 24, 1991, I followed the events of these celebrations, including the inspiring speech of Eritrean leader Isaias Afwerki, as he carefully assessed the global political scene and its repercussions on regional and international countries. Celebrations that aroused in us a feeling mixed with joy, pride, and fear for the revolution of a people to whom we have always felt a sense of belonging. We share the same values and principles and it is a liberation movement that believes in the right of the Eritrean people to choose their destiny and live independently with dignity and pride on their land. Perhaps the source of our fear stems from the fact that the state of Eritrea is now considered the most politically, economically and militarily stable in Africa. This is a situation similar to the Libyan situation during the period of Colonel Gaddafi, who provided the highest levels of living standards in Asia and Africa, and this is what the forces of imperialism do not want.
What Libya enjoyed after independence put it in a position with capitalist imperialism and it was classified as a “rogue state.” They began to burden it with economic sanctions and fabricate one pretext after another, reaching the point of launching a raid on Libya in 1986 with the declared goal of killing the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. What happened in Libya later, in 2011, in terms of the brutal attack and deliberate destruction of its progressive system, became for us a lesson that carries a warning from the imperialist countries to all peoples rebelling against them in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. What happened in Libya, and before that, Iraq, is a lesson for all emerging progressive peoples who are striving for a greater degree of independence, not submitting to the American and Western hegemony, and adhering to its principles and leaders.
My main message in this article is directed to the pillar and hope of the Eritrean nation, the youth, using the famous saying of the King of Libya, Idris al-Senussi, which was said immediately after the declaration of Libya’s independence on December 24, 1951: “Maintaining independence is more difficult than achieving it.” I would like to point out to them that, given the modernity of your state, all specialists and those interested in international affairs believe that what has been achieved in this short period after independence of your country is a source of pride and a state success story, inspiring to many who became independent several years before you. Newly independent countries are going through many challenges that determine their success or failure. Eritrea has succeeded in the challenges of national construction and has known how to deal wisely with internal and external pressures and has succeeded in adapting to the global system and structuring its economy according to its resources and in a way that meets the aspirations and hopes of the Eritrean people. I would also like to point out to you that the path to building nations is arduous, thorny, and difficult, and requires the highest levels of awareness. You are not an exception, and there are those who are hostile to you and your state and your struggling leadership, which sacrificed their lives and engraved with their blood the freedom and independence of their country with letters of light. However, what I personally witnessed of the love for the homeland among Eritreans is sufficient to confront all conspiracies and pretexts and is sufficient to preserve independence through cohesion and support for their historic leadership, which has proven its wisdom and drawn up a methodology that guarantees the safety of the nation for future generations.
In conclusion, I would like to share with you one of the most dangerous pretexts that was used to destroy Libya. It is under the pretext of false democracy, what is falsely called human rights, and with the help of what is claimed to be the opposition outside the country! Libyan youth were exploited and convinced that a comfortable life and a bright future awaited them once they got rid of the prevailing ruling system. This is by pushing them to carry out popular protests and then pushing them into reckless adventures using armed violence with the aim of transforming it into an armed chaotic rebellion movement against their brothers and families to strike and dismantle the homogeneous social fabric. Then take the initiative to call for help and demand that the hostile colonial powers intervene militarily to protect civilians on the first day of the confrontation. Then the
lurking imperialist powers rush to employ their Security Council to arrange and complete the steps required to legitimize the military aggression and use NATO, impose economic sanctions, and air strikes to paralyze and overthrow the regime. But as soon as the first anniversary of the assassination of leader Gaddafi passed, the signs of the plan that the Libyans fell into began to appear, and the truth began to unfold for them, stripping off all the dresses of adornment and gaudiness that the Westerners had dressed them with Arab trumpets. In the end, the deceived Libyan citizens were dissatisfied with the country’s conditions as a result of the deteriorating security and economic situation and the continuing political crises.
Long live free and proud Eritrea and long live the struggle of all the peoples of the free world.
Dr Ali Rashaida
(Associated Medias) – All rights reserved