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"Heard Firing Sounds": Shabait.com used every provocative word it could find in the dictionary to describe what sounds like a minor incident: exchange of fire in the Eritrea-Ethiopia border. Ethiopia “unleashed” a war, violating Eritrea’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”, but the process was an “utter failure.” Here’s what UNMEE had to say on the incident: “On 26 December, 2007 at 3:30 hours, the Indian Battalion (Indbatt) Post and UN Military Observer Team Site located at Tsorena inside the Temporary Security Zone, Eritrea, heard firing sounds in the general direction of Gergera, southeast of Tsorena in the border area.” UNMEE could not investigate due to “permanent access restriction in the area.” And the restriction was imposed by...do you even have to ask? Elections In Kenya: The ECK said turnout looked to be the highest since multiparty politics was reintroduced in 1992. International observers said Thursday's voting had gone smoothly, despite sporadic violence and allegations of rigging by both sides. "The test for our democratic maturity is in the post-election period and how we conduct ourselves thereafter," police boss Hussein Ali told a news conference. "For the winners, we trust you will exercise magnanimity. For the losers ... you can try another time." More from Reuters Duh! VOA provides one of the best examples of stating the obvious with an article entitled In Somalia, Presence of Ethiopian Troops Fuels Insurgency, Humanitarian Crisis. Told You So: The ever-modest Shabait.com rewinds its propaganda reel to 2006 to tell the world, “We told you things would be really bad in Somalia, and now they are.” The implication is: “Next time we tell you something, just believe us.” But getting in the way of establishing credibility is the Eritrean dictatorship’s well-known proclivity for crying wolf, not to mention lying, and lying, and more lying. Counting Backwards: Eritrea Is # 1! "In Africa, border disputes and tribal conflicts have created an increasingly dangerous climate for journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders’ 2007 index, Eritrea replaced North Korea as the worst country for press freedom." New York Times
Inflow and Outflow: The ruling regime’s ministry of propaganda reports that 80,000 tourists (including Eritreans) visited Eritrea in 2007. Meanwhile, an ICRC bulletin on Sudan (No. 54 / 2007) says: "The ICRC discussed with the authorities and the Red Crescent the new influx of refugees from Eritrea arriving in Hamushkurieb, as well as the situation of people living in Wad Sharife camp and in Toglei camp for internally displaced people." ICRC Bulletin
G.I. Joe, M.D. "The Ethiopian government, one of America’s top allies in Africa, is forcing untrained civilians — including doctors, teachers, office clerks and employees of development programs financed by the World Bank and United Nations — to fight rebels in the desolate Ogaden region, according to Western officials, refugees and Ethiopian administrators who recently defected to avoid being conscripted." New York Times
Year 1: Bomb, Deny. Bomb, Deny. Year 2: The Surge? "Ethiopia last week denied accusations it had shelled the busy Bakara market, killing 17 people, but correspondents say only Ethiopia has the capability." BBC
True That, True That: James Knight, the director of the State Department’s Office for East Africa, gets straight to the point: "Eritrean government policies have choked the Eritrean economy and consolidated power among a small group surrounding President Isaias. The government actively blocks humanitarian assistance from international donors and interdicts economic development projects, despite the enthusiasm of the international donor community to help Eritreans emerge from poverty and dependence on remittances from the Eritrean diaspora. Eritreans who flee the country's economic morass or its political repression risk their families' imprisonment and heavy fines. President Isaias permits no political opposition and no independent media. Any senior government official who dares to speak out is subject to severe punishment….President Isaias is leading Eritrea toward ever-worsening repression and hardship, and has made exacerbated regional instability an Eritrean national priority." Source - To get clean water, you must stir the muddy water.Why is the Eritrea-Ethiopia border not demarcated? Because Ethiopia’s rulers are occupying Somalia and denying democracy to their own citizens. If you don’t think this is a logical answer, you do not have the political sophistication of PFDJ. If you think this is complicating an already complex problem, you are naieve. You just don't have the far-sighted vision of the PFDJ, and you probably do not see their wisdom of transforming the hzbawi mekete franchise into a regional super-mekete.
