FOUR WINDS: August-September 2007

Ethiopia Warns Eritrea; Eritrea Warns The World: Ethiopia's foreign minister sent a letter to Eritrea's foreign minister (with a cc to the world) warning him that Ethiopia may suspend or terminate the Algiers Agreement because Eritrea is already violating it.  Eritrea's foreign minister sent a letter to the world (no cc to Ethiopia) warning that Ethiopia is preparing to launch war and the world has a responsibility to compel Ethiopia to implement the border demarcation.

How Often Does Girma Asmerom Lie?  Whenever He Opens His Mouth!  The Eritrean regime has officials who exaggerate, officials who bluster, officials who fib, but none can tell a bold faced lie the way Girma "our moutains look like those in Afghanistan" Asmerom does it.  The former ambassador to the USA, whose crowning achievement was destroying Eritrea's reputation in the US, is now ambassador to Belgium.  He was interviewed by the BBC Assignment radio program ("Eritrea's Persecuted Christians") about the disappearance of Patriach Antonios, as well as his government's persecution of members of minority religions in Eritrea.  An excerpt from BBC's report:   The patriarch, he claims, has retired to an isolated monastery and is very much "alive, kicking and praying". Mr Asmeron denies that there is any repression of religious freedom in Eritrea. He says persecution claims have been made up. And allegations of torture, he says, are stories invented by refugees "simply as a certificate" to enable them to get political asylum.  To listen to the program click here.  You can also read BBC investigative report here.

EEBC Countdown:  In a press release, the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission reports: Having heard the views of the Parties, the Commission was obliged to conclude that no further progress could be made towards the emplacement of pillars on the ground. The Commission reminded the Parties of the effect of paragraph 22 of its 27 November 2006 Statement in which it determined that if by the end of November 2007 the Parties had not by themselves reached the necessary agreement and proceeded significantly to implement it, or had not requested and enabled the Commission to resume its activity, "the boundary will automatically stand as demarcated by the boundary points listed in the Annex hereto and the mandate of the Commission can then be regarded as fulfilled." The Press Release and the Annex it refers to (both in pdf format.)

US Designates New Ambassador To Eritrea:  On September 19, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on the nomination of the US Ambassador to Eritrea, Mr. Ronald K. McCullen.  In his senate confirmation hearing, Mr. McCullen indicated that he'd like to restore the US-Eritrea relationship to "the more cooperative bilateral relationship that characterized the early years of Eritrean independence."   But within the following context: "Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, we have grave concerns about human rights issues in Eritrea, including democracy, rule of law, freedom of the press, and religious freedoms. Thousands of individuals have been imprisoned, including two Eritrean employees of the U.S. Embassy detained since 2001. Several thousand prisoners of conscience are being held without charge in indefinite and incommunicado detention. If confirmed, I will seek to promote greater respect for human rights, the establishment of a democratic political culture, and conditions conducive to addressing the country's diverse human development needs." Good luck.

The Kashmir of The Horn:  Ethiopia to Eritrea :  you are in material breach of the Algiers Agreement because you are occupying the demilitarized zone, restricting movement of UNMEE, made repeated public threats against Ethiopia, co-ordinated the activities of terrorists groups destabilizing the region.  This is your notice that we could terminate or suspend the Agreement.   Eritrea to Ethiopia: everything you have said is irrelevant.  Abide by the law and the ruling of the EEBC. We will never, ever talk directly to Ethiopia.   Eritrea to USA: Stop encouraging Ethiopia while it breaks the law.  EEBC to Ethiopia:   EEBC President Sir Elihu according to a transcript seen by AFP: "We greatly regret that we could not take our work through to its full conclusion, but at least we leave you with a line that is operable. It is up to you to work out how to implement it. It is up to you to consider such devices as open boundaries so that some of what you identify as manifest absurdities because a line cuts a village or a road several times can be overcome by allowing the boundary to be open."

We Are Not Bad But They Sure Are: The supporters of the PFDJ think that the only way to bolster their anti-terrorism bonafides is by accusing others of terrorism.  Sudan Tribune reports "Fourteen Eritrean American community groups have appealed to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to reject a threat made recently by the US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Dr. Jandayi Frazer, to add Eritrea to the state sponsors of terrorism list." Given the way the Eritrean American community is organized, and given that this letter followed the instructions of the Eritrean dictator, a better description would be "fourteen Eritrean American PFDJ fronts have appealed..." and the mock outrage that these groups are registering for not being recognized as Americans, given their hostility to American values, is a joke.  In their appeal, they tell the Secretary that the PFDJ has heroically fought the EIJM  and then helpfully add that the accronym stands for the "Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement, a group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization." This may come as a surprise to the Secretary since it is her office that gives organizations and states such designation and the most authoritative source, MPT Terrorism Knowledge Base, shows that this Eritrean group of  is neither designated nor even watched by the state department as a terrorist group and is considered a "rebel" group.   So why is there even mention of the EIJM in the MPT Terrorism Knowledge Base? Guess who else is on that list based on its activity of October 20, 1987?  Check here.  If this is the best intellect the Eritrean American PFDJ satellite office can muster, it may be time for the PFDJ to hire more high-powered American lobbyists.  Again.

Another "By The Way" Story About Eritrean Refugees: After Israel agreed with Egypt to send refugees back across the border, their numbers have declined - 150 Africans entered in September compared with 900 in July, the official said. In addition to the Darfur refugees, there are currently around 1,700 refugees from other regions in Sudan, along with 700 from Eritrea, and 600 from the Ivory Coast, according to the United Nations. Source 

Is It Always About Oil? The Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas last month paid the Ethiopian government 80 million dollars for the Calub and Hilala natural gas fields in the Ogaden basin, south-east Ethiopia.Pertonas won the international tender put up by the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) to privatize the Calub and Hilala gas fields found in the Somali Regional State. The ministry put up the tender in April 2006 inviting petroleum companies interested in developing the two gas fields discovered in 1973. In August 2006, MME announced that Petronas was the winner. Source

Front Line States & Fired States:  Of the 35-point grievance filed by the Eritrean regime against the Bush Administration, # 7 was probably the turning point because Isaias, like a spurned lover, just couldn't come to terms with it: "...in June 2003, Eritrea was omitted from the list of East African countries slated to receive US funding for counterterrorism barely three months after its inclusion..."

