Ethiopia must take back Eritrea's Assab port says Opposition leader Yacob

Dr. Yacob Hailemariam, senior executive member of the opposition party Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), told the media that Ethiopia “must regain her Assab port.” Speaking to local newspapers, Yacob said the Assab port issue is not a closed case.

Dr. Yacob, who previously worked as the lead prosecutor in the United Nations tribunal on war crimes in Rwanda and as a professor of law in American university, has often referred to the Assab case as a matter of international law and justice. He mocked the new “illegal” border agreements, saying the signatories cannot pick and choose which laws and treaties to uphold. When Prime Minister Meles Zenawi signed several agreements with Eritrean leaders Dr. Yacob declared “the question of Aseb is not going to be put to rest by mere signatures” of unelected and illegitimate politicians since the people of Ethiopia have always had access to the sea for several millennia.

Sultan Ali Mirah, the late spiritual leader of the Afar people who reside in the Assab port, was also famous for criticizing Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for taking the side of Eritrea in the dispute. The Afar Sultan has always advocated for the unity of Afar people living across borders in Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as the Afar region’s historical association with ancient kingdoms of Ethiopia.

Dr. Yacob’s UDJ party is one of the main organizations in the MEDREK opposition coalition which has placed the regaining of Assab among the top priorities in its manifesto. During the 2005 election, the UDJ leaders, formerly named CUD party, were able to gain millions of votes in the urban areas of Oromia, Amhara and the southern region where the nationalistic issue of Assab port remains significant among Ethiopians. “This useless piece of property for Eritrea, yet a life-line for Ethiopia, will forever be a wedge of hostility between these two sisterly African nations” said Dr. Yacob in his letter to the UN and OAU.

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Added: February 04, 2012. 06:02 AM GMT

I can't believe a doc can talk such rubbish

I can't believe this is still an issue!

Let's stop dreaming guys and face the reality.

Dan london

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Added: January 17, 2012. 09:07 PM GMT

Ethiopia has no history with out asseb port

All the ancient Axum civilization of ethiopians highly related to asseb port....there is no one cauntry except "ethiopia under meles" denie asseb port being the natural and historic property of ethiopians.....No dout about the take back of the stollen property of ethiopia "asseb port" soon or later just a matter of time.....

tigabu lema

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Added: August 10, 2011. 06:23 AM GMT

No one is concerned so far

No one is concerned so far for the Ethiopian business peoples' properties lost at Assab port.Since the business peoples sold their properties to settle bank debt and
their business are down and closed.no one has given attention ,The chamber of commerce collected fees to file a despite against with the Ertrean Government but no results seen.There may be several ways to help the business peoples if there are genuine officials to do so.

beke

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Added: June 24, 2011. 12:25 AM GMT

No question for return of Assab

There is no any ground fact Assab can be attached to Eritrea.Shabiya cheated weyane to give Assab while they were in bush or Woyane was interested in only to catch power and needs shabiya assist.it was not weyane matter even tigray parts given to Eritrea.However,later on some woyane fighters also regretted too much for the inexcuseable mistake they deliberately did.What is worse from weyane is no governmentin the world give their own land and port to other but woyane especially Melese with some did it.

This is amatter of time we ethiopians will get our port.I am absolutely convinced for return.until weyane exists u can claim Assab belongs to Eritrea.Later on u will see what will happen.I wish God give us age.Concerning Eritrea,it is your right to stand by yourself and to have your country.u fought for independence and u achieved.I agree with this.u choose independence and that is up to u.But u have nothing with Assab.u must knw this.

kibreab

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Added: June 07, 2011. 08:09 AM GMT

Assab is Unquestionable Even Eritrea

This is not just a will of Yakob who doesn't have a consistency & Endurance in the contemporary Ethiopian politics.for this he has made sure that he is opportunist pending to indulge into a ready-made settings which means he never had a courage to put his principles put off the ground by facing the expected intimidation & Stand-offs instead he is always seen as a Partly time politician when things are hot he says i'm a leader of UDJ when someone is prisoned he leaves the party when Birtucan set free he shows his willingness to back again. Generally he don't have a clear gut/vision to lead or to follow the poltics rather enjoys by raising sensitive issues as he like.

when we come to Assab it is crystal clear that it is part of Ethiopia it is a matter of time to see this as soon as the current illegitimate Dictators removed. we have all the justification for that.