Africa’s New Partnership Models. Once upon a time Nevsun, a Canadian mining company, had a gold exploration permit in Eritrea. It announced that it found “around 1 million ounces of gold, 747 million pounds of copper, and 1.1 billion pounds of zinc at Bisha.” Its share price rose to $9. Then in 2004 the Eritrean regime suspended its license pending review (read: the regime wanted a bigger share.) Its share price plummeted to about $2. Where other mining companies, like Canada’s MDN Inc said, “enough is enough” and withdrew from Eritrea, Nevsun’s CEO learned that the way ahead was to imitate the Chinese model: praise the rulers of the host country and make no comment about its politics. (All that is needed is for Canada to export its prisoners as laborers.) And Nevsun was rewarded, their share price increased and they lived happily ever after. Well, there are risks to the Chinese business model, as the Chinese are learning in Ethiopia and Sudan. Fishing For Oil: The Yemeni Website almotamar (Arabic) reports that Yemeni patrol foiled the smuggling of 21400 liters of diesel and petrol fuel to Eritrea on board two fishing boats. Other contraband goods destined for Eritrea were also seized by the Yemeni patrol. Boasting About War, Ignoring Pleas For Peace: The International Herald Tribune (IHT) reports on the Eritrea-Ethiopia tension: [An Ethiopian soldier says]: "If war breaks out, it will be the end of the regime in Eritrea." The Eritreans, however, beg to differ. "If Ethiopia starts a war they will be crushed and that will be the end of their history," Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu said. Kolelech Alemu, a 52-year-old school nurse in Addis Ababa, is dreading the prospect of a new war. "Both sides must do whatever is required to avoid war from breaking out," she said. "I have lost some family members in the past war and I know exactly how painful it was. I don't want more of that to happen." It Is December 10. Do You Know Where Your Human Rights Are? December 10 is International Human Rights Day. Throughout the world where dictators hold sway, there were signs of resistance. In Syria, dozens of human rights activists were arrested. In the US, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights received the Freedom Defenders Award. In Cuba, the Ladies in White held their protest against dictator Fidel Castro. In Eritrea, December 10 was just another Monday—another day for a PFDJ seminar. -
Dreams Cost Nothing: Alnahada website reports (in Arabic): “The Eritrean Medical Journal has a story on an Eritrean doctor who has developed a treatment for HIV and full-blown AIDS. He has registered a patent for his invention which is extracted from herbs that grow abundantly in Eritrea's valleys. The herbs were traditionally used by our ancestors as local medicine....Publication issue of the magazine is January 12, 2018.” Well, you gotta find good news where you can find it---in this case, in the distant future.
- “Neutralize, paralyze, isolate, nationalize.” Meanwhile, back in 2007, the Catholic Church in Eritrea recently faced a dilemma that all Eritreans and friends of Eritrea face: do we turn a blind eye to the Eritrean regime’s insanity and thereby maintain the opportunity to be an agent for positive change? Or, do we expose its insanity because doing the right thing is its own reward? The Catholic Information Service for Africa has made its decision: “The people of Africa's youngest nation, 14-year-old Eritrea in the northeast, live as if locked up in a vast prison manned by a rogue communist regime.” CISA describes the regime’s policy towards the Catholic Church as “neutralize, paralyze, isolate, nationalize.” Actually, that is a good summary of the Eritrean regime’s policy towards everybody that does not submit to its insanity. As Kaddaffi Was To Mandela, So Is Isaias To… Opposition groups that cannot operate in their own countries also have their dilemmas: who do we befriend at least until we are able to walk on our own? Some of the Ethiopian opposition groups who, for years, chastised the Weyane for colluding with Shaebia into “giving away Eritrea” are twisting themselves into pretzels trying to explain why they now seek help from the chairman of Shaebia: “In a strange twist of fate, the Government of Eritrea is the only force that is currently willing and capable of supporting the Ethiopian people’s struggle against the Woyanne regime. Let’s remember from history that the successive U.S. administrations were working against the South African people’s struggle against Apartheid, while Libya was one of the main financiers of Mandela’s African National Congress.” We leave to the Ethiopians to figure out who is being equated with Mandela in this article. We are more interested in this: many supporters of Isaias Afwerki will actually think that comparing him to Kaddafi is some form of compliment. EU-AU Summit Issues Lisbon Declaration: It turns out to be a European version of “Akeba b’Awet tezazimu,” where people agree on nothing except when to hold the next meeting: “We believe that this Summit will be remembered as a moment of recognition of maturity and transformation in our continent to continent dialogue, opening new paths and opportunities for collective action for our common future.” Sure it will. The comedians will renew their empty vows in 2010.