Just six months earlier, Rumsfeld had visited Eritrea , Djibouti and Ethiopia and Isaias had reason to believe, and lobbied hard for, the arrival of the war-on-terror booty. It didn't come.  More injurious, when comparing the five years prior to 9/11 to the five years post 9/11, US military assistance to Ethiopia (military education, training and financing) is now "two and half times" what it was and US arms sales to Ethiopia (overseen by the Department of State and Department of Defense) have "roughly doubled.  Assistance to Djibouti is even more dramatic, 40 and 18 times respectively.  (Source:CDI)  

To add insult to injury, of the 25 countries the US counts as allies in the "War Against The Terror," three are in East Africa: Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya.  As the Center for Defense Information reports: In 2006, the U.S. State Department reported that "serious," "grave," or "significant" abuses were committed by the government or state security forces in more than half of these 25 countries. If abysmal human rights records are not a disqualifying criteria, why didn't Isaias qualify?  Simple: The rulers of  the 25 countries may not be Jeffersonian democrats or human rights advocates but they did not accuse the US of trying to overthrow them when it criticized their human rights record, as Isaias did in 2002 (in yet another miscalculation) when the US asked him to release its embassy employees.  Even high-powered lobbyists  Isaias hired for years, like the Alexandra Strategy Group ($26,000/month) or Greenberg Traurig ($50,000/month), couldn't overcome the suicidal tendencies of Isaias. Those who like to think that one person is responsible for the dire straits Eritrea is in may have to shift their gaze from Jendayi Frazer and focus them on Isaias Afwerki.

The Price Tag of Ethiopia's Strategic Importance:   USAID's 2007 Budget request was 9,330,596,000. Of this amount, 33% is to be allocated to "strategic states"; 24% for transformational development; 19% for humanitarian assistance; 18% for "global issues" and 6% to "reduce fragility."   Ethiopia was just given $97 million for its "strategic importance" to the US.   This does not include the aid Ethiopia receives for transformational development, humanitarian assistance, global issues and fragility.  And this is just from the US.  From all the donors, Ethiopia's net official development assistance (ODA)(pdf) for 2005 was 1.9 billion.  (Eritrea's "fiercely independent" regime had a higher per capita ODA in 2005). Strategic importance also qualifies a nation for military assistance, which is not part of the USAID budget.  And then, there is unofficial aid and aid that is officially denied but uncovered by investigative journalists.     

Comply or you will be sanctioned:  The United States and the government of Sudan agree on at least one thing: Darfur rebels who do not attend the Libya-sponsored peace talks scheduled for late October should be sanctioned.  But in developments that should be familiar to Eritreans, the Darfur rebels have splintered into 15 groups with names like "SLM-Unity", "G19." The basis of the split should also be familiar to Eritreans: the military office has split from the foreign based civilians, there are ethnic splits, and there are splits based on belief that a leader was not authorized to sign peace treaties. So how do you sanction groups whose very reason for existence is their defiance of sanctions?     

"United Only In Accronyms":  Before facilitating the creation of  the Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia (ALS) in September 2007, but after the creation of Ethiopia's Alliance for Democracy (AFD) in October 2006,  the Eritrean regime had created the UFLD in July 2007. Who is the UFLD?  The Economist explains: Aware that they are weakened by divisions, most of the rebels want further internal consultations before the Libyan peace talks. They are distrustful, however, of international efforts to force them to unify. Interested African neighbours have too often promoted new coalitions with little strength on the ground, in the hope that they will be allocated funds and government positions following peace negotiations. In mid-2007, for the Arusha talks, Eritrea supported the formation of the United Front for Liberation and Democracy (UFLD), made up largely of exiles and political figures... Now only if the Eritrean regime can straighten out the mess in Eritrea...

Update on Eritrean Terror-o-meter: It looks like Four Winds is going to update this subject frequently and maybe we should have have a color code that tell us where we stand now. In addition to the US displeasure with the role of the Eritrean regime on Somalia, Ethiopia there is also this from  The Guardian:   "We're worried by a whole range of Eritrean behaviours," a US diplomatic source said. "We're worried they could use their influence with the rebel groups to undermine the Darfur talks due in Tripoli next month. We're concerned about their troop deployments on the [Ethiopian] border and the collapse of the Hague talks [on resolving the demarcation dispute]."...Eritrea says it wants good relations with the US but will not be pushed around. For a country of 5 million confronting a giant neighbour of 80 million, plus the world's sole superpower, such bravado is either famous last words - or the harbinger of even bigger problems for the US in the Horn of Africa.

Eritrea On The State-Sponsor-of-terror-o-meter: U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger told a news conference that Washington was considering placing Eritrea on its terror list, and had embarked on the process of gathering information which may see Asmara included in the list of state terrorism sponsors...Ranneberger said the U.S. viewed the presence of exiled Somali Islamist leaders in Asmara as further evidence that Eritrea gave refuge to terrorists." We are considering putting Eritrea in the list of state sponsors of terrorism. There is a process behind that and the Assistant Secretary (of State in charge of Africa Jendayi Frazer) said very clearly that there is a process to be followed before listing," Ranneberger said. Link to source

The UN's (Escorted) Fact-Finding Team Issues A Report On Ogaden: After banning MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and ICRC (Red Cross), the Ethiopian government allowed the UN to conduct a fact-finding mission.   The report confirms what aid workers and Ogaden residents have been saying for months: that the Ethiopian military has largely sealed off parts of the area in an effort to stamp out a rebel movement and that civilians were suffering, reports the New York Times.  Does that mean the UN confirmed the accusations that there were gang rapes and summary executions, as reported by  refugees? Several aid organizations said the mission was flawed because the United Nations team had been escorted by the Ethiopian military, which may have intimidated residents from speaking freely. One United Nations official in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, agreed that the team had not wanted to travel with Ethiopian troops. "But it was either that or scrap the mission," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he said he feared reprisals from the Ethiopian government.

The Council on Foreign Relations Interviews US Envoy To Somalia: The interview deals with the situation in Somalia, which is generally bleak.  Of course, Eritrea is brought up. An excerpt from the Q & A:   What role do you see Eritrea playing in what's going on in Somalia, and how is that affecting U.S. efforts to help stabilize the country? Answer: There's no doubt that the Eritreans make very strong statements about the Ethiopians, the United States, about EGAD (Economic Growth and Agriculture Development) [sic], Uganda, Kenya, about their attitude. There is credible evidence they are helping the supply of insurgent forces in Somalia. You may have seen recent statements by Assistant Secretary Frazer about the possibility of putting Eritrea on the state sponsors of terrorism list, which is based on solid evidence that they are supporting [the insurgents in Somalia]. We hear reports of both money and weapons being provided to the opposition forces in Somalia.

