Berouk Mesfin, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa, offered an informative commentary on Eritrea-South Africa relations. South Africa sent in 2012 a well connected ambassador, Iqbal Jhazbhay, to Asmara to improve relations between the two countries.
Berouk Mesfin concluded that economic necessity, not altruism, motivated South Africa to befriend Eritrea. It wants to ensure that its companies compete profitably in Eritrea's lucrative mining sector.
Click here to read the commentary.