“The PFDJ Secretary held talks with the delegation both in Asmara and Massawa, during which he pointed out that the development they witnessed in Eritrea has been realized on the basis of domestic capacity without depending on foreign assistance. Mr. Al-Amin Mohammed Seid also noted that the governments of Eritrea and Sudan plan to jointly implement development programs.” Shabait.com, Nov. 14, 2007

Most, if not all, of the projects that the Eritrean regime brags about to Eritreans and foreigners alike are funded by donors. In fact, the projects are funded to the tune of $533 million USD (apx. 8.5 billion Nackfa), of which $75 million (apx. 1.4 Billion Nackfa) is for the 2007 fiscal year alone, according to OCHA documents that have been made available to Awate.com. OCHA stands for Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which is an arm of the UN. This amount given makes Eritrea, on a per-capita basis, one of the largest beneficiaries of donor groups.  In fact, aid accounts for 29% of Eritrea’s GDP, ranking Eritrea third in the world as the most dependent on aid.   It is the funds from donor groups and the slave labor of Eritrea’s youth that the Eritrean regime shamelessly takes credit for. Whether it is the micro-dams, the Mai Nefhi Teachers Training College, the Senafe Hospital or whatever it is that finds its way to Eri-TV and shabait.com, its funding can be traced to OCHA.  The question is this: why is the regime, the beneficiary of so much aid, adamantly lying about it to Eritreans and foreigners alike? Certainly, it is contrary to Eritrean culture of “appreciate those who help you by either returning the favor or advertising their deeds.”

We can think of two reasons: to lend Isaias Afwerki the aura of Indispensable Leader without whom the country would never develop; and to continue to milk the gullible Eritreans who still think it is their money which is responsible for building the schools and micro-dams.

The Indispensable Leader

The PFDJ did not invent ingratitude; it owes that to the EPLF. One of the most enduring myths, perpetuated in no small measure thanks to friendly foreign journalists, is the following:

Isaias Afwerki split from the ELF in 1970 and founded the EPLF. Relying entirely on his people, he built the EPLF with no help from outsiders and, with him at its helm, EPLF was able to liberate Eritrea… 

This is a myth. First, it erases 7 years from Eritrea’s history (1970-1977.) Isaias (and two others) split from the ELF in 1970 and formed three groups: PLF1, PLF2 and Isaias’ group, Selfi Natsnet. The EPLF was formed in 1977.  The reason the 7 years are erased from this version of history is so as to erase the role of many Eritreans, specially that of Osman Saleh Sabbe, a unique individual who was instrumental in setting the liberation front on firm footing.

Even more inconvenient, Sabbe did this by using his contacts in the Arab world.  It was Sabbe who financed the PLF; it was the exceptional skills of Sabbe, and his contacts with Syrians, that resulted in Isaias Afwerki receiving military training in China.

The EPLF’s whitewash and revision of history is not limited to the role of Sabbe, against whom Isaias Afwerki conducted a successful coup d’etat.  

The fact that the erstwhile liberation organization built its capacity thanks to Arab countries who supplied it with arms, finances, diplomatic leverage, medical care, scholarships is totally ignored.

The fact that Scandinavian countries were the major sponsors of the EPLF also faced the same fate of ungratefulness.

Thus, one reason the EPLF, now PFDJ, found it necessary to whitewash the role of others was elevate itself to the role of the indispensable vanguard organization.  Simultaneously, the leader of the EPLF/PFDJ, also embarked on a purging campaign to elevate himself to the role of the Indispensable Leader. This culminated in September 18: the arrest of the very few who were left in a position to challenge his sole authority.

Indigenous Fund Raising

The PFDJ emissaries visit Eritreans in every corner of the earth for two purposes: (1) propaganda; (2) fund raising.

The PFDJ emissaries never go on a “listening tour” to have meetings with Eritreans.  What they have is “seminars” where they stand behind a podium or sit behind a table and deliver the propaganda du-jour so their followers can stay “on message.”  It is thanks to these talking points that all PFDJ “communities” say the same thing, the same way, at the same time. If the messengers say the threat to Eritrea is corruption, then there will be non-stop talk about corruption. If it is Weyane, then the message is the danger of Weyane. Lately, the message is that America is a threat to Eritrea and that is the message that was already delivered to Eritreans who reside in Europe. At this very moment, Sunday Nov 18, the PFDJ ambassador is delivering a similar message to Eritreans in the USA. Many will be repeating what they hear today for the coming weeks.

Whenever the emissaries go on a tour, they update their listeners about all the development that is going on in Eritrea without any help from foreigners and that, for the effort to be sustained, they must continue to raise funds for any projects that the regime hopes will raise hard currency really fast.  It may be to alleviate housing shortages, or to help Eritreans who have been victimized by its short-sighted policies (internally displaced Eritreans; orphans, etc.)

Eritreans who are themselves strapped and already sustaining two or three families in Eritrea are unlikely to raise funds for endless projects if they know that the regime is receiving millions of dollars from donor groups. Thus, the endless lies from the PFDJ.

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Unfortunately for the PFDJ, the world does not operate in secrecy, the way it does.  How much money it receives, from which agency, for which project is now available to Awate.com, which we are sharing with our readers.  Review it here and judge for yourself whether Alamin Mohammed Said’s claim (or, for that matter, every claim by every PFDJ functionary and apologist), that the regime does not depend on foreign assistance is really true.

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