How A Dictator's Shortsightedness Is Creating An African Epicenter of Terrorism In The Horn of Africa:  Gregory Pririo, author of The African Jihad:Bin Laden's Quest For The Horn of Africa (published by Red Sea Press)  participated in an Afircan Policy Forum conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS.)  Pririo provides insights into how the Eritrean dictator has managed to place Eritrea on the crosshairs of the US.  Here is an excerpt from his presentation: Eritrea has been a major player in supporting Somali jihadists.  Its support for Somalia's jihadists and Ethiopia's armed opposition based in Somalia began at least as early as 1999, while Ethiopia and Eritrea were embroiled in a bloody border war.  Eritrea backing for groups in Somalia appears to have been renewed in the context of Ethiopia's non-acceptance of the findings of the international commission set up to resolve the border dispute between the two countries.  In its determination to wage a proxy war against Ethiopia from Somalia, Eritrea provided training and arms to the faction led by Sheikh Aweys, who said on Mogadishu radio that he would leave no stone unturned in creating a Greater Somalia that would include Somali-inhabited regions of Ethiopia.  Eritrea also provided training, materiel, and advisory support to two Ethiopian insurgencies, the Oromo Liberation Front and the Ogaden National Liberation Movement whose fighters reportedly on occasion fought alongside the Islamist forces.

91 Eritreans Detained, Tortured, in Egypt: At 80.7 refugees per population of 1000, Eritrea already holds the world record for having the highest refugee outflow per capita.  It is doing nothing to improve it:   nharnet.com, the official website of ELF-RC, an Eritrean opposition front, reports: 91 Eritrean asylum seekers brought back from the Israeli border are now imprisoned in two places in Cairo and living under bad situation. Of this group of prisoners, 61 are reportedly held at a prison called Kenashir, some 60 kms outside metropolitan Cairo. The detained Eritreans include women....Egyptian prison authorities have subjected them to inhuman treatments, including torture. For months, Israelis have been debating the issue of refugees (mostly Sudanese) who are crossing the Egyptian border. Advocacy groups like Hotline for Migrant Workers argued for hosting the refugees but, following Israel's recent agreement with Egypt, a decision has been made to automatically return all refugees crossing the Sinai-Israel border. The Israelis reportedly received assurances from Egypt that the returnees would be treated humanely. 

Thousands More Flee Violence In Darfur: IRIN reports: Violence in Sudan's remote western region of Darfur has forced nearly a quarter of a million people to flee their homes this year, increasing the pressure on the humanitarian effort, the United Nations said in a report. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also expressed concern over worsening security conditions in Darfur. "Over 240,000 people have been newly displaced or re-displaced during 2007," according to the report prepared by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in collaboration with partner UN agencies and NGOs. Thousands of people were fleeing their homes each week, the report added.

Saudi Arabia Seems To Endorse Somali Reconciliation Version 16.0 (Ethiopian) over Version 17.0 (Eritrean): The BBC reports: A member of Saudi Arabia's Shura (Consultative) Council, Mohammad Al Zofa, defended the decision not to invite the Somali opposition to the Jeddah conference. He said: " The opposition may be part of the Somali people, not necessarily the main part. Those who met in Jeddah make up the majority of the Somali people which is seeking a solution for its country's problems." "The opposition, such as the Islamist oppositions everywhere, sadly do not even have any vision of solutions to the problems in hotspot areas in the Arab and Muslim world," added Mohamed Al Zofa.

The State-Sponsor-of-terrorometer:  Will they or won't they name Eritrea a state sponsor of terror? In a report largely favorable to the Eritrean regime,  The New York Times reports: Ms. Frazer has also accused the Eritreans of arming separatist rebels in Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region, a charge that the rebels and Eritreans deny. If the United States did designate Eritrea a state sponsor of terrorism, a possibility that Ms. Frazer raised last month, it would result in severe economic sanctions and put Eritrea in the same club as Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan and Cuba. "I think it's 50-50 right now whether this happens," said a State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The report carries the byline of journalist Jeffrey Gettleman who is either a first-rate reporter or a biased one, depending on whom you ask. (Hint: Ethiopia's Foreign Minister, whose government expelled the reporter for his reports on the Ogaden, is not a fan.)  

The Border Stalemate: the needle is still stuck in the groove:  "A solution can only be found once Eritrea changes its present stand," Meles said in an interview broadcast by state-run Ethiopian television.  But the border commission has announced that come November 2007,  it will demarcate the border on the map, per its 2002 delimitation decision, regardless of what Eritrea and Ethiopia have to say on the matter. Meles  Zenawi is not impressed: "They may delimitate the border on maps but demarcation can only be viable if implemented on the ground. There might be a need for another body in the future..."   So will Eritrea change its stand? "Eritrea will never, ever change its stand, and the border will be demarcated according to the law," Information Minister Ali Abdu told AFP.

Saudi Arabia Hosts Somali Peace Signing Ceremony: Why are the Somalis signing a reconciliation pact in Saudi Arabia if they had their meeting in Mogadishu? According to the Washington Post : A Saudi official told The Associated Press the Somalis asked that the reconciliation pact be signed in the kingdom even though it was drafted during a monthlong conference in the Somali capital of Mogadishu last month. But what about the other reconciliation--the one held in Eritrea? Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf attempted to frame the issue in a language he hoped the Saudis would be sympathetic to: Reuters reports: "God willing, we will defeat all difficulties and make Somalia a beautiful and strong country against terrorism and 'errant groups'," he said, using terminology Saudi authorities use to demonise al Qaeda militants before public opinion. "If these 'kharijites' seized control of our nascent government, it would be a disaster for the Islamic nation, Arab world, Africa and the international community," he said, using a reference to a strict sect in early Islam.

Squaring The Circle: Among many rebels hosted and supported by the Eritrean regime are Ethiopia's Coalition for Unity Party (CUP), which aims to restore Ethiopia to its former glory of a nation with a sea outlet (Eritrea), and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which is struggling for self-determination up to secession because it considers Ethiopia an empire made up of Abyssinia and territories captured by force. The Eritrean dictator has published and is distributing a magazine with the unfortunate name of "One Ethiopia" which, coincidentally, is the prayer, slogan, and rallying call of all who want to restore Ethiopia to a time when her borders stretched to the Red Sea and all ethnic groups knew their rightful place in the Showa hegemony.  The CUD constituency is ecstatic and the supporters of OLF are puzzled  but it is ok because they will all be all part of a happy coalition he will create for them in some future reconciliation meeting in Asmara.