Ephraim

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Added: May 22, 2011. 06:00 PM GMT

Yes Assab is the indivisible part of Ethiopia

Dr. Yacob is a very respected man in Ethiopia. Assab has always been Ethiopian. Ethiopia will surely regain it. It is a question of time. Meles Zenawi does not have the right to steal Assab. He cannot transfer to Eritrea Ethiopian land. Nemo dat quod non habet says the latin maxim, which means you cannot transfer the ownerrship of some thing which does not belong to you.

Ye raya lij

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Added: May 11, 2011. 05:10 PM GMT

WAKE UP FROM UR DREAM DR>>>>

I really get surprised when a Dr like Yacob talk about the need to still go and grap Assab. PLZE i beg u not to go mad like this. Assab is already inside Eritrea, and Eritrea is no more part of Ethiopia. These Eritreans have casted their vote 99.9999% for independence, i.e. they dont want to be Ethiopians, they want to be Eritreans! So, what the hell are you Dr talking to us? by the way do you know how many ethiopians lost their lives in the 98-2000 war against Eritrea? plse wake up from your dreams. i can advice you what a good Dr can do. Treat the issue already on hand;. i.e. The bad relationship between the two countries, despite the people are almost the same. So try to bridge the gap! not to still go for war....

the merchant of kalahari

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Added: May 11, 2011. 03:59 PM GMT

Wonderful, Dr. Yacob. You are right!!!

The question of Assab is a matter of time. It is Ethiopia's legitimate port, which we were using for generations. We temporarily lost that port because of tplf weyane conspiracy. We will gain it when when we rise up and have our own government from the people and by the people. No person should conspire against his own country except the tplf gudoch... In a democratic and free Ethiopia, there won't be any place for traitors and treasonous individuals or groups...

Gobena

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Added: May 09, 2011. 02:15 PM GMT

Assb

There is a fergie saying "To spit the nose, you cut the face." Like that of the saying, the moment these Tigrians grabbed power, the first thing Melsese and his clowns did was to hand over the port. Now they are they are crying the sky is falling. These TPLF bunch are acting like a clown. In 98 they went to war and lost 120,000 none Tirgrians dead. While the Oromo, the Amhara and other nationalities were paying such a high price, naturally the Tigrians were hording money, though they still were looking or handout from the fregies to feed the population. What was the out come of this war? Nothing except to being humiliated to a country that is 5 millions against 80 million. That is a shame. Funny thing is they could not even win a splintered country like Somalia and who is going to do the dying while the Tgrian rulers are collecting their money to stash it away in foreign bank.

Why should the rest of the people of Ethiopia fight against Eritrea knowing fully well, the ultimate objectives of the Melsee group is to seceded and create their dream country of The Tigry Republic. I wish some one could answer this burning question.

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Added: May 05, 2011. 01:36 PM GMT

Is Yacob debtera or fara

I have known deftera Yacob in 2005 he is not proud of his ethiopianism he doesn't have a knowledge which gives to be considered as educated,he copy what other proff. wrote two decade ago and post it as his Mr Yacob you remember Dr Hans i wish he write about you coz knows you just like his underware .Recarding Asab it's already known and check the map since 1800's you need to some one to read it for you caz you look illiterate to me as i read you article and this the only card left to play and confuse ethiopians let me surprise you ordinary Ethiopians know your game which will not take them far as derg time ethiopia tikdem but ethiopia reach dead end coz of ppl like so-called educated back off and go back to school Mr.

Armesa

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