Page 165 - The Winter of Islam and the Spring to Come

HARUN YAHYA (ADNAN OKTAR)
163

Eritrea: Africa's
SUDAN
Strategic Point
RED SEA
Eritrea lies to the north
ERITREA
of Ethiopia, along the straits YEMEN
where Africa comes closest to
the continent of Asia. It has
been a key location for thou- ETHIOPIA
sands of years, both commer-
cially and militarily. As with
ERITREA
much of Africa, this country
too emerged as the result of SUDAN
GULF OF ADEN
colonialist European nations DJIBOUTI
dividing it up between them-
selves, with no heed for the
needs or wishes of the local
population.
Anyone holding Eritrea ETHIOPIA
controlled the southern en-
trance to the Red Sea, and SOMALIA
KENYA
thus all traffic between the
Mediterranean and the
Indian Ocean. Moreover,
Eritrea represented a port
opening onto the sea for
Ethiopia.
On account of Eritrea's strategic importance, the British rented it to
the Americans as a communications base during World War II, and the
United States used it for the next 25 years, based on a defense agree-
ment between itself and Ethiopia. This was one of the most important
such bases in the world and played a major role in forwarding informa-
tion to Washington during the Korean War. Alongside its strategic im-
portance, its rich reserves of gold and minerals, and likely oil and gas
reserves, made Eritrea even more valuable for those powers interested
in the region.