Somali Reconciliation, Saudi Edition: Delegates Heading To Saudi Arabia: The 410-member delegation includes the premier, parliamentary speaker and the president of the U.N.-backed transitional federal government, said Abdullahi Codka, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi's office....The Mogadishu daily newspaper Xog Ogal reported Sunday that Saudi Arabia wanted to mediate between the government officials and the new alliance, but Codka denied the report. "It is a baseless report. Saudi Arabia supports the peace process and the outcome of the Somali reconciliation conference [which was held in Mogadishu.] This is the reason why it invites the top delegation," he said. More

Somali Reconciliation, Asmara Edition: Four Names In Four Days:The Congress for Liberation & Constitution of Somalia, a gathering of 400 Somali Islamists, parliamentarians and diaspora residents, concluded its meeting by setting up a new alliance whose name is...well, it depends on which date you asked.  On September 12, it was the Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia .  On September 13, according to Shabait,  it was the Movement for the Liberation of Somalia .  On September 14, according to Shabait, it was known as Alliance for Somalia's Reconstitution.  On September 15, again according to Shabait, it was named Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia.  The concluding session was addressed by the host, the Eritrean tyrant.  If Somalis want to model their country after PFDJ's Eritrea, they can look forward to endless conscriptions, a one-party state governed without constitution, rule of law, elections or private press.  With generous funding from the Diaspora Somalis who have to pay  2% tax and keep their mouth shut for the privilege of visiting their own country.  Doesn't that sound appealing? Good luck.

Rebels' Home Away From Home: Reuters correspondent Jack Kimball describes Asmara: They're all around me. In cafes sipping sweetened tea, walking down the Eritrean capital's tree-lined boulevards, or in a local fair. Rebels are in Asmara, and they're everywhere you go. From Sudan to Somalia, insurgents have descended on tranquil Asmara, some looking to overthrow governments, some looking for change, but all seeing Eritrea as a home-from-home. As I sit in a cafe drinking a cappuccino before meeting two Sudanese ex-rebels for lunch, some former Somali dissident lawmakers pass by in a taxi driven by an aging Eritrean.

Different People, Same Story:  AFP filed a report after visiting refugees from Ogaden who are now in Bosaso, Somalia. Tales of rape and murder from refugees fleeing Ethiopia's Ogaden region offer a glimpse of the violence wracking the hermetic rebel zone, off limits now even to foreign aid groups. "It's worse than hell, what is happening in Ethiopia," said Fardosa, whose eyes seem to have frozen wide open since her own ordeal...."Over the past six months, we've experienced a new tactic of indiscriminate punishment from the government to take revenge on the ONLF," he [another interviewee, Abdillah,] said. Hawa, a 43-year-old woman from Gabo-Gabo in eastern Ogaden, said anybody could fall victim to the Ethiopian crackdown. "All the males were rounded up and detained, we could hear their screams being tortured. I was so traumatised I decided to flee," she said....  "Darfur gets all the world attention but Ogaden is the same... It's unfortunate and sad that the world has turned a blind eye on what is happening there." And the world?  The State Department, according to Financial Times, "has said for the first time that a "humanitarian crisis" is unfolding in Ethiopia's Ogaden region, putting Washington at odds with the Addis Ababa government."  MSF, (Doctors Without Borders) and ICRC (the Red Cross) have been  banned entry by the Ethiopian government, but a UN fact-finding commission has been admitted recently.  

The Aftershocks of the Epicenter:  The Eritrean regime, which has helped to broker peace deals for the Sudan, (South, West and East) likes to call itself the "epicenter of peace."  So how are the deals holding up? In South Sudan, the so-called Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005 is fraying. SPLA's leader (and Vice president of Sudan), Salva Kiir Mayadrit has warned that Sudan will likely reverse to war again .  Kenya's former president, Moi, has been designated the special envoy to patch things up. In Darfur,  rebel leader scoffs at Sudan ceasefire call : "Khamis Abdallah, head of the United Front for Liberation and Development (UFLD) -- founded in Eritrea in July , also said he was sceptical that Sudan's ruling party would abide by any possible deal reached at peace talks in Libya in October."  Shouldn't the Eritrean regime exert some its energies to make peace with Eritreans before it positions itself as an expert in regional peace?

55 Years Ago Today 9/15:  In 1950, under direct prompting by the US, the United Nations set a resolution to have the two countries joined by federation – supposedly giving Eritrea autonomy with an independent elected government and its own constitution. The Unionist Party won the greatest number of votes in an election in 1952, and formed a coalition with a pro-union Muslim faction. The constitution was set by the UN in consultation with Ethiopia's ruler Haile Selassie I. The federation was ratified on September 11 and Eritrea was released form British authority on 15 September 1952. Source: African History

Sampling Somalis:  There was the Ethiopian sponsored reconciliation, then there was the Eritrean-sponsored Somali reconciliation.  Those who participated in the Ethiopian version dismissed those who participated in the Eritrean version.  Those who participated in the Eritrean version gave Ethiopia a two-week ultimatum to get out. But what does the ordinary Somali think? The Los Angeles Times reports: On the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, some people expressed anxiety over the prospect of new fighting between the government and the alliance. "We hope the international community will put pressure on these two groups to share the power," said Faruq Mokhtar, 30, a school principal. "Waging a war is not in the interest of civilians." It remains to be seen whether the alliance can muster support in Somalia. Some anti-government clan leaders have expressed reservations, saying the opposition group suffers from some of the same flaws as the transitional government. "We aren't supporting any group," said a leader of one prominent clan that has opposed the transitional government. "We will support them when both sides come together."

Somebody forgot to invite Adan Hashi Ayro:   The Eritrean version of the Somali Reconciliation conference which brought together Islamists, parliamentarians, Diaspora intellectuals in a coalition called "Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia" (ALS),  just concluded its congress.  It set up a 191-member legislative arm called the Central Committee (originally 151 but increased to dilute the influence of the Islamists) and a 10-member Executive Committee.  Sheik Sherif Sheik Ahmed was elected chairman of the Executive Committee (and the ALS) and Sherif Hasan Sheik Adan was elected chairman of the Central Committee.  As for Sheik Hassen Dahir Aweys, "I'll play any role I can but I don't have any position."  Meanwhile, in Somalia,  a new brand of Islamist fighters ("al Shabaab") responsible for the Mogadishu insurgency issued a statement strongly condemning the Asmara conference and distancing themselves from Islamic Courts leaders in Eritrea. The al Shabaab group, led by former Aweys protégé and Taliban-trained Adan Hashi Ayro, argued in a statement posted online that the "Asmara Conference is forcing the Jihad to loose its way." Source

Isaias Afwerki Is An Islamist Now?  So claims Peter Brookes, who is a "Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation .  An excerpt from his expertise which appeared in May 2007: " Another potential flashpoint in the region is the rivalry between Ethiopia, Africa's second-most-populous country, and its former province of Eritrea, Africa's newest state (Eritrea became independent in 1993). Not only is there an unresolved border dispute between Addis Ababa's Christian-led government and Asmara's Islamist regime, resulting in a bloody 1998-2000 war, both sides have been playing an active role in the Somali conflict — supporting opposite sides, naturally." This was not written by an ill-informed blogger writing at a who cares website.  It was authored by an expert and it appeared at the deeply-connected Family Security Matters , after it was published in the Armed Forces Journal .   Apparently, according to some experts, a brutish tyrant must be, by definition, an "Islamist" and a favored dictator is "Christian."

