You don't have to believe it but the story is true. The source is the U.S DODThis story doesn’t seem right. First of it’s not an official source but US news outlet.
Secondly in 2007, Eritrea backed the Alliance of the Reliberation of Somalia who was composed of former ICU ministers, and they were rivals of Al Shabab, opposed Al Shabab and killed Al
Shabab
the only UN officials who pushed this lie was Matt Bryden and Matt Bryden left UN Eritrea Somalia monitoring group due to beeing member of Sahan research and crisis group and for delaying evidences which made Eritrea not guilty https://www.innercitypress.com/som1jimale072412.html
The UN's Somalia and Eritrea sanctions are a circus. A report on Eritrea was put online, then taken down after an Ethiopian UN official Taye Brook-Zerihoun spoke with some but not all Security Council members.
Meanwhile the coordinator of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, the Canadian Matt Bryden, openly leaked his Group's report and was quoted about it by name, before it was given to Eritrea.
Somalia too has criticized Bryden, as supporting the full or formal breakaway of Somaliland.
Tuesday in front of the Security Council members from three countries gave Inner City Press exclusive and negative reviews of Bryden's performance. "He's leaving," one of them said. There is snarky speculation Bryden may have been angling for a book deal, or a post with a group like HRW.