Lt. Kidane is a pen name for a contributor who writes from Asmara ("belly of the beast.")  His articles are translated to English by awate.com.   This articles deals with the fate of those who out of love of their country, or because they miss their country, or are forced to return to their country, find themselves in Eritrea.  And how the PFDJ deals with them.
 

Of all the prisons they have designed, Meiter is the most inaccessible locality so far. Anyone once taken to Meiter will never ever be able either to communicate with his kin or flee from the place. It is so far from the nearest towns and too arid that even if you are allowed to go on your own, you will come back for fear of death due to thirst. These returnees, even if allowed to meet with their family for a fraction of a second, will move to that place in due time. The PFDJ will try any means to hoodwink the public till those remaining in Libya and Egypt come back. After all of them arrive, Meiter will be full to capacity.

In time, this information will leak out, and nobody will believe their lies, but the PFDJ does not think long term, they only live in the present, by covering one lie with another lie. If there was honest government, they would ask all the returnees from Egypt: which colonel, which general did you or your family have to bribe to get you out of the country? The answer to that question is the same always, it is the same colonels and generals who are the body guards of The Man [Isaias Afwerki], keeping him in power! 

Talk in a year and ask, "where are the returnees?"  They shall tell you, "they are fulfilling their national duty!"  In Eritrea, to spend time in jail for long periods is a "national duty"!


DEATH OF M/SALEH M/HAGOS 

Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Hagos was a voluntary returnee.  He could have been a millionaire in any country in the world.  In 1996, he relocated from England to Eritrea when the PFDJ was experimenting with "privatisation" and selling some factories.   I think he was close to Yamane Charlie [Yemane Gebremeskel.] When all is said and done, what readers should know about Mohammed Hagos is that he was the only businessman who survived all economic sanctions of PFDJ and made his factory an exemplary business entity. Of course this is not a scenario wanted by the PFDJ. Well, everybody knew that while all other private factories were shut down due to lack of raw materials Mohammed could not stay for a long time. He was such a versatile man that he outsmarted the PFDJ in everything. In spite of everything they did to hinder him, he was able to keep his factory running to the disenchantment of PFDJ bosses. They finally ordered him to sell his product to no one but Dukan Hidri [“Trustee Shop”, run by the party-owned Red Sea Trading Corporation.]  

People still remember that, at one time, he was forced to minimise his labour force and he bid them farewell weeping profusely. The PFDJ, after his death, claimed that an autopsy will be made and took the corpse to the hospital. Needless to say, nothing will come out of this exercise. It is the usual make-believe scenario. 

The hypothesis is that the PFDJ thugs have liquidated him in a bid to confiscate the establishment. This is what people in Asmara are saying. These days people are afraid for their security because the military is increasingly harassing and detaining people for no reason at all. After taking them to the infamous Adi Abeito [prison], they release the wealthy ones after making them pay a heavy fine. It is a case of out-of-control government, a mafia like the ones we hear about in South America.   

BELES SEASON 

The Beles are voluntary returnees.  For ten months, the Beles (Diaspora Eritreans) watch Eri-TV which tells them how wonderful life is in Eritrea.  When they come to visit, they tell us the residents that we are wrong, we exaggerate, and that we should be patient with our government!  By the time they leave, after they have been in the country for only two weeks, they are the biggest complainers and they can't wait to leave.  They are cursing the government, and swearing they will never return!

Especially at moments like now with shortage in everything. Asmara is still suffering from kerosene, buthane gas and charcoal shortages. While no one has received a single cylinder, PFDJ functionaries are claiming that trucks with gas have arrived. Buthane gas and kerosene is now to be distributed by quota.

Everything is either unaffordable or unavailable. 

Things are so bad in Eritrea, the Beles are storming their airlines and begging them to change their tickets so they can leave early.  Until next year, because after they watch 10 months of Eri-TV, they will be rushing to come back!