درسانمن
الحرب الأهلية فى
الثورة الاريترية ..
الى أولاد عبدالله
أدريس .. ودعاة
الكونفدرالية مع
إثيوبيا – الحلقة
الرابعة
8/4/2010م
خاص : بــ " القرن الأفريقى "
هذا موضوع حساس جدا لكثير من
قراء هذا الموقع ، البعض منهم
ربما قد يستغرب عن أسباب
طرحنا مثل هذه القضايا فى
مثل هذه الظروف العصيبة
التى تمر بها إريتريا
بالذات ؟ ونحن نقول ،
فى الوقت الذى تخطط ، وتعمل
فيه زمرة الويانى ،
وأسيادها فى واشنطن
لزعزعة الأمن والاستقرار فى
اريتريا ، تعطى
المواقع الإلكترونية
المحسوبة على النظام الحاكم
فى اريتريا كما يقول البعض
، أو يعتقد معظم قراء
هذه المواقع فى المهجر "
مسكرم – كوم – عنسبا كوم –
اللينالكى كوم - دهلك
كوم ،
اسمرينوا كوم – افرو كوم
- وغيرها من المواقع نموذجاً
- دون علم النظام
، للأعداء بصب الزيت فى
النار والترويج لفكرة تقسيم
اريتريا بين المسلمين والمسيحيين
وان كانت بطريقة غير مباشرة
، وسيأتي يوم
لمناقشة هذه المؤامرة
وكشف اسرارها ، كما فعلنا
مع مؤامرة مجموعة
ملتقى برلين - والتى
تحول اسمها بعد ستة أشهر
الى مجموعة الــ " 15 " والسؤال
هنا ماذا يريدون هؤلاء
؟ هل هذا الحقد بدأ ينفث سمومه من
الصدور؟ الذي أنا متأكد منه.. أن
أهل اريتريا مسلمين
ومسيحيين لا يريدون ذلك
إطلاقا وأنا مسؤول عن كلامي
مسؤولية تامة. إذاً َمن يطالب
بتقسيم اريتريا على أسس
طائفيى هما اثنان لا ثالث لهما ..
الإمام الغائب عبدالله
إدريس ، وأولاده الخمسة
الموضوعة صورهم اعلاه
While a friend and supporter of Ethiopia,
the United States nevertheless cannot remain
silent on censorship, which runs counter to
the country's constitution.
"..government there appears to now have turned its attention
to VOA's Internet service in the East African nation.
Numerous reports have been received that VOA's website is
unavailable inside Ethiopia,..
Ethiopia´s minority ruling Tigire People´s Liberation
Front´s (TPLF) kangaroo court meted out death sentences
and life imprisonments to scores of Oromo political
prisoners on the eve of the Easter holiday, but some
Euro-American yellow journalists pretended that did not
happen.
On March 17, Eritrea’s
Ministry of Information released a press
statement in response to the annual country Human
Rights (HR) reports by the US State Department. This
is how the statement started:
..“As usual, the 2009 “Country Reports on Human
Rights” issued by the US State Department is replete with
unsubstantial, politically motivated, accusations and double
standards. Factual inaccuracies aside, what finds one more
intriguing is the omission in this annual report, as indeed
was the case in previous years, of any “appraisal” of the
human rights violations of the United States itself both
domestically and in its foreign engagements. Apparently, the
United Sates can take the liberty to judge other sovereign
countries but shies away from even a nominal introspection
of its own track record. Yes, the United States is a global
power, but this does not endow it with special treatment or
a blanket waiver against accountability.”
Last Three Months
WHY
THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA..
We Count! The Black Agenda is the American Agenda
03/20/10 9:03AM
The regime seems to prepare
the society for participatory governance,
We in the opposition, camping in Addis, seem to
threaten and agitate for religo-ethnic civil war.
Asmara — Hagaz 4 April 4 2010 -The
inhabitants of 7 administrative areas of
Hagaz sub-zone have recently elected
their local administrators. The
elections were conducted in Shebek, Adi-Omar,
Hashishay, Gelieya, Ashera, Awenjeli
administrative areas.
The Administrator of Hagaz sub-zone, Mr.
Idris Mohammed reminded that the newly
elected administrators to responsibly
execute their duties and diligently work
for the development of their surrounding
areas.
The election of Area administrators and Acting heads was
conducted in Adi-Keih sub-zone to substitute the previous
ones whose task has terminated due to various reasons.
Adi-Keih, 02 April 2010 – The election of Area
administrators and Acting heads was conducted in Adi-Keih
sub-zone to substitute the previous ones whose task has
terminated due to various reasons.
In the election conducted in the administrative areas of
Unabur and Haineba, the inhabitants elected 2 ...
Department of Public Information • News and Media Division •
New York
Security Council Committee on Somalia and Eritrea Revises
Its Guidelines
On 30 March 2010, the Security Council Committee pursuant to
resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia
and Eritrea adopted revised guidelines for the conduct of
its work. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/751/index.shtml
March 26, 2010 (WASHINGTON) — The Sudanese government has
rejected a draft resolution by the Arab League foreign
ministers condemning Eritrea for occupying parts of Djibouti
prompting anger among other states at the Libyan city of
Sirte, the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera TV said.
The Doha based TV said that a large number of Arab countries
slammed Sudan for taking this position but it is not clear
Somalia's president wants thousands of troops trained in
Kenya to be deployed to Mogadishu for an upcoming offensive
against Islamist militants, but Kenya has denied the
request, yet another complication for a military campaign
that has already been delayed several times, officials said.
The fact that Kenya could veto Somali wishes for the
deployment of its own troops underscores that the Kenyan
government wields power in the neighboring country, which
has a weak, UN-backed government.
WASHINGTON -
Samuel Abrahaley Fessahazion,
23, an Eritrean national, has
pleaded guilty to helping
smuggle illegal aliens to the
United States for private
financial gain, following an
investigation by U.S.
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) and U.S.
Custom and Border Protection (CBP).
The Ministry of Education would organize a national
workshop on Arabic language education in Eritrean
schools from April 9 to 10 at Hotel Asmara Palace.
Asmara, 31 March 2010 - T
PART I
Criticism with Love from
leaders of the black community?
The 6th Annual Conference of the Young PFDJ kicked off
today, April1, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.
Held under the theme ‘Eritrea’s National Interest and
Security,’ the conference coincides with the 40th
anniversary of the establishment of the Eritrean Popular
Forces, the predecessor to the EPLF and later the PFDJ
Interview with
President Isayas
Il 26 Marzo 2010 alle 17:1
Panorama News 26 marzo 2010 - Iniziative
Eritrea supports terrorism?A
Word from the President
Afeworki
Isaias Afeworki,
64, a former military chief
of the Liberation Front, in
power for almost twenty
years, is in the crosshairs
of Washington, the UN and
humanitarian organizations
who accuse him of supporting
the Islamists in Somalia,
have established a brutal
dictatorship, to stifle
dissent and violate the
fundamental rights of the 5
million Eritreans. For
three hours, during a rare
exclusive interview,
Afeworki responded to
requests for Panorama.
Some of the questions asked by
Panorama in Italian with google translation.
The sanctions were imposed because you
are accused of supporting Shabab.
She is accused of arming and training
Islamic fundamentalists in Somalia.How
would you respond?
Eritrea is compared to North Korea.How does it feel?
The international isolation, a one-party
regime ...
In Eritrea, as in Korea there are violations of
human rights, no freedom of press, political
opponents end up in prison
Why you almost Eritrea expelled all NGOs
and UN agencies?
But what problems have arisen with the
UN agencies?
Eritrea has a one-party regime and there
are free elections.How
would you describe the political system of his
country?
How can you say that there is a
one-party regime?.There are no
opposition parties.
But think in the future to introduce a
multiparty system and free elections?
But how can people participate in
nation-building if there are no parties?How
people can express themselves?
And freedom of the press?Freedom
of expression?The
ability to express their opinions?
As I look closely at the stagnation and
ineffectiveness state of the opposition in general
and EDA in particular sadly but, truly convinced
myself; the reason being leadership issue—the EDA is
infested with pseudo-leaders. Since its creation---EDA;
some of its leaders vested their energy and
resources in conflict with one another, throwing
elbows so to speak at each other every time they got
a chance playing politics to consolidate and grab
power, and in doing so ignoring the plight of our
suffering people and thus allow themselves becoming
the life support aiding and abiding the crumbling
and dying regime.
Discussions of leadership are intertwined with
issues of responsibility, vision and authority.
Western philosophy assumes that there is no morally
valid leadership without the consent of the led
.
Embassy of the State of Eritrea, London – UK
Embassy Media Working Group (EMWG) 24-03-2010,
London UK Eritreans
in Scotland condemn UN sanctions on Eritrea
In a seminar conducted in Glasgow, Scotland on
Friday 19th March 2010, the Eritrean Community in
the Scotland denounced US led unjust and illegal
UNSC sanctions imposed on Eritrea and reaffirmed to
stand alongside their people and government to
defend the national security of the country.
Association of Disabled Eritreans in North America,
Inc.
North America
Chapter of the Association of Disabled Eritreans
formed.
The Association of Disabled Eritreans in North
America, Inc was officially formed under the
provisions of the District of Columbia NonProfit
Corporation Act on 9th day of March 2010
and complied with the requirements of the Internal
Revenue Service.
Daniel Teklehaimanot takes first
place at the 36th Grand Prix Tilers,
Daniel
Teklehaimanot from Eritrea was awarded yesterday the
36th GP Tilers, having completed the last 34 miles
alone.
Mar 25th, 2010 :World Cycling Centre (WCC) trainee,
the Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot, left his mark on
the roads of Alsace at the weekend when he won the
Grand Prix des Carreleurs.
Ethiopia cracks down on biggest ethnic group: party
Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:57pm GMT
By Barry Malone ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's
most populous ethnic group is being targeted in a
government crackdown ahead of the country's first
national election since a disputed 2005 poll, an
opposition party said on Friday.
Rights
group: Ethiopia cracks down before May vote
Updated March 24, 2010
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia's government is
waging a coordinated attack on rights activists,
journalists and political opponents ahead of the
country's national elections in May, a leading human
rights group said Wednesday. Some radio broadcasts
from the Voice of America were jammed by the
government earlier this month, and the country's
most prominent i..
Forget about democracy
Mar 25th 2010 | NAIROBI | From The Economist print
edition
..Meles Zenawi, brazenly says he will continue to
jam the signal for as long as it incites what he
calls hatred. He has compared the Amharic service to
the hate speech spewing from Radio Mille Collines,
which helped provoke Rwanda’s genocide in 1994. The
State Department called the comment inflammatory but
seems loth to make Mr Zenawi suffer for it.
The
Empowered and Energized Eritrean-American Youth
Steps Up to the Plate and Claims Role To Defend
and Bring Change to the Nation !
Eritrean-American Youth Organize
E-SMART Action Day
Washington, DC 23 March 2010: Eritrean Americans and friends of Eritrea
are conducting an “Action Day” throughout the United States of America
regarding the unfair, unjust and illegal Security Council Resolution
1907, which was adopted on 23 December 2009.The action Day is being
organized by Eritrean –American Youth throughout the US.
This event is a follow-up to the 22 February 2010 massive
worldwide demonstrations held in San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, Geneva, Switzerland and Melbourne, Australia to protest
the unjust, unfair and illegal sanctions imposed on Eritrea.
International Task Force
on Eritrea
March 17, 2010
On
Prof. Dr. Cees Hamelink’s Interview with Radio Voice of Eritrea, Halifax
He described the UNSC-imposed
sanctions against Eritrea and its people as “a
collective punishment
which must be condemned and repelled immediately.”