Political Pluralism In Eritrea!  Politicians with diverse view points, members of the civil society, intellectuals, former parliamentarians are holding a meeting in Asmara to discuss the future of their country and to formulate a system for peaceful co-existence.  They are reading notes, negotiating and networking, as you can see in this image included in the Aljazeera report. But they are not Eritreans and they are not discussing Eritrea.

A Little Time To Kill Before Signing Documents: UN's Secretary General spent a week in Africa and returned to provide an update to the press yesterday: In his encounter with the press yesterday [September 10], Mr. Ban told reporters that he had been encouraged by the results of his many meetings during his trip, including those with Sudanese President Omar el- Bashir, Chadian President Idriss Déby and Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. "My visit… was very useful and constructive in generating a momentum to bring an early resolution of the situation in Darfur," he said.    But on 9/11, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) reported:  The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has received extremely grave reports about fighting between Government of Sudan armed forces and non-signatory rebel factions in the town of Haskanita South Darfur yesterday afternoon. According to those reports, fierce fighting took place in the area. They also allude to their proximity to the AMIS Military Group Site in the town forcing AMIS personnel to take cover and civilians to seek refuge around the camp . Source

Update on Somali Reconciliation, Version 17.0, (sponsored by Eritrea): The new opposition coalition, called the Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia, includes a 191-member "central committee" that will function as a parliament. A 10-person "executive committee" is expected to be elected later Wednesday and announced on Thursday, closing the opposition congress that kicked off in the Eritrean capital Asmara on September 6. "We have reached a concrete and viable resolution in seven days... something few Somali conferences have been able to do," congress spokesman Zakariya Mahamud Abdi told reporters. So reports AFP.  Meanwhile, according to  Garowe Online , " Ugas Abdi Dahir, a Mogadishu clan elder, led a delegation of supporters who were welcomed to Eritrea by fellow Somali delegates attending the opposition conference. [Also] a 19-member delegation from Puntland, led by Sultan Said Artan, arrived in Eritrea today to participate at the congress ."

Update on Somali Reconciliation, Version 16.0 , (sponsored by Ethiopia): The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, said the International Contact Group was positive about the efforts made by the interim Somali government following the National Reconciliation Conference, which ended August 30... "I think what needs to be done is we need to put as an international community, we need to address the fact that there are still extremists and terrorists, many of them sitting in Asmara, who are undermining a process by road-side bombs, targeted assassinations of more moderates and so we've got to deal with cutting of the supply for what I would call the spoilers, the extremists and the insurgents." VOA

Ethiopia's Newest Enemy: "Soldiers in Eritrea are fully financed by Norway," the paper quoted Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin as saying in an interview in the Ethiopian capital. "By supporting those who destroy the peace process in our neighbour land, Norway is undermining the Ethiopian government's work to achieve peace ... Also in Somalia and Sudan, Norway supports terror groups." Norway has been involved in peace-brokering efforts in both Sudan and Somalia. The country shares the chair of the international contact group for Somalia with the United States.

EUCom, PACom, Centcom...and now, Africom...Sometime in the coming months, after a vetting process to find a good partner country, the United States plans to establish a new headquarters in Africa to spearhead this armed battle for hearts, minds and the capture of terror suspects. The Pentagon says Africom—the first new U.S. strategic command established since 2002—will integrate existing diplomatic, economic and humanitarian programs into a single strategic vision for Africa, bring more attention to long-ignored American intelligence-gathering and energy concerns on the continent, and elevate African interests to the same level of importance as those of Asia and the Middle East....Among the nations most often mentioned as candidates to host the Africom headquarters: Ghana, Liberia, Tanzania and Ethiopia, which now has one of the worst human-rights records in Africa. Newsweek International

Lazy Journalism: If a Christian is persecuted, the perpetrators must be Muslims:  From the same people that brought us the cartoonish discription of the Darfur crisis as one between Africans and Arabs, here come the ignorant reports that describe the Eritrean dictator's persecution of Eritrean Evangelicals as...well, read for yourself one of hundreds of examples proliferating now. Here  

Keep Falling...In And Out Of Love: Asmara swiftly offered support in 2001 to the United States to tackle international terrorism, while Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki was called a "renaissance leader" by then US President Bill Clinton. Not today. Relations have soured between Eritrea and Western nations - especially the US - further than ever before, analysts say. BBC

Lawyer vs Lawyer vs Independent Journalists.  Whenever Eritrea and Ethiopia attend an event, both sides issue statements to spin what happened.  Regarding the demarcation meeting of 9/6/07, Eritrea's Office of the Legal Advisor issued a statement blaming the impasse on the Ethiopian government.  Meanwhile, Ethiopia's Legal Counsel   blamed not only the Eritrean government but also, for good measure, the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC.) The International Herald Tribune clarifies: "One of the international officials involved in the meeting said that the Eritreans had made compromises and their account was fairly accurate."

US Gives Stark Warning To Eritrea: The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, said the presence of Hassan Dahir Uways at a meeting in Asmara was further evidence that Eritrea provided sanctuary for terrorists. BBC Report

I voted for demarcation before I voted against demarcation before I voted for... A source at the meeting said Eritrea had accepted four conditions set out by the independent commission, including lifting restrictions on a U.N. peacekeeping mission and withdrawing from a buffer zone."Ethiopia stated that, even if Eritrea did everything that the Commission specified, it was not prepared to move forward." The source at the meeting said Ethiopia accused Eritrea of involvement in Somalia and Ethiopia's troubled Ogaden region, violating the Algiers accord ending their two-year border war. Read Reuter's report on Eritrea-Ethiopia demarcation meeting of 9/6/07.

An Eritrean Tortured To Death: Eritrean authorities tortured a woman to death on Wednesday (September 5) for refusing to recant her Christian faith, the fourth such killing in less than a year, according to a Christian support organization. Open Doors said in a statement that it had confirmed the death of 33-year-old Migsti [Nigisti] Haile at the Wi'a Military Training Center... Source

See, Meles is only the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Maybe in 10 years time, we will also know that he was against the invasion of Somalia.  TIME magazine interviews Meles Zenawi:  Meles: " I have been in the minority position when issues of war and peace were at stake. And I have found myself implementing a majority position that I completely and utterly disagree with." TIME: Such as? Meles: "Such as the war with Eritrea. There were a number of instances where I found myself in a minority and implementing decisions that I was uncomfortable with."  More here 

Swerving The Truth: The name and picture of a famous Somali attending the Somali reconciliation meeting has not been included in this report by Eritrea's state media, shabait.com.   But he is all over the news in the Arab, Western and Somali media. Guess who?  Guess why?