Eritrean Regime Snatching Eritreans From Sudan: VOA reports that the Eritrean Research and Documentation Center has written a letter to Antonio Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, alerting him that "Sudan has allowed Eritrean intelligence agents to kidnap some of the refugees and return them to Eritrea." The government of Sudan issues and ignores directives on this issue and it is not clear if this will deter the Eritrean regime: as Awate reported on Nov 20 "the intelligence officers of the Eritrean regime treat Eastern Sudan as one of their provinces and do not seek permission to cross the border and snatch Eritreans." TB Spreading At Eritrean Refugee Camps: nharnet.com, ELF-RC's website, reports that almost 50% of the Eritreans camped at the refugee centers of Abooda and Umgurgur are suffering from the ravages of TB. The report attributes this to malnutrition and lack of medical care and states that the UNHCR has, thusfar, taken no measures to address this development. Article in Tigrigna Eritrean Regime Arrests 35 Citizens In Halhal: Adoulis.com reports that 35 Eritreans who were protesting the Eritrean dicatatorship's land distribution in Halhal were arrested on November 27th. The website lists the names of seven of the individuals arrested.- AU-EU: Towards An Empty Resolution (Part 1): The summit between the European and African Unions, which began with a concert on Friday evening, is set to discuss a sweeping range of issues, from climate change to democratic governance. All 53 heads of government of the AU, the leaders of 26 out of 27 EU member states and top officials from the EU and AU bureaucracies are attending the meeting, which is the first in seven years and only the second such summit ever. Their talks began with ten presentations on key areas for future cooperation: peace and security, good governance and human rights, energy and climate change, trade, and migration. One leader from each side made a presentation on each issue. For less than meets the eye click here
Bordering On Abandonment: The West is creating as much distance between itself and a potential Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict—while all but concluding that the war is a foregone conclusion. While attempting to explain why the border ruling has not been implemented, and why war is likely, the Economist committed a heresy against the “final and binding” nature of the decision: “The truth is that the original agreement was flawed and never should have been structured under the "final and binding" framework without the proviso of further talks once an initial boundary had been proposed by the EEBC.” Meanwhile, on 12/6, the State Department, in an oddly phrased announcement, explained US policy on the border dispute. Little noticed was the statement “whether and how” the EEBC border demarcation decision is implemented “is the responsibility of Eritrea and Ethiopia.” The inference is that how the EEBC ruling is implemented or even whether it is implemented at all is not the responsibility of the Witnesses to the Algiers Agreement or the UN.
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Two Tyrants In A Tent: The leader of the brotherly country of Eritrea and the Brother Leader of the Revolution of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya met in a tent on December 6. Just as they did on October 21, just as they did on October 9, just as…you get the idea. Each one, using his state media monopoly, then explained what they did and what they discussed. The Brother Leader’s website says that he served a dinner banquet in honor of the brotherly leader, then had discussion on subjects including another of his loony ideas, “the United States of Africa.” The website of the leader of the brotherly country is coy about the “United States of Africa”, preferring to use generic phrase of “affairs of the African Union.” Plus, there was no mention of the banquet. Coaliton of the very, very unwilling: UNSG Ban Ki Moon had indicated that it is up to a “coalition of the willing” to volunteer to bring peace and stability in Somalia. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was interviewed by Ethiopia TV on December 5th regarding the delay in bringing about a multinational force to Somalia. You can read the transcripts of the interview here. Excerpts: SECRETARY RICE: “…But I am working hard, we're all working hard to find other forces to supplement the Ugandan and Burundi forces.” QUESTION: “Who are going to be those forces?” SECRETARY RICE: “Well, I'm talking to a number of countries. I think there are a number of possibilities, but it's going to help if there's also a sense of growing stability for the Somali Transitional Government, because after all, no one really wants to be in a circumstance in which the violence is increasing. And so there's a lot of work to do, but we are -- that's one reason that I'm here, is to raise awareness of it and to see if we can come to some solutions.” Solo Act of the very, very willing: Meanwhile, with no parliament or congress to approve or reject his proposals, the all-powerful dictator Isaias Afwerki has shown that he is very, very willing to train and arm the Somali Islamists even if this raises the ire of the US. From the same interview mentioned above: QUESTION: Interesting. Where do you stand on the issue of Eritrea? Secretary Frazer several months ago said that you are planning -- that the U.S. Government is planning to put Eritrea on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. What are you -- SECRETARY RICE: Well, we are looking at exactly that because we are very concerned about the efforts of Eritrea and what it is doing. And in fact, we have taken some steps because the support for irregular forces, for terrorist forces is simply unacceptable. We hope, at the same time, that there can be efforts for Eritrea and Ethiopia to keep open dialogue or, I should say, to open dialogue about their problems. But the support of Eritrea for forces that are destabilizing is problematic and we've made that very clear. Secretary of State Clarifies US Policy On The Border Dispute: The Bureau for African Affairs has issued a fact sheet which explains the US position: comply with the EEBC ruling, engage directly to discuss issues that divide the. The US throws the issue back to Eritrea and Ethiopia: "The EEBC’s demarcation decision by map coordinates is the responsibility of Eritrea and Ethiopia, the parties to the Algiers Agreements, to decide whether and how to implement." [Emphasis added] Coming soon: three responses by Sophia Tesfamariam and two fuming editorials by Shabait "staff." Lions Among US: RSF Names Eritrean Seyoum Tsehaye “Journalist of the Year”: Seyoum Tsehaye “is one of 15 journalists being held in secret locations since 2001 when all non-government media groups were shut.” In 2002, another journalism watchdog group, CPJ, honored another Eritrean journalist, Joshua Yohannes, with its “International Press Freedom Award.” And in 2007, CPJ narrated the tragic story of the death of journalists Joshua Yohannes and journalist Paulos Kidane, both in the custody of the Eritrean regime. The heroism of Eritrea’s independent journalists, which has been recognized by international institutions already, will, in time, be told to future generations of Eritreans who will find it highly inspiring. RSF’s moral clarity on this issue is admirable: "The Paris-based group asked why Europe had not raised as many objections to President Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea as it had to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe." Yes, why indeed?