Introduction
An extensive, thorough and
successful discussion was held with Prof. Dr. Cees Hamelink, a professor in
international communication and human rights at the
University of Amsterdam
, in the form of an interview organised by the
International Task Force
in close collaboration with Radio Voice of Eritrea, Halifax, on March 14,
2010. At the said interview, on the basis of the set of questions posed to
him, Prof. Dr. Cees Hamelink undertook a detailed discussion on the role of
the UN in the contemporary world in general and on the UNSC sanctions and
arms embargo imposed against
Eritrea in particular.
Of utmost importance to us at the
International Task Force on Eritrea , and what we are very keen to quote
directly here, are the very revealing statements the Professor made on the
sanctions, what they actually constitute and how they will affect the
country and its people. Prof. Dr. Cees Hamelink indeed described sanctions
in general “as a silent killer of innocent people, comparable to the
violent acts of terrorists.” Furthermore, he described the UNSC-imposed
sanctions against Eritrea and its people as “a
collective punishment
which must be condemned and repelled immediately.” Prof. Dr. Cees
Hamelink also called for the total restructuring of the UN system in general
and the
Security Council as it exists and operates at present. And referring
to five permanent members of the Security Council, he stated that arms
procuring and merchant countries cannot be the promoters and enforcers of
peace and stability in the world, as this is against their immediate and
long-term economic interests. He did, in fact, call for the abolition of the
UNSC as it operates today and its replacement by an inclusive, democratic
and accountable Security Council.
EVIDENCE THINS...disband the SMG!
Eritrea finds partners in
accusing the Somalia Monitoring Group of lack convincing evidence.
Somali government, US Government (
accused of supplying arms to TFG), WFP, Puntland,
DEEQA ..
Clearly, Somalia can be a
difficult place to find the truth. New York Times
Some of the fiercest criticism of the
report has come from United Nations officials defending the World
Food Program, BY
JEFFREY GETTLEMAN.
March 16, 2010
Somali officials from Puntland, a pirate
haven in northern Somalia, denied the allegations that they were
collaborating with pirates and called the report “a feeble attempt
to defame” the Puntland president.
EVIDENCE
THINS
A Western diplomat told Reuters it was
regrettable the charges against Eritrea could not be more widely
substantiated,
...Persistent, low-intensity warfare between these
various groups demands a steady flow of arms, ammunition and military or
dual-use equipment. These items continue to enter Somalia in violation
of the general and complete arms embargo imposed in 1992, at a fairly
steady rate. Primary sources of supply remain Yemen and Ethiopia,
although contributions to the Transitional Federal Government from the
United States, Uganda and other parties have also entered Somali arms
markets. Eritrea — once a major sponsor of armed
opposition groups — appears to have scaled down its military assistance
while continuing to provide political, diplomatic and
possibly financial support. There
has been little overall change in the types of arms and ammunition
entering Somalia, but the Monitoring Group has observed that small
numbers of heavy mortars and wire-guided anti-tank weapons are now
employed by armed opposition groups....
Press Release
Monday, 15 March 2010 10:33 |
Yet
another but no different defamatory report scheduled to be
presented to the Security Council this week in the name of the
United Nations has been issued alleging that ‘Eritrea continues
to extend support to Somali armed groups in violation of the
sanctions against it’.
Such a concocted
baseless and unfounded allegation on the air, resorted to under
the guise of the UN, can never deceive any naïve party. It is
indisputable that Eritrea had not and would never extend any
support to Somali armed groups.
Hence, the Government of Eritrea challenges those quarters
indulging in utterly baseless allegations through fabricating
and disseminating naked lies in the name of the UN in a bid to
cover up their bankrupt and shameful stance to present their
case to an independent and open platform if at all they have any
concrete evidence as they pretend.
ASMARA, March 16 (Reuters) - Eritrea has responded angrily to a report
by a U.N. monitoring group alleging that the Asmara government is still
supporting insurgent groups fighting the Somali administration.
In December, the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea,
accusing it of backing rebel groups in Somalia, where at least 21,000
people have been killed in violence since the beginning of 2007
NAIROBI, Kenya —
Somalia’s president on Tuesday blasted a
recent United Nations report that characterized the government’s
security forces as ineffective and corrupt and said that as much as
half the
food aid to the country was routinely stolen.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -
Members of the U.N. Security Council want an
outside investigation of charges of widespread
diversion of U.N. aid to radical Islamist rebels
in Somalia,
Mexico's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday.
Eritrea
is Unjustly Criminalized, Says Official Monday, 15 March
2010
A top official of Eritrea’s government says the administration
is vindicated after a United Nations report said Asmara’s
support for hard line Somali insurgents had either diminished or
become less visible
“We are not only vindicated that is the reality and that is what
we’ve been saying. And we have never ever supplied any
ammunition or financial support to anybody in Somalia. So, we
have been criminalized and unjustly accused for our thinking out
of the box, for just simply saying that Somalis must be left
alone and they should resolve their problem through their
internal dynamic reconciliation conference,” he said
Eritrean refugee in Halifax commits
suicide after losing case to stay in Canada
By ROBIN ARTHUR Special
An Eritrean refugee in Halifax killed himself in late
February after losing an asylum appeal to Canada’s Immigration and
Refugee Board. Habtom Kibraeb, 40, was found dead, hanging from a tree
in the Clayton Park area.
Kibraeb had spent several years on the run from
Eritrea’s military, says Beku Feshaye, who owns Kilimanjaro Café, a
store on Titus Street in Halifax.
NAIROBI — Eritrea
continued to support last year armed
Islamist groups fighting the Somalia
government in violation of an arms
embargo and new UN sanctions, UN experts
concluded in a report.
...The reported also said that, "Arms,
ammunition, or dual-use equipment continue to enter Somalia
in violation of the general and complete arms embargo
imposed in 1992, at a fairly steady rate."
Primary sources of this supply remained
Yemen and Ethiopia, it said
NAIROBI — The Somali government's military
forces are ineffective and corrupt, despite international
assistance, and it remains dependent on foreign troops for
survival, UN experts concluded in a report.
The Monitoring Group on Somalia also said
in its report to be presented to the UN Security Council
this week that Eritrea continued to support armed Islamist
groups fighting the Somali government in violation of an
arms embargo
Mendefera, 11
March 2010 –
President Isaias
Afwerki today
inspected the
progress of
development
programs in the
Southern region,
during which he
met with
representatives
of the people.
In
the course of a
visit to Kaqbda
Dam in Dubarwa
sub-zone
constructed by
Bidho
Construction
Company, the
President met
with the
exemplary
farmer, Mr.
Gebremichael
Gebremeskel, who
has been
carrying out
impressive soil
and
water
conservation
activities in
the area for
more than 40
years, and
observed his
work
achievements.
President Isaias
asserted that
the necessary
support would be
provided to
him.
Security
Council Report Monthly Forecast March 2010
..Expected Council Action In March the Council is expected to focus primarily on the
Somalia sanctions regime. The Sanctions Monitoring Group is due to
report to the Sanctions Committee before its current mandate expires on
20 March. It
may also provide information and recommendations regarding the sanctions
imposed by the Council on Eritrea in December 2009. Proposals of
additional names for targeted sanctions are also possible. The Committee
has still not designated any individuals or entities for targeted
sanctions despite the fact that it is now 15 months since it was given
the power to do so.
Council Dynamics
It seems that Council members are having difficulties with
designations of individuals and entities for targeted measures. Some
members supporting implementation of the regime often explain the delay
as resulting from the lengthy domestic procedures involved in producing
designation proposals.
...There appears to be
general support among Council members for designations if there is
sufficient evidence. However, positions are likely to remain vague until
there are concrete proposals on the table.
It seems that attempts to designate Eritrean
nationals could be controversial. Libya, which voted against resolution
1907, has left the Council, but several other members only reluctantly
supported the targeted measures against Eritrea and China abstained. New
members like Brazil and Lebanon seem to be generally cautious on
sanctions and prefer a more balanced approach.
On the wider issues related to Somalia, most Council
members appear to believe the Council is already doing as much as it can
and that the main challenge now lies in implementation of what is
already in place.
The UK is the lead country on Somalia in the Council.
Somalia Monitoring Group creates
controversy
DEEQA says ..You don't have evidence
"..We learned that most information that the SMG uses is apparently
derived from second- and third-hand statements from individuals living
in a war-torn, chaotic environment, or at a remove in the cafes or on
the streets of Nairobi, rendering it
virtually impossible to test for reliability. We were surprised to learn
that the SMG's formal protocols and procedures permit -- indeed, embrace
-- reliance on such hearsay information. ."
DEEQA, (Accused by the Somalia Monitoring
Group (SMG) of participating in large-scale diversion of the UN World
Food Program (WFP) humanitarian aid effort.)
NAIROBI, Kenya,
March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The New York Timescarried a front-page
story on March 9 saying that a report is
forthcoming from the UN Somalia Sanctions Committee alleging large-scale
diversion of the UN World Food Program (WFP) humanitarian aid effort. An
advance copy of the report was leaked to the Times by unknown
parties perhaps seeking to build external support for the report prior
to its official adoption by the UN Security Council.
According to the Times, the Sanctions Committee report contains
accusations that DEEQA, as a principal food-delivery contractor in the
Somalia WFP, participated in the alleged diversion of aid.
Despite new threats
aimed at America and growing concerns over Al
Qaeda's influence in war-ravaged Somalia, the U.S.
government announced on Friday that it would not be
offering any "direct support" to the fragile
government there.
"This is not an American
conflict," Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson told
reporters. "It will be up to the Somalis to
ultimately resolve this conflict."
The State Department organized a
"special briefing" ...
International scholarly attention and support is the
goal. International Task Force on Eritrea
Meskerem 311-2010:
The spokesman of the The International Task Force on Eritrea told
meskerem that one of the main objectives of the International Task
Force on Eritrea is to bring into the open, in the international
arena, the issue of the illegal and unjust sanctions against the
Eritrean people and nation. To this end, the Task Force is discussing
and negotiation with prominent professors in international law in the
US, Canada and Europe, including, the London School of Economics
and Political Science, Georgetown University in Washington, DC and Brown
University in New York. A highly respected think tank organization in
Belgium has also been approached.
The Task Force intends to host a high level international conference
this summer with the goal of garnering support for the Eritrean people
in their just struggle to challenge and overcome the sanctions.
Sponsorship for such a conference is being sought, he said.
Special Briefing. U.S.Policy in Somalia:
Briefing Video.
Policy in Somalia ( The briefing text)
Johnnie Carson Assistant Secretary, Bureau
of African Affairs
Ertharin
Cousin, Ambassador to the UN Mission in Rome
Washington, DC,
March 12, 2010
The
Report referred to by Mr. Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of
African Affairs
Somalia Food Aid Bypasses Needy, U.N. Study Says
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN and NEIL MacFARQUHAR
Published: March 9, 2010
..As much as half the food aid sent to Somalia is diverted from needy
people to a web of corrupt contractors, radical Islamist militants and
local United Nations staff members, according to a new Security Council
report (Monitoring Group on Somalia).
COUNCIL on
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Disengaging From Somalia
A bloody war between Somalia's
al-Shabaab militias and the ineffectual,
U.S.-supported Transitional Federal Government
that is backed by African Union troops could
escalate amid reports of an imminent TFG
offensive. In a new
Council Special Report on Somalia, democracy
and governance expert
Bronwyn Bruton argues that the best way for
the United States to fight terrorism and promote
stability in Somalia is a policy of
"constructive disengagement." Not only is an
approach that focuses on humanitarian aid and
development less costly than the current support
of the TFG, she says, a "Somalia left to itself
is in many respects less threatening than a
Somalia that is being buffeted by the winds of
international ambitions to control the country."
You argue in the report
that, in many ways, outside intervention, rather
than its failed state status, is what has
contributed to the rise of Islamic radicals in
Somalia.