UN's Former Envoy to Horn of Africa, assesses the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict: "After my last visit in the region, which took place in June, I really fear an escalating of the conflict and I will not exclude the possibility of a new war."  BBC's Martin Plaut Reports

Somali Reconciliation, Version 17.0, Asmara Edition: "We need a common agenda, platform and vision. This conference will not solve all the problems of Somalia. We should create a consensus approach including those who disapprove of this conference," he told Reuters by telephone.... But what will this mean to Eritrea?  "Hosting of the conference certainly sours relations with Washington further...It is as important a sore point for Washington as is the weapons pipeline," said a U.S. expert on Somalia, Michael Weinstein, of Power and Interest News Report.  More in Reuters

Somali Reconciliation, Version 16.0, Ethiopian Edition: According to one of the delegates who refused to be named for security reasons, The 2,000 Somali delegates to the talks at an old police compound in north Mogadishu are now preparing to return to their to homes without any positive settlements.  Source

Ogaden: Ethiopia Denies Access To MSF: "There is a humanitarian crisis in the Somali-region of Ethiopia," said William Robertson, Head of Mission for the Dutch section of MSF in Ethiopia. "Our teams have treated people who have been forced to flee their homes and are now struggling to survive with little or no assistance. People are living in fear because they find themselves targeted by and caught between armed groups. We are urgently calling for immediate access to the region in order to help civilians in need."  Read MSF Press Release

Darfur: Death's Dead End:  An informed commentary on the conflict in Darfur: " Far from being a straightforward Arab/African dispute it is the "Rubik's cube" of world conflicts, with a multitude of tribal and clan interactions, alliances and antagonisms. To try to put this in comprehensible terms, we will look first at its origins, then at the national and international players and finally the perspectives for the future. Check it out

Hooray! We Are # 2! Where Eritrea's Money Goes:  "The first buyer for the modernised MiG-29 (fighter) is Yemen and the second is Eritrea," said Ruslan Pukhov, director of Moscow's Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. Reuters has the details

25 Eritreans & Ethiopians Perish in the Mediterranean Sea: Twenty-five migrants were last night missing, believed dead, in the Mediterranean after a rescue attempt went tragically wrong. The migrants were among 28 people on a small open boat which was intercepted by a Greek tug, 72 miles south of Malta, early yesterday. As the tug approached, the migrants moved to one side and the boat capsized.  Details in the The Guardian

Yigermenalo! Really.  An Asian newspaper, Asian Tribune,  alleges that the government of Eritrea provided "direct military assistance" to the Tamil Tigers (aka LTTE) in Sri Lanka.  We thought this was a mistake and an exaggeration.  Maybe a typo.  So we decided to see if there is any truth and, well, here's the entire report of Senator Richard Lugar who was heading the US Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations.  Yigermenalo! read for yourself.

Eritreans escaping from their country, South African edition: Between 2005 and 2006, asylum application by Eritreans increased by 57 percent in industrialised countries, with Britian, Switzerland and Sweden on top, the UNHCR said. Source

Another Story of Eritreans escaping from their country, Ugandan Edition: "Migration is not more than a few hundred a year and does not compare in anyway with the reverse annual flow -- for temporary stay or repatriation -- of our citizens from the diaspora," Yemane Gebremeskel, director of Issaias' office said . But this was contradicted by UNHCR's spokesperson in Sudan who said Eritreans are arriving in Kassala, Sudan at the rate of 120 per week and another report (video here) stating that 250 Eritreans arrive at Shimelba, Ethiopia every month.  That is 730 per month to Sudan and Ethiopia.  Now add what the UNHCR spokesperson in Kampala, Robert Russo, has to say: he was adamant that the number of Eritrean asylum seekers was swelling fast: "Most of the asylum seekers claim that they are fleeing from Eritrea either for religious reasons or from recruitment in the national army."   AFP News

How America Sells Its Policies: Episode 1:  Last week, the United States threatened to name Eritrea as a state sponsor of terror.  Has this announcement caught the attention of Americans? If so, how are they reacting to it? Episode 1: a guest columnist at The Cincinatti Beacon  provides a background to the US-Eritrean conflict (with emphasis on Somalia, lack of free press and religious freedom) concludes with this:  the US undersecretary of State for African Affairs made the charge as well that Eritrea supports terrorism. The response from Asmara was that the Undersecretary " showed her hatred for the people of Eritrea." Well that shows how seriously some people take Diplomacy.

We are Number 44! Awet n'Hafash!  If you take a nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and adjust it for its local Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and then divide it by the nation's population, you get GDP-PPP Per Capita.  The folks at ca6hinformationallsite.com (who, to the best of our knowledge, are neither CIA agents nor Weyane) prepared a dynamic table for the 53 African nations in Africa. Eritrea, at $933.99 is ranked # 44, and its economy has been growing at the compound rate of, rounded to one point,...0.00.  Stay the course! We are holding back so that the envious do not cast an evil eye on us, don't you know.  

Another Eritrean Missing.   Yonas Mebrahtu Gebretinsae, an Eritrean who had apparently been accepted to Iowa State once he got his I-20 visa,  is missing. The Iowa State Daily reports: "Ihmels said in order for Gebretinsae to come to the United States, he needed to travel from Eritrea to the U.S. embassy in Kenya to get a student visa. However, in order for him to go to Kenya he needed to first attain a waiver from Ethiopia that would allow him to pass through the country into Kenya." There is no such thing as a waiver to travel to Ethiopia.  But the point is: yet another Eritrean is missing. Source

The Dark Continent.  Literally.  While we Africans are fighting one another, we just got another message of the cost of war and bad governments: "SEEN from space, Africa at night is unlit—as dark as all-but empty Siberia. With nearly 1 billion people, Africa accounts for over a sixth of the world's population, but generates only 4% of global electricity. Three-quarters of that is used by South Africa, Egypt and the other countries along the north African littoral." See a dramatic image of Africa at night shot from space

Another reporter killed in Somalia: CPJ reports that Abdulkadir Mahad Moallim Kaskey, a " young reporter returning from a journalism training workshop in the Somali capital of Mogadishu was shot dead today in southwestern Somalia when clan militiamen ambushed his vehicle, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists....Kaskey was the seventh journalist killed in Somalia this year and the third journalist killed within two weeks after the assassinations of two prominent broadcasters in Mogadishu, according to CPJ research. Only Iraq has seen more journalists killed this year."  CPJ reports

