Halaw Wesen, a four-man band has abandoned the PFDJ and applied for political asylum in Australia.  The band was in Melbourne, Australia for the PFDJ festival which was held from January 5th to January 7th. 

Halaw Wesen is made up of Mukhtar Saleh, who is the leader of the band as well as its guitarist, and composer; Arif Hassen, its base player; Kemal who is on the brass line and Abdulhakim, a keyboard player.  Three singers who had accompanied the band, Wedi Tukul, Helen Melles and Fatma Ibrahim, chose to return to Eritrea at the end of the festival and are reportedly heading back.

Also accompanying the musicians back to Asmera are Eritrea's ambassador to Australia, Mr. Asmerom Maasho and the Consul General, Mr. Beshir Idris.  The ambassador and the consul general are not in talking terms and they have allegedly been summoned to Asmara to work out their issues.

Halaw Wesen was initially established by the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) and was later adopted by Mr. Zemehret Yohannes, a former ELF member and currently chair of PFDJ's research department.  The band is considered one of the best in Eritrea and its leader, Mukhtar Saleh, is sought out by the best singers to compose their songs. The embassy had organized a boat cruise for them and it appears that, shortly after sitting for a photo op at the wharf, they "disappeared" from their handlers and didn't join the cruise. On January 7, they made their intent to abandon the PFDJ known. 

Saleh Meki Chairs a seminar

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the commencement speaker at the PFDJ festival was Mr. Saleh Meki, Eritrea's Minister of Health.  Curiously, his meeting was not attended by Ambassador Asmerom Maasho, which is not in keeping with PFDJ protocol.

Minister Saleh Meki's address covered two subjects: the developments in Somalia and the border issue with Ethiopia. Mr. Saleh Meki indicated that America has enlisted the Weyane [the Ethiopian government] as a mercenary group to wage its fight in Somalia and that the war, contrary to reports, has barely started.  The minister predicted that in the end, the Weyane and America can expect a catastrophic defeat.

With respect to the border, Saleh Meki reported that there can never be peace or stability in the region unless the Eritrea-Ethiopia border is demarcated and that all Eritrea's challenges are secondary to the border issue. 

During the question and answer session, a participant pointed out a difference between  Saleh Meki's presenation that the border issue is unresolved and President Isaias Afwerki's claim that the issue is resolved.  Attendants report that the minister was visibly uncomfortable by the question.