Excerpts
“…Access to extensive resourcesand support
from the Middle East (and allegedly
Eritrea, though these claims
have been poorly substantiated) has allowed these Shabaab
leaders to develop an unusual degree of centralized control over several
mixed-clan militia groups.” CFR , left for
preventive action , page 12
“ These attempts are unlikely to succeed, but
Asmara
can exert considerable influence over the Shabaab, and the effort
is worth making. The United States
may also increase its credibility among Islamists in the region by
adopting a more neutral posture between
Eritrea
and Ethiopia.
(Hizbul Islam, for example, has vocally protested the hypocritical
imposition of sanctions on Eritrea,
arguing that Ethiopian military incursions into
Somalia have been far more visible and
destabilizing.)” CFR , left for preventive action ,
U.S. ambassador and special
envoy to Somalia in 1994 and 1995
Reports that the United States is
providing military assistance to the so-called government of Somalia
to help it conquer uncontrolled parts of the capital, Mogadishu,
reveal continued folly in U.S. policy toward that tormented
country.By
Dan Simpson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Dan Simpson
Folly in Somalia
We and the rest of the world ought to
leave the Somalis to their own devices
Disengaging
from Somalia A New Approach
Council on Foreign Relations Press Release Date: March 2010 60 A bloody war between Somalia's
al-Shabaab
militias and the ineffectual, U.S.-supported Transitional Federal
Government that is backed by African Union troops could escalate amid
reports of an imminent TFG offensive. In a new
Council Special Report on
Somalia, A
travel Warning:
Eritrea United
States Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Wed Mar 10
21:04:13 2010.
The U.S. Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens of the
risks of travel to Eritrea and recommends that U.S. citizens defer all
travel thereAustralia
implements UNSC sanctions against Eritrea
On 23 December 2009 the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 1907, imposing sanctions against
Eritrea in response to the ongoing border dispute between Djibouti and
Eritrea, as well as Eritrea’s support to armed groups destabilising
Shabait.com
Asmara, 5 March 2010 – President Omar Hassen Al-Beshir of Sudan,
who conducted a one-day working visit to Eritrea today, said
that the people and Government of Sudan reject the unjust
sanctions Resolution 1907 against Eritrea.
The
Aljazeera interview, the deliberate posting and airing of the interview
when the protests were in full swing to dampen the protest and the
justified public anger at the whole event and at those involved.
On Sunday, Feb 28, 2010 @ 2:00
PM EST Naz of Radio Voice of Eritrea presented
Listen using
Real Player
Journalist Mr. Habtom Yohannes of Holland and Drs. Tsegezab Gebregergis
of International Task Force on Eritrea
Feb 22-2010 US Embassy in Eritrea, in its
websites,
joins meskerem in defending the right of Eritrean-Americans,
other Eritreans and others to protest against the US government without
being intimidated or threatened.
See below.
AFRICOM Chief Offers Support to AU Security
Goals
VOA: Peter Heinlein | Addis Ababa 09 February
201
The United States military command for Africa,
known as AFRICOM, is offering enhanced support
for African Union peace and security
initiatives. The commander, General William
Ward, hailed Ethiopia's decision to supply
badly-needed helicopters to the joint AU/United
Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur. General
William Ward says US role in Somalia is strictly
limited to indirect support for UN-backed
government
More
Ethiopian troops reach in El-berde in southern Somalia
Posted: 2/7/2010 4:02:00 PM
Shabelle:
SOMALIA
EL-BERDE (Sh.
M. Network ) - More heavily armored Ethiopian troops with many
Somali transitional government soldiers have reached at El-berde
village in Bakol region in southern Somalia, witnesses told
Shabelle radio on Sunday.
The AU dared to keep silent.
Video shows Nigeria
'executions'
Nigerian police and military units carried out
extra-judicial killings last year in the aftermath of
clashes with members of a Muslim group in the north of
the country, footage obtained by Al Jazeera appears to
confirm.
Read More
ENA..
Addis Ababa, February 9, 2010 (Addis Ababa) - Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi here on Tuesday discussed with US Africa command commander
General William Ward . Meles on the occasion expressed gratitude to the
US government for its support in hard time of the Ethiopian airlines
crash
"The AU and UN must insist on international
community to enforce the rulings by International Boundary Commission to
end Ethiopia-Eritrea proxy wars in Somalia."
Ethiopia, Eritrea fuelling Somalia war
A year ago there were hopeful signs that after
the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Somalia and the
resignation of President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Somalia factions
would rally around their new leader, President Sheikh Sharif, ..
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat-Somali
Information Minister Tahir Mahmud Gelle has exposed the dangers that
Al-Qaeda's presence poses to Somalia and Yemen as a prelude to future
meddling in other countries by fomenting sedition and wars and planting
instability and insecurity. He called for Arab, African, and
international support to contain terrorism and build the Somali state.
In an interview with the Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of his
participation of the ..
Suddenly, nearly a
month later, in the 1st week of February 2010, Afewarki’s calls for help
from his Eritrean highland Tigrinya supporters in Diaspora emerged after
an AU-summit voiced its unanimous support to the December 23, 2009 UNSC-imposed
sanctions.
There are not enough words to describe what transpired on
Sunday January 31, 2010 during the DC Hizbawi Mekete gathering in
Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City Virginia. It was mesmerizing and
invigorating to witness the passionate, mature, brilliant, determined
gathering of Eritreans who came to reject
..What is now happening in the case of Eritrea , with
an international sanction through the UN Security Council Resolution
1907, is simply nothing other than a new form of confrontation (with the
African country).
The enemy here is managed to cleverly conceal some treacherous
contentment in targeting the victim.
The Western media, especially the US one, plays a vital role in
realizing its devilish goal through publishing a series of news stories
and reports that aimed at tarnishing the image of Eritrean President
Isaias Afewerki, as if he was the new Saddam Hussein of Africa ..
An Ethiopian
judge sentenced an editor to prison on January 29, in connection with a
January 2008 column that criticised Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's
statements about religious affairs in Ethiopia
This article relates to the worldwide covert and overt illegal
activities that the United States government conducts against many
sovereign Third World countries – activities that are incompatible with
international law and norms. It is meant to be supplementary to my
posting of January 14, 2010, which
Dr.
Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
February 02, 2010
The recently published HRW World Report 2010 features a
particular chapter on Eritrea that reflects enormous animosity with, and
particularly bad intentions against, the Red Sea country, while always
being in conformity with the colonial anti-Eritrean policy of
Washington, London, and Paris.
" Across the Gulf of Aden in Somalia, increasing
instability has bizarrely led to military and economic sanctions against
Eritrea, which can only serve to impoverish an already poor people."
February 4, 2010 Thursday: Today, thousands of
Afghans have been slaughtered and 250 British soldiers have returned in
coffins. Bin Laden remains at large despite the presence of over 100,000
foreign troops in Afghanistan. There is still no sign of the war ending,
merely of its continuation and expansion into Pakistan and other
neighbouring countries
APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) The African Union (AU) has
allowed Eritrea to open a diplomatic representation at the AU Commission
’’as soon as possible’’ to enable the authorities of that country to
participate in the meetings of the pan-African organization, APA learns
on Tuesday from a source close to the Union.
This is a brief response to the vitriolic and
vituperatively urgent call made by the so-called Eritrean Global
Solidarity for Eritreans in the Diaspora not to attend the various
peaceful demonstrations being planned in assorted
Calling Toronto
Patriots!
On February 7, 2010 Toronto will be holding a hizbawi mekete in response
to the sanctions imposed on Eritrea by the United Nations Security
Council. All Eritreans in the Greater Toronto Area will be attending
this very historic gathering to defend Eritrea proudly and loudly.
For those of you working please ask for a day off ahead of time. This
gathering will be open to all age groups.
A PRECURSOR TO THE PEACEFUL MARCH
ON WASHINGTON DC FEB 22, 2010
The relatively liberal
mining terms have led more than a dozen foreign companies to get
licenses to explore in Eritrea which analysts expect to accelerate
dramatically in the next five years and provide a lifeline for the
impoverished economy.
Reuters - Tuesday, February 2
By Jeremy Clarke
ASMARA, Feb 1 - An impending mining boom in Eritrea will challenge
oil-rich neighbours to make it easier for foreign companies to prospect
across a massive geological structure in the region rich in base metals
and gold, analysts say.
Eritrea set the government's stake in any mining project at 10 percent
stake in 2008 with an option to buy a further 30 percent, a small claim
compared to other countries in the
AU calls for
implementation of sanctions against Eritrea
APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) The African Union
General Assembly meeting, being held in Addis Ababa on Monday called
for the recently imposed sanctions against Eritrea by the UN
Security Council to be effective without delay.
A
draft declaration by the assembly obtained by APA welcomed the
adoption, by the UN Security Council on 23 December 2009, of a
resolution which imposes sanctions on Eritrea, namely an arms
embargo, travel sanctions, a freeze on the assets of political and
military leaders, among others, for its interference on Somali
affairs.
UN
Chief to name Eritrean diplomat as new special envoy to Sudan
Monday 1 February 2010
January 31, 2010 (SudanTribune) — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on
Sunday said he will name Haile Menkerios, a former Eritrean diplomat as
his special envoy to Sudan making him the third head of the UN Mission
in Sudan.
A NEW FLAG FOR THE
AFRICAN UNION
Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia 31 January 2010-
The African Union today unveiled its new flag at its 14th Ordinary
Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government taking place in
Addis Ababa.
PRESS RELEASE
The leaders are expected to discuss conflicts in Sudan, Somalia and
Madagascar. They are also expected to review the report of the
commission on climate change negotiations held in Copenhagen in
December.
Ethiopian
Airlines plane makes emergency landing
AFP - Jan 29, 2010
NDJAMENA — An Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet which made an emergency
landing in Chad due to a radar problem took off again Friday, but 120 of
its 150 passengers refused to board, airport authorities said. The
plane, a Boeing 737 en route from Dakar ...
Walta Information Center - 11 hours ago
January 30, 2010 -- The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who is currently
the chairperson of the African Union (AU) is lobbying for renewal of his
terms in defiance of an unpublished rule of geographical rotation among
..
Qaddafi,
Mutharika to fight over AU leadership
BBC, Thursday, 28 January 2010
A diplomatic row has broken out at the African Union over attempts to
extend Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's chairmanship of the organisation.
ADDIS ABABA — United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon ruled out
Saturday any deployment of UN peacekeepers in Somalia until the end of
the country's decade-old civil war.
"Practically and realistically it is not possible at this time to deploy
a UN peacekeeping force in Somalia," he told journalists in Addis Ababa
ahead of the African Union summit opening Sunday.
January 29, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – The African Union (AU) Commission Chairman
Jean Ping expressed concern that other parts of Sudan beside the South
may seen a self determination vote in the future.
..“Will the independence of Southern Sudan not lead other players in
Darfur and in other places, which are currently not asking for
independence, to seek independence as Southern Sudan will have done?” he
added.
By John Pomfret,
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 31, 2010; A01
China's indignant reaction to the announcement of U.S. plans
to sell weapons to Taiwan appears to be in keeping with a new
triumphalist attitude from Beijing that is worrying governments
and analysts across the globe.
China suspends military visits with U.S. over planned arms sales to
Taiwan
BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday decided to suspend
scheduled visits between the Chinese and U.S. armed forces, in response
to Washington's plan to sell a package of arms worth about 6.4 billion
U.S. dollars to Taiwan.
"We made the decision out of considerations on the severe harm of the
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan," said Defense Ministry spokesman Huang
Xueping in a statement.
Eritrea Requests the AU to
Respect its Membership Rights
The
Government of Eritrea has urged the African Union to respect
its membership rights and not to discuss any matter
regarding Eritrea at AU Summits convened in Addis Ababa.