More of what the PFDJ calls "economic migrants", this time in Israel: S. was forced to flee after her husband deserted the army and fled to Ethiopia. The government demanded that she pay a $3,000 fine as punishment for his offense, but she didn't have the money and was thrown in jail. After about six weeks in prison, under harsh conditions, a relative bribed a guard to let her escape. But S. was told to flee quickly, without even seeing her mother or her children, aged 8 and 12. After a difficult two-month trek through Africa, she finally reached Israel. More about "S" and others here

Never mind, they are just "economic refugees": PFDJ supporters dismiss the sad situation of Eritreans who drown while attempting to cross to Malta and Italy as driven by "economic interests." Are the Eritreans arriving at Sudanese refugee camps at the rate of 120 per week and Eritreans arriving at Ethiopian refugee camps at the same rate also economic migrants?  Annette Rehrl UNHCR's public-information officer was interviewed by VOA. "She suggested that the world may have forgotten that, once upon a time, there was a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.  'And even though they had their peace agreement, the situation in Eritrea deteriorated.' The UNHCR official observed that "people have forgotten about the refugee situation in camp Kilo 26, because the whole world is focusing on Darfur". Source 

The 90 Million Dollar Woman: From Sudan's The Citizen, here's a clue on the relationship between Sudan's Eastern Front and the Eritrean regime that hints at more than the camel gifts reported by Shabait.com:  "A source told citizens that Dr. Amna Dirar, deputy of the Eastern Front leader was unable to repay $90 million to the Eritrean government. The source explained that this amount was paid by the Eritrean government to Dr. Dirar for internal purposes related to the Front. He confirmed that the Eritrean government would not allow the front leadership to leave Eritrea without repaying that money." Source in PDF format

Voluntary Blindness : There is legal blindness, color blindness, river blindness and total blindness.  The one the PFDJ supporters suffer from is called voluntary blindness, a case of accumulated blind spots making the subject blind by choice.  For symptoms, refer to the press release of the Organization of Eritrean Americans (OEA) chastising America for the failures of PFDJ: "Rather than enhancing cooperation and learning from Eritrea's experiences of three decades of guerrilla warfare, the State Department's response was to kick Eritrea out of AGOA (The African Growth and Opportunity Act) and put Eritrea on various religious freedom, human rights and democracy blacklists."  Now, why would the US put the pristine PFDJ on religious freedom, human rights and democracy blacklists? Could it have anything to do with daily headlines, you can pick any including the one right below? You can read the rest of their rank propaganda and unfunny jokes here

Thou Shalt Not Steal.  Unless you are a government, because then it is not stealing but nationalizing. "Eritrean authorities issued an ultimatum to Catholic church leaders on August 16, ordering that all the church's schools, clinics, orphanages and women's vocational training centers be turned over to the government's Ministry of Social Welfare and Labor. According to an August 21 report issued by Open Doors International, four Catholic bishops promptly sent a letter of protest to the government on August 17. To date the authorities have not responded to their inquiry." And Pastor Leule Gebreab of Asmara's Apostolic Church as well as 10 others have been arrested.

But What Happens After Graduation? Shabait is reporting that its ministry is offering certificates to 40 Eritrean youth upon completion of a 2-month course in basic journalism.  But what is their future? If they stay, it involves having 3 reporters per happy news and balatant fabrication of news if assigned to the Amharic or Oromo desk.  If they try to leave the country, this is one sample of what will happen.   

Eritrea, The "Epicenter" Of Peace: The Head of Organizational Affairs at the PFDJ, Mr. Abdalla Jabir, and the Commander of Operation Zone 1, Brig. General Tekle Kiflai attended the meeting representing Eritrea. - read more about the epicenter

Meles's Ogaden Crackdown:  With several thousand gunmen thought to be in their ranks, the ONLF says they want greater autonomy for their homeland, which may be rich in natural gas and oil.... A crucial factor that may be driving Meles' crackdown is energy. Several oil and gas firms have shown interest in Ogaden including Malaysia's Petronas, China's Sinopec and India's GAIL.  Reuter's analysis

UNHCR and Eritrean Refugees In Sudan: Scores of Eritrean asylum seekers now cross into Sudan every week, joining some 130,000 of their compatriots living in 12 refugee camps as well as urban and rural areas. These include some 22,000 asylum seekers who have crossed the border into Sudan since November 2003....An average of 120 Eritrean asylum seekers arrive every week at the Wad Sherife screening centre in the border state of Kassala. Those granted refugee status are transferred to Kilo 26 Camp, which hosts about 12,500 refugees.  Read more

Sudan Expels EU, Canadian Envoys: The Sudanese Foreign Ministry had declared them persona non grata "for involving themselves in activities that constitute an interference in the internal affairs of the country." More here

Ethiopia Expels Norwegian Diplomats:  Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs "has asked Norway to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in Addis Ababa to no more than three.... This, due to "Norway's undiplomatic activities with respect to interference in the internal affairs of Ethiopia in connection with Ethio-Eritrean relations." Source 

Eritreans In Israel Face Deportation: "I have had a telephone call from a young lady that may be a relative of mine. Her and some other Eritreans had managed to walk all the way to Israel on foot along with some other Africans, primarily Sudanese. She said the boarder crossing was made inaccessible to others who tried to do the same thing subsequently. according to her statement, the Israeli authorities have told those Eritreans that they will deport them to Eritrea because Eritreans don't have political problems while they may allow the Sudanese to stay. She has asked me to relay this information to any organization that could deliver them from their ordeal; that if they are sent back to Eritrea, a terrible fate awaits them back.
 
I am mailing this to the folks at awate.com, because I know nobody better equipped with this kind of problem in terms of worthwhile exposure and  other appropriate measures like contacting humanitarian organizations." -  from Awate contributor

Jendaye Frazer's On The Record Briefing: What you have to do to put a country on the State Sponsor list is to have the -- to put together the dossier, the case against them. And so, certainly, that information is being collected right now. It will be evaluated through an interagency process and then decisions will be taken. But it's not based on political -- a political decision, it's not -- it's purely based on an assessment, a true evaluation of the data. And so we are certainly collecting that data and this human monitoring report will certainly be part of that. But, you know, we have to do our independent verification. I mean, we do have intelligence that affirms what's in the monitoring report, but we are still in the process of collecting that data. And, you know, it's an opportunity before they are put on the State Sponsor list for them to change their behavior.  Go to the source...

Christmas in Zimbabwe: "The economy of Zimbabwe is facing total collapse within four months, leaving the country facing a slide into Congo-style anarchy, The Sunday Telegraph has been told. Western officials fear the business, farming and financial sectors may be crippled by Christmas, triggering a collapse of government control that could leave the country prey to warlords and ignite long-suppressed tribal tensions."  More...

