Eritrea is one of the three non-member states of the Arab League which adopted

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

as a working language, and is the closest to become an Arab League member, with Chad and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

having numerous problems with the League.

Observer status

In 1993, after independence, Eritrea adopted a policy of getting in touch with the

Arab states The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

, a move that several intellects in the country were divided upon, some preferring to join the Arab League as an Observer, others calling for joining as a Member, while others called for not getting in touch with the country's mostly Arab perimeter, with Sudan on its northwestern borders,

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

on the southeastern borders, and the Arabian Peninsula across the Bab el Mandeb. In 2003, Eritrea finally agreed on joining as an Observer, a country adopting Arabic language as a second Language, after a Presidential announcement that Eritrea will not be joining any regional organisation, he explained that the Arab League lacks efficiency.

Economic sanctions

In 2010, the Eritrean president

Isaias Afewerki Isaias Afwerki ( ti, ኢሳይያስ ኣፍወርቂ, ; born 2 February 1946) is an Eritrean politician and partisan who has been the president of Eritrea since shortly after he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) to victory in ...

, sent a letter to the Arab League Secretary-General

Amr Moussa Amr Moussa ( ar, عمرو موسى, , Amr Muhammad Moussa; born 3 October 1936) is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the Secretary-General of the Arab League, a 22-member forum representing Arab states, from 1 June 2001 to 1 July 201 ...

, calling for the Arab League's pressure on removing the latest UN sanctions over the country. The sanctions were enforced after his country was accused of supporting insurgents in Somalia, and were enacted in the UNSC by 13 of the 15 members.

Tensions

Eritrea has been in two conflicts with Arab League members:

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

in a dispute over the

Hanish Islands The Hanish Islands ( ar, جزر حنيش, ) is an archipelago in the Red Sea consisting of a trio of major islands at the centre of an array of smaller islets and rocks. The three major islands are the northern Zuqar Island, the southern Great ...

in 1996 resulted in a brief conflict, and clashes with Djibouti in 2008, over the

Ras Doumeira Ras Doumeira (''Cape Doumeira'') ( so, Raas Dumeera, ) is a geographic cape that extends into the Red Sea, towards the Doumeira Islands. The area is shared by Djibouti and Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتري ...

region, where the Arab League held an emergency session in response to the fighting and called for Eritrea to withdraw from the border region.

References

Eritrea Arab League {{DEFAULTSORT:Arab-Eritrean relations