Eritrea's concerns are predicted on the following:
i. Ethiopia continues to occupy sovereign
Eritrean territories – including the town of Badme -
by flouting the Algiers Peace Agreement and the Charter of
the African Union; ii. Ethiopia continues to obstruct
Eritrea's right to participate in AU Summits and other AU
meetings in Addis Ababa by its refusal to observe the basic
diplomatic provisions spelled out in the HQ Agreement and
that are extended to all Member States.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Aljazeera
"It's a clear violation of China's sovereignty and territorial
integrity," he said.
Beijing has
suspended military exchanges with the US and threatened sanctions over
Washington's plan to sell arms to Taiwan, according to the official
Xinhua news agency.
The decision was announced on Saturday, just hours
after China cautioned that the US's decision to sell $6.4bn worth
of weapons to Taiwan would cause "serious damage" to relations and
co-operation between
Sarkozy
gives Guelleh his benediction January 30, 2010
Indian Ocean Newsletter
French President Nicolas Sarkozy finally took up the two-year old
invitation from his Djibouti counterpart President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh
(IOG) to visit his country. The visit was indeed lightning, at 11 pm on
19 January when the aircraft taking Sarkozy to Paris on his way back
from Mayotte and Reunion Island stopped for fuel. The Djibouti President
came away a happy man from this nocturnal meeting.
Read more »
China protests U.S. arms
sales plan to Taiwan
BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday expressed
"strong indignation" to the United States decision to sell a
package of arms worth about 6.4 billion U.S. dollars to Taiwan
and warned damage to bilateral ties.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei has lodged a solemn
representation to Jon Huntsman, the U.S. ambassador to China,
after the Pentagon notified the U.S. Congress of the proposed
arms sales to Taiwan, which include Patriot missiles, Black Hawk
helicopters and minesweepers.
APPEAL
TO STOP THE GOVERNMENT OF ETHIOPIA’S CONTINUED MILITARY SIEGE AND
TERRITORIAL AMBITIONS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
Embassy of the State of Eritrea to Japan
January 25th 2010A Realizing that the cross boundary operations by
Ethiopia and military adventurism being conducted, both with-in and
with-out the country’s ethnic federal and national territories continue
to be encouraged and remain unabated by the “international community”;
and
In view of the fact that, On 12 December 2000, Eritrea and Ethiopia
signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Algiers, assisted by mediators
from U.S., the European Union and the Organization of African Unity
currently put on hold due to Ethiopia and its military allies refusal of
its implementation;
The Government of the State of Eritrea appeals to all peace loving
people, political forces and governments to call immediately a stop to
Ethiopia’s continued military siege and territorial ambitions which
constitute a major threat to the current stability, security and
economic development in the sub-region sustained by its military allies
for the last 12 years.
In Support of the Initiative
Amanuel Tseggai
Wed, 27 Jan 2010
...This is truly a testing time for Eritrea and its people that calls
for a well coordinated plan to: 1. tell the world in no uncertainty that
the sanction is illegal and unjust in all its form and shape. 2. seek a
legal action against those who perpetrated such evil act against a
peaceful nation as per UN charter, 3. call for a reverse of the sanction
immediately, and equally important, 4. remind the UN to shoulder its
responsibility and demand for the implementation of the EEBC border
ruling and physical demarcation, as mandated. Ethiopian regime should be
sanctioned if it continues to defy the ruling as per Algier's
agreement...
Response to Letters of Solidarity
Drs. Tsegezab Gebregergis,
London , January 28, 2010
...I salute and welcome you all, my Eritrean brothers, for joining the
No-to-Sanction Front under the guidance of the International Task Force,
and thank you very much for your letters of active solidarity and for
all the incisive points and legally relevant issues you have raised in
your letters written to us, the International Task Force on Eritrea
(ETFE). I am especially referring here to the letters of solidarity
written by our brothers Amanuel Tsegai, Simon Marcos and Stefanos
Kelete....
Canadian
explorer granted extensions to exploration tenements in Eritrea
By: Loni Prinsloo 29th January 2010
The Eritrean government has granted Canadian-explorer
Sunridge Gold extensions to two of its exploration licences that make up
the company’s Asmara project, in the north-eastern African country.
These extensions have increased the overall size of the Asmara project
by about 60%, from 665 km2 to 1 062,5 km2. The extensions expand the
Sunridge exploration licences 5 km to the west and 5 km to the east,
which covers areas where the company believes are continuations of
volcanogenic-massive-sulphide and shear zone gold mineralised trends.
....
IDC
remains committed to funding Eritrea gold/copper/zinc project despite UN
sanctions Creamer Media's Mining Weekly -
Loni Prinsloo 29th January 2010
South Africa’s State-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has
reaffirmed its commitment to providing $89-million in project debt
facilities for the Bisha gold project, in Eritrea, despite the
imposition of a number of sanctions on the Eritrea government. Head of
the IDC’s mining and beneficiation strategic business unit Abel Malinga
tells Mining Weekly that the corporation does not expect the sanctions
to influence the project at all.
Horn of Africa
Westminster Hall debates, 26 January 2010,
11:00 am
Mark Pritchard (Wrekin, The, Conservative) I am grateful for
the opportunity to raise this important matter in the House. The security of the
Horn of Africa is critical for wider geopolitical stability in Africa, the
middle east and here in the United Kingdom. There has been a lot of focus in the
past few weeks on Yemen, which is just a short boat ride across the Gulf of
Aden. This attention is justified, but I hope that although increased attention
is given to Yemen, the fragile and delicate security situation in the horn of
Africa will not be overlooked. I...
INTERVIEW-Eritrea says economy untouched by U.N. sanctions AlertNet Wed,
27 Jan 2010 06:44 AM PST
Source: Reuters * Development programmes to be accelerated * Says U.N. measures
are baseless and illegal By Jeremy Clarke ASMARA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Eritrea
said on Wednesday that its economy will be
Press Release
An International Task Force on Eritrea is formed*
Drs. Tsegezab Gebregergis
London, January 25, 2010
As widely reported already, on Wednesday 23rd
December 2009, sanctions were imposed against
Eritrea and its people in the name of the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC). In reality,
however, the said sanctions have been woven and
executed by theUnited States government in close
consultation with the governments of Ethiopia,
Uganda and the so-called Transitional Federal
Government of Somalia. The sanctions include, among
other things, an arms embargo, travel restrictions
and a freeze on the ..Read
More
Daniel Benjamin
Coordinator, Office
of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
Washington, DC,January
25, 2010
MR. CROWLEY: Good afternoon, and welcome to the
Department of State. This week Secretary Clinton
will travel to London. She’ll leave tomorrow night
and will participate on Wednesday in an
international meeting on Yemen, and then ..
The
UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing sanctions on Eritrea on
the 23rd of December 2009, with full support from the British
government, for allegedly providing financial support to the Somali
insurgents and in relation with the conflict with Djibouti. The
sanctions include an arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes. No
evidence has been presented to substantiate the accusations.
The US military's surge in Afghanistan could counter a
resurgent Taliban and pave the way for a political deal that could end
the war, Nato's commander in the country said today, before a flurry of
diplomatic activity to find a way out of the eight-year conflict. The
comments by General Stanley McChrystal indicate that Thursday's
international conference in London will concentrate on ways to reach a
political settlement with the Taliban.
AGENCIES, 26 January 2010, 12:52am
ISTANBUL: The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan will
seek closer cooperation in the fight against militants during a summit
in Istanbul beginning later Monday, but a plan to reach out to Taliban
insurgents will likely dominate the talks. Afghan president Hamid Karzai
and Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari meet a day ahead of a London
conference where Afghanistan and the international community are set to
agree on a framework for the Afghan government to take responsibility
for its own security. The two men were set to meet on the sidelines of a
summit with Turkey, which has been working behind the scenes to repair
relations between the two, notably over negotiations with the Taliban.
I recently posted an article “Redefining Eritreanisms in The Diaspora”
in an effort to start a discussion about some, who are engaged in
activities designed to undermine the Government and independence of
Eritrea in the name of bringing change.
Their reaction, while expected, was surprising for its ferocity.
An
Ethiopian Airlines passenger aircraft has crashed into the
Mediterranean shortly after taking off from Beirut, air traffic
controllers in the Lebanese capital have said.
Contact was lost with the aircraft shortly
after take-off early on Monday and witnesses reported seeing a
ball of fire plunging into the sea off the coast.
Annual World
Human Rights Report 2010by Human
Rights Watch
This 130-page report documents a dramatic rise in unchecked violence against civilians since June 2007, when the Ethiopian army launched a counterinsurgency campaign against rebels who attacked a Chinese-run oil installation. The Human Rights Watch report provides the first in-depth look at the patterns of abuse in a conflict that remains virtually unknown because of severe restrictions imposed by the Ethiopian government.
220
students graduate from Asmara College of Nursing and Health Technology
Saturday, 23 January 2010 11:48
Shabait.com
A total of 220 students, out of whom 54 are females graduated in diploma
today from the Asmara College of Nursing and Health Technology upon
completion of a 3-year long course in maternity nursing.
Amnesty
International has called for arms transfers to the Somali government
to be suspended until there are adequate safeguards to prevent
weapons from being used to commit war crimes and human rights
abuses.
In its latest briefing paper on the country, Amnesty International
details US shipments of arms, including mortars, ammunition and cash
for the purchase of weapons to the Transitional Federal Government
(TFG).
These transfers were made despite substantial risks that such types
of weapons could be used in indiscriminate attacks by TFG forces, or
diverted to armed groups opposed to the TFG, who also commit gross
and widespread abuses.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
An estimated 300 people have died in violence between Muslims and
Christians in northern Nigeria.
Reports on Saturday said that about 150 bodies had been recovered
from wells in Kuru Jantar, near the city of Jos, where clashes began
last week before spreading to nearby villages.
Locals in Kuru Jantar, also known as Kuru Karama, told Andrew
Simmons, Al Jazeera's Africa editor, that a massacre had taken place in
the village.
They said armed men had surrounded and attacked the village on
Tuesday.
Al Jazeera saw the bodies recovered from wells, as well as the burnt
bodies of children recovered from ransacked houses
Israel charges 2 Eritreans in
extortion ring
Associated Press 2010-01-21 09:27 PM
An Israeli court has charged two Eritrean men in connection with a
cross-border kidnapping and extortion ring.
The indictment says they kidnapped "numerous" Africans who crossed into
Israel through its porous border with Egypt's Sinai desert.
The suspects allegedly demanded ransoms from relatives of the hostages.
Israeli police said dozens of men and women were abducted. Most were
Eritrean.
Hundreds of Africans seeking asylum and jobs try to reach Israel every
year, often with the help of traffickers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he would ask his
Cabinet to move ahead on a planned $400 million fence along parts of
Israel's border with Egypt, meant to prevent the entry of illegal
migrants.
YEMEN: CONFRONTING AL-QAEDA,
PREVENTING STATE FAILURE
Recorded Hearing
Foreign Relations Committee
By Will Ross
BBC News, Nairobi
Published: 2010/01/21 01:04:45 GMT
..Amnesty International wants arms transfers to the Somali government
suspended because it says these weapons are used in indiscriminate
attacks against civilians, especially when mortars are fired.
Puntland
says TFG’s proposal of printing currency is illegal decision
Posted: 1/20/2010 10:26:00 AM Shabelle: SOMALIA
BOSASO (Sh. M. Network) – the officials of the
semi-autonomous region of Puntland have Wednesday said that the TFG’s
proposal of printing current is illegal decision.
Abdikarin Ahmed Guled, the information minister of the semi-autonomous
region of Puntland
Ali Salim
accommodating Free Press? No, thanks.
Who wants repeat of Radio Rwandas?
Having seen the opposition media, most Eritreans now are having second
thought..
Al Jazeera Listening Post
on Eritrea.