A No-Suicide Pact: Meles is convinced that if there is a war, it will destroy Isaias: "If Eritrea opened war against us then that will be a suicidal move…I don’t believe Eritrean government will dare to take such a suicidal move that will vanish him." Isaias is convinced that if there is a war, it will destroy Meles: “the next aggression the enemy ever tries against the Eritrean people will not only be dealt by a crushing defeat but will also be an end to their very existence and despicable history once and for all!” At least they are talking, in their own haughty ways. Isaias’s Sudanese & Ethiopian “Guests”: The Indian Ocean Newsletter (ION) (subscription) has a good piece on all the revolutionaries congregating in Asmara as guests of Isaias Afwerki and how the guests are taught to keep the noise up or down, depending on the orders of the host: “…Sudanese rebels of the Eastern Front were used for military actions against Sudan and later for peace negotiations with Khartoum but were later sent back home. In 2005, the Darfur rebels present in Asmara were briefly “sequestrated” to make them adopt the strategy determined by Eritrea. Certain disgraced rebels were suddenly handed hefty bills for their stay in Asmara, a tab hitherto picked up by the Eritrean authorities. The fate of others was much less enviable. One EPPF leader, Tesfaye Getachew, died under torture in Eritrea, while his rival, Colonel Tadesse is under house arrest. The same happened to the former general secretary of the OLF turned dissident, Galasso Dilbo. As for the former Somalian warlord Hussein Aideed, who has been living in Asmara for several months, he is believed to be under high surveillance because Eritrea sees this former GI as a US agent.” Insurgents In Their Last Throes And Other Urban Legends: Why did Eritrea and Ethiopia go to war in 1998, 1999 and 2000? “Because the Weyane were bragging they would have breakfast in Adiquala and lunch in Asmara!” “Because Shaebia was bragging it would have breakfast in Mekele and lunch in Addis!” These are the urban legends repeated by each side, without citing a source. Now, Meles, addressing Ethiopian MPs, has added another one, this time to explain Ethiopia’s war with Somalia: “The forces gathered under the UIC were planning to conquer Addis Ababa and pray at the Grand Anwar Mosque within one week by attacking the country from South, East, North and creating internal unrest, according to Prime Minister Meles.” Source It Is "Diplomatese" for Limbo: And the game is, “how low can you set the expectations?” If things don’t work out, they were not expected to anyway. If things work out, it is a testimony to the brilliance of the politician. In this case, the politician is Sec of State Condi Rice; the trip is her visit to Ethiopia; the purpose is to calm down the Great Lakes and the Horn, and… "I want to lower your expectations that this meeting will result in ... (renegade General Laurent) Nkunda and FDLR all leaving," Rice's pointwoman on African affairs, Jendayi Frazer, told reporters in a pre-visit briefing. Expect Less Here Oh God, not again: Another one of those impossible-to-explain government acts that afflict Muslim nations. In Iran, women cannot go to a football stadium because they shouldn’t watch men in shorts. But they can watch the same men in shorts on TV. In Sudan, it is blasphemy to name a teddy bear Muhammad…even if 20/23 of the children voted for the name. Imagine if, in the US, Muhsen Muhammed, who plays for the Chicago Bears had a bad game (eg. against the NY Giants last weekend.) Should he change his name because…isn’t that some sort of blasphemy? How about when Muhammed Ali lost boxing matches, was he bringing shame on the name? Grrrrr.
Four Winds Archive
November 2007
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