Opposition alliance establishes leadership, vows to topple Isayas

Hiruy Tedla Bairu, the new secretary-general of an alliance of Eritrean opposition forces, has said the aim is to set up a "democratically elected administration" in Eritrea as soon as possible. "Our resolve is to remove the dictatorship in Asmara in the shortest possible time with the least possible damage and set up a democratically elected administration," he told IRIN on Thursday, at the end of a conference convened by the Alliance of Eritrean National Forces (AENF) in Addis Ababa. The conference, which brought together some 14 opposition groups, also elected Abdella Idris - leader of the Eritrean Liberation Front independence movement - as AENF chairman. Although the alliance insists it is a peaceful political group, Hiruy said that military action would be up to the leadership "as a matter of policy". He said they planned to call on the Eritrean diaspora in Europe to help topple the Eritrean government. "The country needs a massive social movement," he said. At the end of the conference on Tuesday, the AENF approved a charter which sets out its strategy, including a whirlwind diplomatic tour to win the backing of the international community. The alliance – which was holding its fifth regular conference since its establishment in 1999 - also wants to hold a national conference in "two to three months' time", although it has not fixed a venue. Hiruy, the son of Eritrea's first leader under the federation with Ethiopia, said his group would use radio and cyber campaigns to target the Eritrean leadership. Opponents argue that President Isayas Afewerki, who led the country to independence after a 30-year armed struggle against Ethiopia, has grown increasingly autocratic. But Eritrean government sources dismissed the conference as a "non-starter". "It has no significance in Eritrea, neither for Eritreans," the sources told IRIN. The AENF has also been criticised from within for being too close to its neighbours – Ethiopia and Sudan. The Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council (ELF-RC), which was involved in the Addis Ababa talks, walked out, claiming that forging alliances with former foes of Eritrea would undermine the party.