Somali
parliament demand Kenya to release (300) Somalis and
(16) MPs
Posted:
1/18/2010 2:06:00 PM
Shabelle:
SOMALIA
MOGADISHU (Sh. M. Network) – the transitional
parliamentarians have Monday demanded the Kenyan
authorities to release the MPs and Somalis, just as the
Kenyan troops attacked several buildings in Nairobi
where they reportedly detained more than 300 Somalis
including lawmakers overnight.
Police
arrest 400 and detain more than a dozen Somali parliament members
following Friday's violent protest by Muslim youths
..Kenyan police and paramilitary forces have arrested as many as 400
Somali immigrants during a security sweep in Nairobi. The sweep
follows a violent protest by Muslim youths in the capital Friday, which
the Kenyan government says was backed by militants in Somalia.
More than a dozen parliament members from Somalia are also being
detained.
Somalia: Eritrean
President Afaworki strongly denounces Al-Shabab
Somaliweyn Media Center (SMC) Mogadishu Friday 15 January
2010
http://www.somaliweyn.org/pages/news/Jan_10/15Jan17.html
The President of Eritrea a tiny country in Africa, which is as well one
of the poorest countries in Africa neighbouring Ethiopia and Djibouti
President Isaias Afaworki, has riotously denounced Al-Shabab a strong
armed Islamist group in Somalia, which opposes the current fragile
government of Somalia led by President Sheikh Shariff Sheikh Ahmed.
"The recent threats from Al-Shabab group in Somalia,
to the government of Yemen is a very awkward, and should be
internationally tackled, and be given especial consideration, the Al-Shababs
should not involve itself in the internal affairs of the Republic of
Yemen" said President Afaworki, given an exclusive interview to Al
Jazeera an international TV channel based in Qatar.
LONDON – Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) Chairman General Kemal Galchu
and OLF Army Commander, General Hailu Gonfa, can move about where ever
they want in Eritrea and are not under house arrest as reported, OLF
insiders told Ethiomedia late Friday.
..Earlier an OLF source said Eritrea has rejeced OLF requests to launch
military operations in Ethiopia, a report which was not denied by the
second OLF source either.
The OLF source, who was speaking anonymously because he was not
authorized to speak to the media, said the individuals who surrendered
to the TPLF regime were not active OLF fighters.
Somalia's
al-Shabaab group has publicly announced its loyalty to al-Qaeda leader,
Osama bin Laden, in a video documentary released recently.
An al-Shabaab official in Mogadishu confirmed the authenticity of the
48-minute film--released for the Eid al-Fitr feast marking the end of
the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, AFP reported.
Entitled 'Labaik ya Osama' (At your service, Osama), the video was
posted on Islamist Internet forums in recent days and is presented as a
'gift to the lions of Tawheed (belief in the oneness of Allah) and the
Muslims everywhere'.
Somalia's
al-Shabaab group has publicly announced its loyalty to al-Qaeda leader,
Osama bin Laden, in a video documentary released recently. "Receive glad
tidings and rejoice, and we are awaiting your guidance in this advanced
stage of jihad," the voice of top al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane
(also known as Abu Zubayr) tells bin Laden in the video.
SANA'A,
Jan. 14 (Saba) - The weekly 26 September learned on Thursday
that the Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi would hand over
letters from President Ali Abdullah Saleh to Eritrean and
Djiboutian counterparts.
Well-informed sources told the weekly that al-Qirbi's visits to
Eritrea and Djibouti would follow his visit to Washington on
January 20th.
During the visits, al-Qirbi will hold talks with his Eritrean
and Djiboutian counterparts over developments in the Horn of
Africa, particularly in Somali and the combating piracy.
AF/AF
Amanuel Zeremariam, the son of late General Zeremariam Azzazi and Mrs.
Metemet Isack passed away of a sudden heart attack yesterday Jan. 19,
2010 in Denver, Colorado. His funerals will be held on Saturday, January
23, 2010 at 10:00 a. m. at the Fairmont Cemetery – 430 S. Quebec St. –
Denver, CO 80247. More Information
Israel charges 2 Eritreans in
extortion ring
Associated Press 2010-01-21 09:27 PM
An Israeli court has charged two Eritrean men in connection with a
cross-border kidnapping and extortion ring.
The indictment says they kidnapped "numerous" Africans who crossed into
Israel through its porous border with Egypt's Sinai desert.
The suspects allegedly demanded ransoms from relatives of the hostages.
Israeli police said dozens of men and women were abducted. Most were
Eritrean.
Hundreds of Africans seeking asylum and jobs try to reach Israel every
year, often with the help of traffickers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he would ask his
Cabinet to move ahead on a planned $400 million fence along parts of
Israel's border with Egypt, meant to prevent the entry of illegal
migrants.
YEMEN: CONFRONTING AL-QAEDA,
PREVENTING STATE FAILURE
Recorded Hearing
Foreign Relations Committee
By Will Ross
BBC News, Nairobi
Published: 2010/01/21 01:04:45 GMT
..Amnesty International wants arms transfers to the Somali government
suspended because it says these weapons are used in indiscriminate
attacks against civilians, especially when mortars are fired.
Puntland
says TFG’s proposal of printing currency is illegal decision
Posted: 1/20/2010 10:26:00 AM Shabelle: SOMALIA
BOSASO (Sh. M. Network) – the officials of the
semi-autonomous region of Puntland have Wednesday said that the TFG’s
proposal of printing current is illegal decision.
Abdikarin Ahmed Guled, the information minister of the semi-autonomous
region of Puntland
Ali Salim
accommodating Free Press? No, thanks.
Who wants repeat of Radio Rwandas?
Having seen the opposition media, most Eritreans now are having second
thought..
Al Jazeera Listening Post
on Eritrea.
Somali
parliament demand Kenya to release (300) Somalis and
(16) MPs
Posted:
1/18/2010 2:06:00 PM
Shabelle:
SOMALIA
MOGADISHU (Sh. M. Network) – the transitional
parliamentarians have Monday demanded the Kenyan
authorities to release the MPs and Somalis, just as the
Kenyan troops attacked several buildings in Nairobi
where they reportedly detained more than 300 Somalis
including lawmakers overnight.
Police
arrest 400 and detain more than a dozen Somali parliament members
following Friday's violent protest by Muslim youths
..Kenyan police and paramilitary forces have arrested as many as 400
Somali immigrants during a security sweep in Nairobi. The sweep follows
a violent protest by Muslim youths in the capital Friday, which the
Kenyan government says was backed by militants in Somalia. More than a
dozen parliament members from Somalia are also being detained.
Somalia: Eritrean
President Afaworki strongly denounces Al-Shabab
Somaliweyn Media Center (SMC) Mogadishu Friday 15 January
2010
http://www.somaliweyn.org/pages/news/Jan_10/15Jan17.html
The President of Eritrea a tiny country in Africa, which is as well one
of the poorest countries in Africa neighbouring Ethiopia and Djibouti
President Isaias Afaworki, has riotously denounced Al-Shabab a strong
armed Islamist group in Somalia, which opposes the current fragile
government of Somalia led by President Sheikh Shariff Sheikh Ahmed.
"The recent threats from Al-Shabab group in Somalia,
to the government of Yemen is a very awkward, and should be
internationally tackled, and be given especial consideration, the Al-Shababs
should not involve itself in the internal affairs of the Republic of
Yemen" said President Afaworki, given an exclusive interview to Al
Jazeera an international TV channel based in Qatar.
LONDON – Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) Chairman General Kemal Galchu
and OLF Army Commander, General Hailu Gonfa, can move about where ever
they want in Eritrea and are not under house arrest as reported, OLF
insiders told Ethiomedia late Friday.
..Earlier an OLF source said Eritrea has rejeced OLF requests to launch
military operations in Ethiopia, a report which was not denied by the
second OLF source either.
The OLF source, who was speaking anonymously because he was not
authorized to speak to the media, said the individuals who surrendered
to the TPLF regime were not active OLF fighters.
Somalia's
al-Shabaab group has publicly announced its loyalty to al-Qaeda leader,
Osama bin Laden, in a video documentary released recently.
An al-Shabaab official in Mogadishu confirmed the authenticity of the
48-minute film--released for the Eid al-Fitr feast marking the end of
the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, AFP reported.
Entitled 'Labaik ya Osama' (At your service, Osama), the video was
posted on Islamist Internet forums in recent days and is presented as a
'gift to the lions of Tawheed (belief in the oneness of Allah) and the
Muslims everywhere'.
Somalia's
al-Shabaab group has publicly announced its loyalty to al-Qaeda leader,
Osama bin Laden, in a video documentary released recently. "Receive glad
tidings and rejoice, and we are awaiting your guidance in this advanced
stage of jihad," the voice of top al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane
(also known as Abu Zubayr) tells bin Laden in the video.
SANA'A,
Jan. 14 (Saba) - The weekly 26 September learned on Thursday
that the Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi would hand over
letters from President Ali Abdullah Saleh to Eritrean and
Djiboutian counterparts.
Well-informed sources told the weekly that al-Qirbi's visits to
Eritrea and Djibouti would follow his visit to Washington on
January 20th.
During the visits, al-Qirbi will hold talks with his Eritrean
and Djiboutian counterparts over developments in the Horn of
Africa, particularly in Somali and the combating piracy.
AF/AF
Saba
Heightened
tension between Libya and Djibouti
The Djibouti authorities did not appreciate at all that Libya
voted against resolution 1907 at the
United Nations Security Council on 23 December. This
resolution imposes sanctions on Eritrea over its role of
supporting Islamic insurgents in Somalia and refusing to
withdraw its troops following the conflict with Djibouti. To be
sure, Libya, which is on the Security Council in its role as
representative of the
Arab League, did not defend the League’s majority
viewpoint on Eritrea. Djibouti is therefore considering filing a
complaint against Libya with the Arab League. The Djibouti
government is also threatening to boycott the Arab summit to be
held in Libya in March and to suspend its membership of the
Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) whose
Secretary General is the Libyan diplomat
Mohamed Al-Madani El Azhari. Indian Ocean Newsletter.01/16/2010
CALLS FOR LEGAL
CHALLENGE AGAINST THE ILLEGAL AND ARBITRARY UN SC SANCTION
AGAINST THE PEOPLE AND NATION OF ERITREA REVERBERATES ACROSS
CONTINENTS AND ACROSS POLITICAL LINES.
LONDON JOINS HALIFAX,
CANADA
LONDON JOINS THE CALL FOR LEGAL CHALLENGE
AND CALLS FOR THE CREATION OF
GLOBAL APPEAL COMMITTEE
Shabaiat.com
Asmara, 14 January 2010 – In
continuation of the existing
bilateral cooperation, the
People’s Front for Democracy and
Justice (PFDJ) and the Communist
Party of China yesterday
concluded agreement to enhance
such cooperation.
The agreement on the provision
of computers and stationery
materials was signed by Mr.
Yemane Gebreab, Head of
Political Affairs at the PFDJ,
on the side of the Front, and
the PRC Ambassador to Eritrea,
Mr. Li Liyansheng on behalf of
the Communist Party of China.
Noting that the solidarity of
the Chinese Communist Party
dates back to the Eritrean
people’s armed struggle, Mr.
Yemane expressed conviction that
the ties should be reinforced.
Similarly, Ambassador Li
Liyansheng asserted that the
Communist Party of China in
general and the Government of
the PRC in particular are
Eritrea’s close partners, and
that his country would continue
to support the on-going
development programs in Eritrea.
Fri Jan 15, 2010 ASMARA (Reuters) - Eritrea's fledgling
mining sector is unlikely to be affected by U.N. sanctions on the Red
Sea state, the general manager of Bisha mine, run by Canada's Nevsun
Resources, said on Friday.
Eritrea is seen on the threshold of a mining boom,
with hopes it may boost an agriculture-based economy that has suffered
from irregular rainfall.
.."There has been no slowdown whatsoever since the announcement, the
momentum has continued. I don't expect anything to change with respect
to our project. Our production start date remains the same. I would have
thought it was the same at other projects," he said.
