NAIROBI, October 19, 2006 – The United States accused Eritrea on Thursday of opening another front against its foe Ethiopia by shipping arms to Somali Islamists who are rivals to a Western-backed interim government.

"I think Eritrea is quite clearly attacking Ethiopia on another front. We have pretty clear evidence that's a fact and (they are) shipping arms into Somalia," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said on Thursday.

Eritrea has long denied any involvement in Somalia, but a U.N. Security Council report in May said it has sent weapons to the Islamists repeatedly in a bid to frustrate Ethiopia.

Analysts believe Asmara has little motive for doing this other than to spite Addis Ababa.

The Islamists, who took Mogadishu in June and have been expanding across southern Somalia since then, recently declared holy war on Ethiopia, which regards them as terrorists.

Eritrea and Ethiopia are bitter enemies who went to war over their border in 1998-2000. Diplomats fear their opposing positions on Somalia -- Addis Ababa supports the interim government -- risks sparking a regional conflict.

" Eritrea says it's against extremist governments and so it's against its natural interest to ship arms to the courts which have Shabab (youth wing) and others which are of an extremist orientation," Frazer added at a meeting on Somalia in Nairobi.

Source: Reuters