ADDIS ABABA – Eritrea Saturday accused the United States to “aggravate and prolong the crisis” in Somalia and be a factor of instability, after confirmation of shipment of U.S. arms to the Somali government.

“The unfortunate intervention of the United States and the supply of arms have failed to promote stability in Somalia in recent years,” said the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

“The repetition of these measures will produce no positive result, and will only aggravate and prolong the crisis,” he added.

The United States announced Friday that they provided weapons and munitions to Mogadishu for several weeks, amounting to less than $ 10 million.

Washington accuses Eritrea of supporting Somali extremists materially, including the group of ‘Shebab’ and militia ‘Hezb al-Islamiya.’ These militias have launched on 7 May a violent offensive against the Somali government, which controls a small part of the territory.

The President of Somalia Sheikh Sharif Ahmed lives himself cloistered in a few districts of the capital, protected by soldiers of the African peacekeeping force (AMISOM). The offensive against pro-government forces, conducted since May 22, faces serious setbacks.

Eritrea has denied the U.S. accusations, indicating that they contained “nothing new or substantial.”