End of Cameroon-Nigeria Boundary Dispute in Sight
*
Friday, 15 January 2010
Experts say the outcome of the border dispute is a model for the
world.
Ntaryike Divine, Jr. | Douala, Cameroon
10 January 2010
The representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa
and chairman of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission Said
Djinnit is overseeing the project. He says the placement of the
markers is a significant milestone in achieving lasting peace
between the neighbors.
,,According Djinnit it’s a border which is meant to bring people
together, not to separate them. He says it gives people an
opportunity to work freely within a context of clear borders
that will prevent further disputes so that all the energies,
resources of the two countries [are] channeled towards
addressing the real socioeconomic problems of the people
Experts call for border
demarcation as precondition for stability and peace in the region.
Chatham House Book
"..lack of resolution in the conflict with
Ethiopia continues to destabilize the region in unforeseen ways. Until
this is addressed, there is no prospect of peaceful development in the
region." Eritrea's
External Relations: Understanding Its Regional Role and
Foreign
Policy
...The
cardinal questions to ask are:
Do the UN sanctions against Eritrea have any legal basis?
Are they supported by hard facts? It is
very important to ask and provide a clear answer to these questions,
because in order for the
UN to authorise any sanctions against any country and in order for its
decision to have a legal basis and thus be enforceable, their action
must be based on international law and norms and on irrefutable facts.
The
Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) is offering
scholarship funds to women from
developing countries currently studying in the United States
or Canada. The MMMF awards grants of approximetly US$12,000 each;
grants are not renewable. Every year, the MMMF also invites the
recipients to Washington DC to participate in a three day Awards
Program organized in their honour. Deadline for applications:
February 18, 2010.
SANCTIONS WRONG?
"..new paths of engagement are absolutely
essential in terms of both the
stabilization of external relations and the encouragement of some degree
of liberalization and demilitarization inside Eritrea itself.
.."
The launching of the Chatham House Book, Eritrea's External
Relations: Understanding Its Regional Role and
Foreign Policy . Eritrea is increasingly isolated, militarized, and
misunderstood on the world stage. It has become vital to the stability
of east and northeast Africa , and beyond. A focal point of violent
insecurity across the region,
Eritrea urgently requires better understanding on the part of
policy-makers in the international community.
..The book explores the manner in which the lack of resolution in
the conflict with
Ethiopia continues to destabilize the region in unforeseen ways.
Until this is addressed, there is no prospect of peaceful development in
the region. Eritrea's External Relations makes recommendations
for policy-makers as to how best to approach this aggressive regime, and
how it might be made a partner rather than an opponent. Eritrea’s
External Relations makes clear that new paths of engagement are
absolutely essential in terms of both the stabilization of external
relations and the encouragement of some degree of liberalization and
demilitarization inside Eritrea itself.
SUDAN CONDEMNS THE
SANCTION AGAINST ERITREA. "Government of
Sudan stand alongside the people and
Government of Eritrea against the
shameful resolution"
Asmara, 11
January 2010 – President Isaias
Afwerki today received and held
talks with Dr. Mustafa Osman
Ismail, Advisor of the Sudanese
President.
In the meeting at the Denden
Hall here in the capital, Dr.
Mustafa delivered a message from
President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir
of Sudan to President Isaias.
The two sides also conducted
discussion on enhancing
bilateral relations and
rebuffing external interference
in internal and regional
affairs.
UN
Sanctions Regime Reformed
January 06, 2010 The
UN Security Council’s December reform of its policies and procedures for
terrorist sanctions incorporated several provisions recommended in a
report co-authored at the Watson Institute late last year.
Mounting legal and parliamentary challenges to the use
of targeted sanctions, which “play a central role in UN efforts to
maintain peace and security,” posed serious threats to the Security
Council’s ability to counter terrorism and prevent the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, according to the October report,
Addressing Challenges to Targeted Sanctions.
Related New York Times article
Asmara,
11 January 2010 - The Head of Organizational Affairs at the
PFDJ, Mr. Abdalla Jabir, said that the unjust and illegal
sanctions resolutions adopted in the name of the Security
Council is a continuation of the covert acts of conspiracy
designed to undermine the Eritrean people’s firm unity and
nationalism.
Eritreans all over the world are angry and frustrated. This anger and
frustration is serving as inspiration in challenging the bias acts of
the UN and its Security Council. The UN Security Council was biased,
unjust and irresponsible in imposing sanctions against Eritrea, and now
Eritreans are gearing up to take their case to the International Court
of Law.
SANA'A, Jan. 10 (Saba) - Yemen and Eritrea held
Sunday talks on the importance of following-up meetings of the joint
technical committee on commercial fishing.
The talks, co-chaired by Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi and his
Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh, dealt with the bilateral
cooperation relations in various fields between the two countries
and ways of enhancing them.
Al-Qirbi and Saleh also discussed issues of common concern as well
as Yemeni fishermen issues and means of facilitating fishing process
for both sides. The Eritrean official affirmed his country's
supportive position towards Yemen security and stability in order to
address current challenges.
FJ/YA Saba
Violence,
fear and confusion: welcome to the Horn of Africa In Yemen,
Somalia and beyond, the lawless, strife-torn region has
provided disturbing evidence that its myriad problems cannot
be ignored – and that the west must see the connections
between them all
..When it was boarded late last year by Yemeni coastguards,
the ship's captain and his crew of 12 were discovered to be
ferrying arms into a country already awash with weapons.
About 60 million handguns, at the last count, arm a
population of 21 million people in Yemen. The arms traffic
is hardly one-way. Indeed, Yemeni ships are more often
smuggling arms in the opposite direction, to fuel the
terrible conflict in Mogadishu and south central Somalia.
The capture of the ship was a small event in the scheme of
things, but an illustrative one. The Horn of Africa retains
the potential to be one of the continent's most explosive
regions,
Spreading fear into
Sudan and Uganda...
Engulfing the Region in Turmoil.
Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Yemen, Kenya, Uganda and now,
Sudan.
SANA'A,
Jan. 09 (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Salehreceived on Saturday a
letter from Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki concerning bilateral
relations between the two countries.
The letter was handed over by the Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman
Saleh Mohammed during his meeting with president Saleh.
The letter also dealt with the recent developments in the African
horn especially in Somalia
SANA'A, Jan. 09 ( Saba)- Eritrean Minister of Foreign Affairs Osman
Saleh Mohammed has arrived in Sana'a carrying a letter from Eritrean
President Isaias Afewerki to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Speaking to Saba, the Eritrean official pointed out that the letter
includes bilateral relations of cooperation between the two
countries and ways of enhancing and developing them, describing
cooperation relations between Yemen and Eritrea as distinctive.
SANA'A, Jan. 07 (Saba)- Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh is to
arrive in the capital Sana'a early next week to deliver a letter to
President Ali Abdullah Saleh from his Eritrean counterpart Isaias
Afewerki.
Well-informed sources said on Thursday that the letter is expected
to address the aspects of strengthening bilateral relations and
prospects for cooperation between the two countries and ways of
developing them in various fields.
The sources added that the letter will include the latest
developments in the Horn of Africa, especially the developments in
Somalia and the regional and international efforts to bring peace to
it.
The Eritrean official will hold talks with Yemeni officials on
coordination on issues relating to combating terrorism and the fight
against piracy.
YA
Saba
..ካብ ዝጥቀሱ መሰረታውያን
መትከላት ገበናዊ ሕጊ ሓደ። “ክሱስ ብቤት ፍርዲ ገበነኛ ምዃኑ ክሳብ ዝረጋገጽ ከም ንጹህ ይውሰድ ክቕጻዕ ኸኣ
ኣይክእልን” ወይ “A person charged with an offence shall be presumed to be
innocent, and shall not be punished, unless he is found guilty by a
court“ ዝብል እዩ (ቅዋም ሃገረ ኤርትራ ዓንቀጽ ቁ.17(7))፣ ብተወሳኺ መንግስቲ ኤርትራ ኣብ ዘውጸኦ ኣዋጅ
ቁጽሪ 1/1991። “ቀንዲ ዕላማ ሕጊ ገበናዊ ስርዓት። ዝኾነ ክሱስ ብዘይ ጥርጥር ገበነኛ ምዃኑ ብመርትዖ ክሳብ
ዝረጋገጽ ንጹህ ምዃኑ ብምሕላው። ፍትሓውን ስሉጥን መርመራን ዳንነትን ንምሃብ። ቅኑዕ ኣጠቓቕማ ሕጊ ንምርግጋጽ።
ንጹሃት ሰባት ካብ ዘየድሊ ገበናዊ መርመራ ወይ ዳንነት ንምድሓን። ገበነኛታት ንምቕጻዕ። ሰባት ብሕጊ ከም ዝጉዓዙን
ኣንጻር ገበናዊ ተግባራት ነቒሖም ከም ዝቃለሱን ንምግባር እዩ” ይብል፣ ኣብዚ ግን ቅድሚ ናብ ዝርዝራት እቶም
መሰላት ምኻድና። “ክሱስ“ ዝብሃል መን እዩ? ዝብል ሕቶ ምምላስ ከድልየና’ዩ፣ ብመንጽር እዞም ክብ ኢልና
ዝገለጽናዮም መምርሒታት ከኣ። ....
Nigeria: Terrorism - Country May Cut Ties With US -
Akunyili
AllAfrica.com
...7 January 2010. Addressing State House Correspondents after
the first meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC in 2010,
Minister of Information and Communication, Prof Dora Akunyili stated
that after reviewing the development, government has come to the
conclusion that the US verdict on Nigeria was highhanded, especially
that the country has participated very actively in all anti-terrorist
efforts to wipe out global vices and ratifying other documents to back
its .
The Ethiopian Connection. When did he arrive, how long did he stay, where did he stay,
who did he meet, what did he pick up?
Plane-Bomb
Suspect .. ..spent time in Ethiopia...
Wall Street Journal , JANUARY 8, 2010
.....Mr. Abdulmutallab spent time in Ethiopia and Ghana before returning
to Lagos, Nigeria, briefly, in order to board a flight to Amsterdam,
connecting to the U.S.-bound flight he allegedly tried to bring down.
The recent death in Afghanistan of seven American
counterterrorist officers, one Jordanian intelligence operative,
and one exploding al Qaeda double agent ought to give us cause
to reflect on the real capabilities of the Central ..
The Guardian, Friday 8 January 2010 .
..Yemen's deputy prime minster and security supremo,
Rashad al-Alimi, sought to deflect criticism by
insisting that Abdulmutallab was recruited and
radicalised in London – an assessment flatly rejected by
the British security service
MI5.
Alimi also claimed that Abdulmutallab, who hid the
explosives in his underwear, had obtained the explosives
in Nigeria, not Yemen.
Press
Release
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 00:24 |
In
the course of the interview President Isaias Afwerki
was conducting with the national media outlets
regarding the objective situation and future
prospects, interference signal was effected with a
view to blocking the live interview. Moreover,
intensive satellite jamming was resorted to in a
futile bid to muffle the fourth part of the
interview which was conduced yesterday.
In the course of the interview
President Isaias Afwerki was conducting with the
national media outlets regarding the objective
situation and future prospects, interference signal
was effected with a view to blocking the live
interview. Moreover, intensive satellite jamming was
resorted to in a futile bid to muffle the fourth
part of the interview which was conduced yesterday.
This futile jamming attempt through very
sophisticated technology prompts a lot of questions
as to who is behind it? Why? For what purpose? From
where? How? Since when? On the basis of what
legality? and so forth. All these call for numerous
answers.
One way or the other, if the intention is at all
designed to silence Eritrea’s voice of truth and
justice, it is all in vain simply because the
attempt is tantamount to trying to block the sun.
An Eritrean government
official has described reports that an international body will
soon demarcate the border between his country and Ethiopia as
rumors.
