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tention between Ethiopia and So–
malia, possibly the most explosive
of all: confticting claims over the
small but important nation of Afars
and Issas (pop. 200,000), sand–
wiched between the two countries.
Cont.ested Territory
Formerly French Somaliland, Afars
and lssas became Africa's 49th inde-
.c:
pendent nation on J une 27. This
~
poor desert country, better known
-~
by the name of its capital and sea-
~
port, Djibouti, is populated by two
~
ethnic groups- the predominant
j
Issas (related to the Somalis) and
~
the Afars (related to the Ethio- }
pians). The ruling lssas generally fa–
vor eventual union with Somalia.
i
The Afars favor continued indepen-
~
dence.
THE "LION
OF
THE TRIBE
OF
JUDAH"
once "guardad" Addis Ababa. Royal
The Somalis are reportedly ma-
line of Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974; the Emperor died shortly thereafter.
neuvering to gain dominance over
Afars and Issas, which Somalia's
President Barre insists is part of his
envisioned "Greater Somalia." In–
dica tive of Somalia's intentions, one
of the points of the five-pointed star
on the Somali national flag repre–
sents Djibouti. (Two of the remain–
ing points are Ethiopia's Ogaden
region, and a sizable chunk of
Kenya, also inhabited by Somali–
type peoples.)
Most observers feel tha t Afars
and Jssas, with its largely Somali–
speaking population, is more likely
to align itself with Somalia than to
remain neutral or seek ties with
Ethiopia. The port of Djibouti, how–
ever, is the terminus of the 485-mile,
French-built railroad linking the
Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to
the sea. Since Ethiopia's two Eri–
trean ports of Assab and Massawa
are virtually useless because of the
fighting there, Djibouti is Ethiopia's
main trade outlet and as such is vi–
tal to the Ethiopian economy.
Should Ethiopia ever be denied use
of Djibouti, she would undoubtedly
go to war to protect her national
interests. For its part, Somalia has
gone on record as saying it would
not hesitate to go to war should
Ethiopia make any moves against
Djibouti.
France is keeping a small force of
French Foreign Legionnaires in Dji–
bouti for the time being to deter any
such military moves. The Soviet
Union will also be exerting its in-
The
PLAIN TRUTH August-September 1977
fluence to prevent an outbreak of
fighting, which would shatter its re–
gional designs. But African exper ts
are by no means ruling out war be-.
tween the two historie adversaries.
Enter Saudi Arabia
As if the various ongoing problems
between Ethiopia and Somalia were
not sufficient to frustrate Soviet de–
signs, oil-rich Saudi Arabia and
other moderate Arab states have
stepped in to further ensure that the
Red Sea remains an
Arab
sea, nota
"Red"
sea. With the blessing of the
United States, the anti-Soviet Arab
states-long wary of Soviet and Cu–
ban intentions in the region- are
wooing Somalia in an atteinpt to
lure it from the Soviet camp. Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait are promising
Somalia huge sums in economic and
military assistance if it expels
the Soviets fr om their Somali
bases.
A similar offer is being made to
South Yemen, where the Soviets
curren
ti
y use Yemeni airfields and
naval facilities at Aden, once a Brit–
ish enclave for the defense of the
eastem sea route.
The Saudi moves appear to be
working. Saudi- and U.S.- relations
with Somalia and South Yemen are
noticeably improving, and the alle–
giance of those nations to the Com–
munist bloc is now considered
uncertain at best.
Behind this battle for the alle–
giance of Somalia and South Ye–
men
is
a Saudi counterplan to the
Soviet design for the region's future.
The regional grouping envisioned
by Riyadh, center of Saudi govern–
ment, would include Somalia, the
Sudan, Afars and Issas, North and
South Yemen, and an independent
Eritrea-cemented by Islam and
pan-Arabism, pro-Western in orien–
tation, and backed by the oil wealtb
of Saudi Arabia.
The Sudan Connection
Sudanese President Jaafar el Ni–
mery has played an important role
in promoting the Saudi Arabian re–
gional plan, in the same way Fidel
Castro has attempted to further the
Kremlin's objectives. Ties between
his increasingly conservative Suda–
nese government and the U.S. have
become clase and cordial of late.
And a t a summit in the Sudanese
capital of Khartoum last February,
Egypt ·and Syria brought the Sudan
into their new "unified command"
with. the signing of a joint defense
pact.
A primary reason for the Sudan's
growing pro-Westero stance is that
the Sudan, like Somalia, is at odds
with Marxist Ethiopia. Tensions are
rising along the 1 ,400-mile Sudan–
Ethiopian border. Sudan claims
Ethiopian troops have crossed into
its terri tory while ostensibly hunting
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