Isaias Afewerki’s trip to Kampala has raised eyebrows among regional observers, especially because the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants his government is accused of financing last year killed 79 in twin bombings on the Ugandan capital.
A U.N. Monitoring Group report said in late July that Eritrea was bankrolling al Shabaab, an allegation Asmara said was “ridiculous and absurd”.
“I suspect the visit has something to with Museveni’s or the West’s realisation that they have no chance against al Shabaab without the cooperation of Eritrea,” said political commentator Timothy Kalyegira.
The report also accused Eritrea of being behind a plot to attack an African Union summit in the capital of its long-standing enemy Ethiopia last year by detonating several carbombs, including one timed to explode as more than 30 African heads of state left the venue for lunch.
The U.N. has imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea, as well as a travel ban and asset freezes on political and military leaders who it says are violating an arms embargo on Somalia — allegations Asmara also denies.
The Ethiopian government’s head of information, Bereket Simon, told Reuters the visit — Isaias’ first in the region for years — was a ploy to avert more U.N. sanctions.
“The Eritrean regime has to go a long way if it is to be taken seriously. I think they have bluffed in the past and I think they are bluffing now,” Bereket said.