Peter Clottey | Washington, DC
04 January 2010
An Eritrean government official has described
reports that an international body will soon demarcate the
border between his country and Ethiopia as rumors.
Information minister Ali Abdu said Ethiopia is
“illegally” occupying Eritrean land - - a charge Ethiopia
denies.
“It’s just a rumor and it’s hearsay because as
far as we can see, the Ethiopians are occupying our land, and we
didn’t see any kind of signals of respecting the rule of
law&hellip The Ethiopian army is occupying our territories,” he
said.
Eritrean President challenges
the new chairman of the Security Council: Make the whole evidence public.
Meskerem 01-0510: The president of
the State of Eritrea, President Isaias Afeworki, kicks back the ball
into the world body's court and challenges the Security Council to make
all evidence against his nation public and available for the world
community to view and determine whether there is "ample" evidence, as
presented by the Security Council, to sentence/impose sanction against
the Red Sea nation. President
Isaias, in calm and and guarded language, shred to pieces the evidence
patched to impose sanction against Eritrea. In one of the interviews
broadcasted live in the last four consecutive days, he exposed the
workings of the Security Council's big five.
He
stated, in pertinent part, that due to uncorroborated and weak evidence,
the US delegation was forced to conduct "closed door meetings" where
behind-door deals are the norm. The closed door meetings with the other
four members of the Security were conducted to convince them that there
was enough evidence to "without due process to indict and sentence" the
nation of Eritrea. Why closed door meetings? What is there to hide? The
president made it clear that he wants answers.
According to President Isaias, the US delegation was forced to conduct a
closed-door meetings because some of the big five, particularly France,
were not convinced that there was enough evidence to impose sanction.
With strong conviction of his nation's innocence, he called upon the UN
Security Council to make all evidence public and transparent. The ball
is in the Security Council's court under the Chairmanship of China,
Zhang Yesui, Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China.
Make the evidence public.
Who attempted
to jam President Isaias's live world-wide
interview on ERI-TV on January 4, 2009?
MORE PROVOCATIONS? Meskerem 01-0510:
It is a question asked by Eri-TV
during today's live Tigrinya news
program.
Eri-TV, the official television station of the
Eritrean government, reported that during
President Isaias's fourth
day
of interview on January 4, 2010, heavy
jamming/interference of the satellite broadcast
was observed and reported. The report indicated
that, although there was heavy interference in
attempt to block the interview, the broadcast
and the message were able to reach the
international audience. The reporter stated that
the attempt to block the truth from reaching the
world community is tantamount to an attempt to
block the sun with the palm of your hand. In
concluding the report, the reporter let loose a
barrage of questions: who, why, from where, for
what purposed, why now...?
On Wednesday December 23
2009, the UN Security Council, through
Resolution
1907
(2009), imposed a number of sanctions
against Eritrea. The pretext behind the
sanctions is that Eritrea has been providing
support to the insurgents in Somalia as ..
.. On Wednesday December 23
2009, a few hours before the sanctions were
passed, members of AGE and representatives
of other British based Eritrean
organisations including the Eritrean Youth
Association in the UK (EYAUK) and Eritrean
Relief Association in UK (ERA-UK), held a
meeting with the British Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (FCO).
[04/January/2010]
Eritrea affirms standing by Yemen's
security
ASMARA, Jan. 04 (Saba) - Minister of
Foreign Affairs of
the State of Eritrea Osman Saleh
affirmed on Monday his country's
keenness on Yemen's security and
stability.
The statement came during a meeting
gathered the Eritrean Minister with the
Yemen's ambassador to Eritrea
Abdul-Qader Hadi in the capital of
Eritrea.
During the meeting, Saleh and Hadi also
discussed the bilateral cooperation
relations between the two countries and
ways of developing them.
FJ/AF,Saba
"..when it comes to threat against our country
and its people we must be united hand-in-hand
together to challenge all including this
unjustifiable
resolution."
The Year 2009 has come and gone in the blink of
an eye without any major progress in Eritrea.
Although 2009 was relatively quiet with regard
to Boarder Demarcation , the dispute is still
far from resolved due to the negligence by the
guarantors and the stubbornness of the
Government of Ethiopia in refusing to abide by
the rule of law. 2009 was not a favorable year
for the people of Eritrea.
..
THE
ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES ATTACK
IN THE ZALANBESSA FRONT.
Shabait.com,
Saturday, 02 January 2010
05:53 |
Zalambesa, 2
January 2010: In the early
morning hours of January 1st
2010, TPLF soldiers launched
successive attacks in the
Zalambesa front and were
swiftly driven back with 10
of their soldiers killed and
two captured, leaving six
AK-47 automatic rifles, a
machinegun and communication
equipments.
Redefining Eritrean-isms in the Diaspora,
Amanuel Biedemariam Fri, 01 Jan 2010 ..I think the time is
up-on-us to reemphasize who is and isn’t
Eritrean. I say this in light of what we have
witnessed over the last ten-plus years by some
quarters who claim to be Eritreans but, in
effect, they have done everything to undermine
the very existence of the nation. They have
conspired, danced on our martyrs’ graves and
desecrated the day of our martyrs by disturbing
the memorial processions done on their honor.
They harassed and taunted Eritreans.
Addressing
Challenges to Targeted Sanctions
An Update of the “Watson Report”
October 2009
..the very instrument of targeted sanctions is
under significant and growing challenge today.
National and regional courts increasingly found
fault with the procedures used for making
designations of sanctions on individuals and
entities, as well as with the adequacy of
procedures for challenging designations...
.PFDJ is not
an enemy ; PFDJ is an Eritrean political party
with semi-liberal democracy program, but
unfortunately hijacked by few corrupted
individuals. A Political program do not
translate into action unless the people stand up
to defend it. This was clearly reckoned by the
founding fathers of the United States, and
remains true today.
..The Eritrean government is not a foreign
power. It is an indigenous government : a
product of the Eritrean people, and of all its
political forces of past and present; a product
of the poisonous politics of the 1940s; of the
murderous past of the ELF and EPLF, and
inaction of the bystanders. Unless we are able
to change the politics of generations, ..
Miscarriage
of Justice
By Ammanuel Tukue,
Stuttgart, Germany
Tue, 29 Dec 2009
The resolution passed by the United Nations
Security Council 1907 (2009) of December 23,
2009 against Eritrea is one of the disgusting
and shameful decision ever decided in the
history of the UNSC resolutions for the second
time after 1952 denying its independence unlike
other African Countries. The UNSC is exposing
its nudity and vanity as an institute that is
incapable of securing world peace. It became as
a tentacle of the erroneous and foreign policy
of the United States which is leading the globe
into irreversible disaster.
The US has no concrete evidence that Eritrea is
arming the resistance groups since all the
avenues, routes and means of supplying
practically impossible since the ..
Meles
starts military provocation against Eritrea
referenced
news item (AFP)
Meskerem 12-29-09
In less than a week into the UN decision that
imposed armed embargo against Eritrea, a former
officer in the EPRDF government, now a leader of
an Eritrean opposition ethnic secessionist
organization, stated that his
Ethiopia-supported separatist organization is
"prepared to launch attacks" on government
troops after the United Nations last week
imposed unjustified sanctions against the
Eritrean people.
Cornelios Osman, a former officer in the EPRDF
government, is the chairman of an ethnic
secessionist organization that was created by
the Ethiopian Office of Ethnic Affairs during
the Ethiopia-Eritrea war. The purpose of
creation of this separatist organization is now
becoming apparent.
"This is a good opportunity for us," Cornelios
Osman, head of the Democratic Movement for the
Liberation of the Eritrean Kunama (DMLEK) said
in a phone interview.
(AFP)
Eritrean
Official Denies Sponsoring Insurgents to
Destabilize Neighbors
VOA, 29 December 2009
Eritrea’s information
minister has described as an unfortunate
publicity stunt accusations that President
Isaias Afeworki’s government is arming
insurgents to destabilize both Ethiopia and
Sudan ahead of their scheduled elections in
2010.
..
Security officials from Ethiopia and Sudan are
currently holding a security conference in the
northern Ethiopian town of Mekelle.
At the conference, Getachew Aseffa, Ethiopia’s
security services chief reportedly accused
neighboring Eritrea of arming terrorists along
the Ethiopian-Sudan border to disrupt elections
in both countries scheduled for 2010.
28 African countries
call sanction "inappropriate
for resolving crisis."
"These
crises are oftentimes agitated by external
forces outside the Continent, driven by covert
political and strategic considerations as well
as by interests of external forces aimed at
continuing their domination and hegemony over
the African Continent and plundering its riches.
Read More.
Shabait.com,
Asmara, 27
December 2007 –Asmara Associate Nursing
School yesterday graduated 416 students
in certificate level, of whom 23 are
male.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held
at Expo Hall, the Director of the
Nursing School, Mr. Mitku'e
Tewoldebirhan pointed out that the
Government is making relentless
endeavors to upgrade the skills of
health technicians in different fields
so as to ensure efficient health
services. He went on to remind the
graduates to make use of the training
opportunities made available for them
and commit themselves towards building a
healthy society.
Provisional
draft report on UN Security Council and European
Union blacklists
Tuesday 13 November 2007, by
Committee on Legal Affairs and
Human Rights
..[T]argeted
sanctions (such as travel restrictions, freezing
of assets etc.) have a direct impact on
individual human rights such as personal liberty
and the protection of property. Whilst it is not
entirely clear and still being debated whether
such sanctions have a criminal, administrative
or civil character, their imposition must, under
the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
as well as the United
IS THE ERITREAN GOVERNMENT AN ENEMY?
Samson Redeab Washington, DC 12/26/09 .PFDJ is not
an enemy ; PFDJ is an Eritrean political party
with semi-liberal democracy program, but
unfortunately hijacked by few corrupted
individuals. A Political program do not
translate into action unless the people stand up
to defend it. This was clearly reckoned by the
founding fathers of the United States, and
remains true today.
Democrat, democratier, democratiest
Ucba
Ftwi,
Sun, 27 Dec 2009
Or as the street joke goes, ‘if you think you
are wedi-shuQ, I am shuQ’, is the exact sort of
impression that is constantly blown off the
analysts and politicians when it comes to those
who end up going to extreme lengths to prove
extra understanding and perhaps - who is the
‘democratiest’ of them all.
The
full text of resolution 1907 (2009)
Security Council 6254th Meeting (AM)
Security Council Imposes Sanctions on Eritrea
over Its Role in Somalia, Refusal to Withdraw
Troops Following Conflict with Djibouti
Resolution 1907 (2009) Stipulates Arms Embargo,
Travel Restrictions, Asset Freezes
The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) on Dec. 23
imposed sanctions on Eritrea including an assets
freeze, travel restrictions and an arms embargo.
The sanctions are a response to aid the country
has given insurgents in Somalia who oppose the
ruling Transitional Federal Government, which is
backed by the United States and Eritrea’s
historical enemy Ethiopia.
PRESS RELEASE
The UN Security Council has today
passed a shameful resolution
imposing sanctions against Eritrea.
The unjustifiable measures imposed
on Eritrea include: an arms embargo;
the inspection and seizure by Member
States in their territory of such
cargo to and from Eritrea; and, the
imposition of a travel ban, and the
freezing of assets of, Eritrea’s
political and military leadership
who may be blacklisted by a
Committee.
As Eritrea has strongly emphasized
in the past weeks, this brazen act
is neither based on fact nor on the
provisions of international law. It
constitutes a travesty of justice
and amplifies the dangers inherent
in a unipolar world.
The fact of the matter is this
resolution was originally conceived
and feverishly executed by the
United States. Britain, and
especially Uganda, were co-opted as
sponsors of the resolution for
purposes of deceitful packaging. The
US Mission to the UN further tried
to invoke a resolution of the
African Union to disguise the real
culprit. But in the end, this cover
did not work. As it happened, the US
Ambassador to the UN was ultimately
forced to come out of the closet and
cajole UN Member States to adopt the
resolution willy-nilly.