Inflation Watch:  "Just got back from home.   People are having a bad time. The price of commodities and vegetables has skyrocketed. Tomato is selling for 25 Nakfa an unheard of price! Other items like oil have become so scarce that you can't afford to buy them. Eritrea is suffering from the total lack of beer, because there is no barley. There is no beer in Asmara even at the big hotels. Nfewsi motwn yelon." – Awate contributor

August 17, 2007:   The United States is considering designating the Red Sea state of Eritrea a ``state sponsor of terrorism'' for its alleged support of Islamist militants in Somalia, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa said Friday.  Read more

Death after a funeral: "Ali Iman Sharmarke, the Managing Director of HornAfrik Radio and television died when his car hit a roadside bomb which was remotely detonated as he and colleagues in a convoy of media mourners were coming back from the burial of Mahad Ahmed Elmi, Director of Radio Capital Voice, Horn Afrik's second FM station, who was shot dead earlier Saturday in Mogadishu." - more here

From the Christian Science Monitor a report on how to resolve a conflict: It was a deadlock that no amount of outside pressure seemed able to loosen, and the life sentences threatened to escalate the crisis. So it was clear to Mr. Isaac that his people needed a strong dose of traditional peacemaking methods. He led a nonpartisan Ethiopian "council of elders" that quickly negotiated a deal acceptable to both sides: clemency in exchange for an admission of guilt and promise to respect the rule of law.

Sunday Times had reported: "Zakharov believes that one of the reasons the Eritreans wanted to use the Ilyushin in the clandestine operations was because the freighter's registration began with the letters UN and therefore might have been mistaken for a United Nations aircraft.... Contacted last week, Tambi denied all knowledge of the deal. However, The Sunday Times has a copy of the contract signed in Moscow and Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, between Aerolift and Eriko Enterprise of Asmara on July 21." Is this claim credible?  Judge for yourself: the aircraft's registration # is UN76496.   You can see the executed contract, airworthiness certificate, certificate of registration and its noise certificate here, courtesy of Majnoon and www.Alenalki.net

Accessed August 15, 2007: Enda Mikael, a blogger at www.Asmarino.com , narrates the heartbreaking but not unusual story of an Eritrean mother: "I am the mother of five.  Three were martyred and never made it home.  One was disabled, and another, entered Asmara riding a tank, when our country achieved its freedom.  Their martyrdom and their disability is fine, because it was all for the sake of this land…but what followed was worse than what preceded: my disabled son was executed by the government along with those who were killed at Mai Habar.   We would learn this much later…but officially, the government has not notified us of his death." – article in Tigrigna, at  http://zete9.asmarino.com/?itemid=950

August 14, 2007: By Tuesday morning, however, the Consulate Office in the Tribune Tower on 13th Street in downtown Oakland was already shut, with the remaining staff members declining visitors. The consulate general was not at the office. Some staff members appeared to be preparing boxes and furniture to move out.  http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_6619808

August 13, 2007:  Zimbabwe's embattled President Robert Mugabe vowed on Monday he would not change course because of Western opposition to his policies and instructed landlords and businesses to seek state approval for all price increases.Mugabe, 83, and in power since the southern African country's independence from Britain in 1980, faces an economic crisis marked by the world's highest inflation rate of more than 4,500 percent. http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN350287.html

Accessed August 14, 2007: "Now, let me turn to Eritrea. While the rest of the Horn of Africa is making political, economic, and social advances and seizing opportunities -- albeit with periodic important setbacks -- the opposite is true for Eritrea. Eritrea has experienced economic decline and a lack of freedoms, for the press and political expression. There is widespread and arbitrary conscription. The government has worked to destabilize its neighbors, including Ethiopia and Somalia. Given the American penchant for supporting the underdog, it is disheartening to see what has become of Eritrea in the 14 years since it gained independence and produced a praiseworthy constitution. President Isaias Afwerki has become increasingly tyrannical and megalomaniacal. He has actively sought to destabilize the Horn, fueling regional insurgencies and supporting groups affiliated with terrorists. Eritrean Government policies have also choked the Eritrean economy and consolidated political power among a small cadre of cronies, who are distinguished only by their unwavering loyalty to the President." - http://www.state.gov/p/af/rls/rm/90573.htm

August 13, 2007: The United States has ordered the closure of Eritrea's consulate in California, in a sign of worsening diplomatic relations. US embassy officials in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, say the decision is due to a string of restrictions imposed on its embassy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6944846.stm

August 13, 2007: Reporters Without Borders voiced concern today about the fate of Johnny Hisabu, an editor with state-owned Eri-TV, who disappeared in late May after trying to flee across the border into Ethiopia. There are unconfirmed reports that he was arrested and has been held ever since in a detention centre in the southwestern town of Barentu.

"Forced to function as a cog in the official propaganda machine, Johnny was one of the hundreds of Eritreans who each month try to flee the hell on earth created by one of the world's most authoritarian regimes," the press freedom organisation said. "The regime's only reaction to this exodus, which includes journalists and media technicians, is more cruelty and intolerance." - http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23262

August 11, 2007: "But diplomats, security experts and U.N. officials warn that recent saber-rattling by the two nations' leaders, beefed-up troop deployments along their heavily fortified border and even the timing of the U.S. presidential elections are all pushing tensions in the wrong direction - toward a showdown so bloody it will knock Darfur out of the headlines.

"Western diplomats suspect that Ethiopia, the Goliath of the two opponents, is sorely tempted to deliver a killer blow against its smaller rival before the Bush administration, a close Ethiopian ally, leaves office at the beginning of 2009. Last year, Ethiopia invaded Somalia and, with clandestine Pentagon help, toppled an emerging Islamist movement accused of sheltering al-Qaida operatives.", - Chicago Tribune, http://www.twincities.com/ci_6599608?source=rss

"August 10, 2007:   Weapons supplied by Eritrea continue to crop up in arsenals of Somali Islamic terrorists. One of the militias supported by the Somalia Islamic Courts has received SA-18 shoulder-fired surface to air missiles (SAMs) via Eritrea. The SA-18 is a Russian designed weapon. Eritrea denied the reports. The Islamic Courts appear to have received other weapons and explosives (including explosive belts for suicide bombers) from Eritrean sources." - http://www.strategypage.com/

August 7 2007: An Urgent Action Appeal: On August 5th, a boat on the Mediterranean Sea, presumably headed to Italy, was diverted by Libyan authorities to Tripoli.  There were 120 passengers, including Eritreans, on the boat.  They are being held at a detention camp in Tripoli.  They are expected to be transferred to another detention camp and from there to sign consent letters agreeing to their deportation to their country of origin." - submitted by Awate reader and presented here with edits.

"Africa's newest country, independent since 1993, has become a kind of open-air prison guarded by an ultra-nationalist sole party which sees the least democratic claim as a threat to national security. Among the hundreds of political prisoners, at least 13 journalists have just spent their sixth year in jail. Three of