Setting aside the misguided policies
of the US Administration in the Horn
of Africa region and the loathsome
personal agenda of the US Ambassador
to the UN who could not hide her
obsession to “punish Eritrea” and
“break its arrogance”, what are the
accusations leveled against Eritrea?
How do these accusations square with
the provisions of the UN Charter?
Does the
heavy-handed process pursued in this
case conform to the modalities and
precedents of the UN Security
Council in imposing sanctions
against a Member State?
1. It must be stressed that the
accusations against Eritrea for
involvement in Somalia have never
been substantiated or verified. Many
Member States objected to the draft
resolution in the early days
precisely for these reasons though
they acquiesced to US pressure
later. The Somalia Monitoring Group
had previously accused Eritrea for
“supplying arms to those opposing
the TFG”. This clause was later
dropped quietly and the revised
version indicts Eritrea for
“providing political, financial, and
logistical support to armed groups
engaged in undermining peace and
reconciliation in Somalia”. As
pointed out earlier, these
allegations were, again, not
explained or substantiated. Indeed,
how can Eritrea provide logistical
support to armed groups in Somalia
when it does not have a contiguous
border with that country? The
allegation of financial support is
equally tenuous. Eritrea has neither
the political will nor the financial
clout to bankroll armed groups in
Somalia. As for the accusations of
political support, it is well-known
that Eritrea has not recognized the
TFG for cogent and well-thought out
reasons. This was also the case with
the externally established previous
TFGs installed in Mogadishu without
the consent of the Somali people.
Eritrea’s impartial and balanced
position emanates from its profound
desire to contribute to a durable
and sustainable solution to the
crisis in Somalia. These political
considerations aside, the
fundamental legal issue at hand is
whether this matter of purely
sovereign national jurisdiction can
be misconstrued as a subject of UN
Security Council concern. Is it the
mandate of the Security Council to
punish any Member State on account
of the political views it holds or
the diplomatic choices it makes? Has
the Security Council ever imposed
sanctions against one or more
countries because they have not
recognized Kosovo, Abkhazia, or
South Ossetia? Does controversy on
matters of this nature empower the
UN Security Council to take punitive
measures against a defenseless
country arbitrarily?
2. The resolution refers to the
“decision of the 13th Assembly of
the African Union in Sirte, calling
on the Council to impose sanctions
against Eritrea”. Again, this
assertion is replete with
distortions and half-truths. As
underlined earlier, the resolution
was co-sponsored by Uganda in its
individual capacity. It was not
tabled, but on the contrary,
vehemently opposed by Libya which is
the current Chair of the AU and a
non-permanent member of the UN
Security Council. More importantly,
the UN Security Council’s function
is not to rubber-stamp resolutions
adopted by a regional organization
when invoking Chapter VII of the UN
Charter to impose sanctions against
a Member State but to do so
independently and only on the basis
of incontrovertible facts and law.
3. In a feat of unprecedented
cynicism, the UN Security Council
Resolution recommends other punitive
measures against Eritrea on account
of the U.S. fabricated “border
dispute with Djibouti”. For seven
long years now since the
Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission
gave its final and binding Award on
the border dispute between Eritrea
and Ethiopia in April 2002, the
Security Council has refused to
shoulder its responsibilities to
ensure the respect of the
arbitration decision in accordance
with the provisions of the Algiers
Peace Treaty that was largely
drafted and explicitly guaranteed by
this same body. This has encouraged
Ethiopia to violate its treaty
obligations, the UN Charter and
international law to continue its
occupation of Badme and other
sovereign Eritrean lands. This same
Security Council is now singing to a
different tune, simply because it is
played by Washington, to threaten
Eritrea with punitive measure for a
non-existent border conflict.
Security Council Resolution
1907(2009) is thus not based on law
and incontrovertible facts. The
United States has simply employed
its preponderant influence to ram
through unjustifiable sanctions
against a small country. What is
shameful is that the United States
has been allowed to use the platform
and authority of the United Nations
to perpetrate injustices against the
people and Government of Eritrea;
for the second time in recent
history. What is shameful is that
other major powers in the UN
Security Council cannot go beyond
expressing their disappointment,
mostly in private meetings, to check
the excesses of Washington. What is
shameful is that the United States
can turn the tables and victimize an
innocent nation for the very crimes
that it is responsible for in the
first place. Because the truth is,
the United States is mostly
responsible for the mayhem and
suffering that is bedeviling Somalia
today. Indeed, it is common
knowledge that as intractable as the
Somali crisis is, there were real
hopes of a turnaround for the better
in 2006. For reasons that defy
reason, the Bush Administration then
acted to roll back those promising
developments to instigate and
support Ethiopia’s invasion of
Somalia. That single debacle claimed
the lives of thousands of innocent
Somalis, made half a million people
homeless and aggravated the
humanitarian crisis in Somalia to
unprecedented levels. But then, the
Security Council is not taking
action on the basis of justice and
legality. It is taking action on the
basis of the existing power balance
in a largely unipolar world. This
does not bode well for international
justice and peace. This is why today
is a shameful day for the United
Nations.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara
23 December 2009
UNITED NATIONS — The
U.N. Security Council was expected
to approve an arms embargo and other
tough sanctions against Eritrea for
supplying arms to opponents of the
Somali government and refusing to
resolve a border dispute with
neighboring Djibouti.
The U.N.'s most
powerful body was likely to approve
the sanctions resolution on
Wednesday, diplomats said, speaking
on condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to speak
publicly.
It would ban the
import and export of weapons to
Eritrea and call on U.N. member
states to inspect all suspect air
and sea cargo between the Red Sea
nation and Somalia
Draft resolution The Security Council,
..Recalling its previous resolutions and statements
of its President concerning the situation in Somalia and
the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea, in
particular its resolutions 751 (1992),
أAddis
Ababa: Tles
In a precedent
is the first of its kind in the Eritrean Democratic
Alliance, dropped the Executive Office of the Alliance
membership Ntrab Osmlac from the office on the back of
the division that occurred in the Eritrean National
Salvation Front, and he addressed Ahmed Nasser, the
current Chairman of the Front for the nomination of the
new representative.
أديس
أبابا :عدوليس
في سابقة هي الأولى من نوعها في التحالف
الديمقراطي الإرتري ، اسقط المكتب
التنفيذي للتحالف عضوية نطرآب أسملاش من
المكتب على خلفية الانقسام الذي حدث في
جبهة الإنقاذ الوطني الإرترية ،وخاطب أحمد
ناصر رئيس الجبهة الحالي لترشيح ممثله
الجديد ....المزيد
FINALLY,
EXTREMISM IN OPPOSITION MEDIA CHALLENGED, CONDEMNED.
Habtom’s Interview unravels Awate Foundation’s extremist
schemes Sun,
Dec 20, 2009 Michael
Abraha
Habtom Yohannes must have had a bad
day when last week he gave in to a sweet talk from Saleh
Gadi persuading him to breach his journalistic
principles of confidentiality which he knows must exist
between an editor and his source. Habtom, I suspect, was
seduced by the seemingly attractive idea of unbridled
“freedom of expression” which is paradoxically promoted
by power-mongering Saleh Gadi and the Awate Foundation
as a means of achieving their long-term, exclusionary
and extremist goals.
Throughout history anarchic, bogus freedoms have
served as a breeding ground for extremism and fascism as
in Iran during the months before the Mullahs took
control in 1979, or as in the liberated, jubilant
condition that prevailed in Ethiopia just before
Mengistu’s secular fascism swept over the country. The
Awate Foundation is using the cyber anarchy to advance
its extremist, fascistic cause.
“Eritrea is one of the poorest
countries in the world and responsible for only around
0.05 pct. of global greenhouse gas emissions, and yet
it’s already doing its part to mitigate climate change,”
said Ms Kindra, and continued:
Earth Journalism Awards Best in global climate
journalism awarded in Copenhagen. December 14, 2009
Uganda,
think again!
Seble
Ephrem , London, Mon, 21 Dec 2009
Golden
opportunities such as the one Uganda
finds itself in at this time are rare and happen almost
once in a lifetime.Apart
from membership to a number of regional and
international organisations such as the
Commonwealth of Nations,
Uganda
is a significant member of the African Union (AU), it is
one of the founding members of the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD), and for the month of
December 2009, it has a seat on the UN Security Council.
With
this loaded silver tray Uganda could have served top
level packages in developing regional friendship,
negotiating peace among member states, considering
beneficial long term economic and political strategies,
working and improving on common neighbourly interests,
safeguarding the exploitation by predators of natural
and human resources.The
list could extend to many areas
Eritrea
on the Spot:
When a Superpower Foreign Policy Goes Awry
by Berhane Alazar, Sun, 20 Dec 2009
The
United States have the unenviable position of
consistently standing against the interest of a country,
which many of its media outlets love to identify it with
some unnecessary , unrelated and demeaning superlatives
when they have some “Stories” to tell about Eritrea. One
naturally wonders why they use such adjectives as
“Tiny”, “Impoverished” and “Isolated” when none of those
words have anything to do with the “Stories” at hand!
.
WILL OUR CHILDREN BLAME
US FOR NOT STANDING UP AGAINST POSSIBLE UN SANCTIONS?
STOP
ETHIOPIA INSTIGATED SANCTION AGAINST ERITREA!
IN 1952, WE
BLAMED OUR FOREFATHERS FOR NOT STANDING UP AGAINST THE
UN, US, AND HAILE SELLASIE.
IN 1962, WE BLAMED OUR FOREFATHERS FOR NOT STANDING UP
AGAINST ETHIOPIA'S ANNEXATION. WILL OUR CHILDREN BLAME US FOR
NOT STANDING UP AGAINST POSSIBLE UN SANCTION?
JOIN CAMPAIGN TO STOP SANCTIONS THAT WILL PREVENT OUR
PEOPLE FROM DEFENDING OUR SOVEREIGNTY!
JOIN CAMPAIGN TO STOP SANCTIONS THAT WILL GIVE ETHIOPIA
MILITARY UPPER HAND !
JOIN CAMPAIGN TO STOP SANCTIONS THAT WILL ENTICE
ETHIOPIA TO PROVOKE MILITARY CONFRONTATION!
◄JOIN
CAMPAIGN!
►
..Shabait.com: Asmara, 18 December 2009.
Emphasizing that members of the National Service
Program deserve top priority for their dedicated
endeavors over the years, the Ministerial
Cabinet once again asserted that lasting and
reliable reward would be extended to them. It
further indicated that the necessary support
would be extended in different forms to teachers
and health professionals serving in remote areas
so as to enable them diligently fulfill their
duties without having to bother about the cost
of living. Above all, the Government and the
society at large should give high respect to
their contribution and noble profession, the
meeting underlined. ...
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has
granted the 12 members of the Eritrean national soccer
team asylum. They were granted passes to allow them stay
in Kenya as UNHCR works on their cases.
The players were interviewed by the Ministry of
Immigration officials on Wednesday night and later
granted asylum after being cleared by UNHCR. After being
given the stickers, which will last for three months,
they were escorted to an undisclosed place in the city.
Asmara,
17 December 2009 -
President Isaias Afwerki said that
significant plans along with the
necessary budget have been mapped
out for 2010 in all sectors with a
view to providing added impetus to
the national development drive
through rebuffing any and all
threats.
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Twelve
Eritreans who disappeared in Kenya last weekend after
taking part in a regional soccer tournament are in the
process of being granted refugee status, authorities in
Nairobi said on Thursday.
"The process (to grant them
refugee status) was started last night and the 12 are in
safe custody in Nairobi," a police source, who cannot be
quoted for security reasons, told Reuters.
Despite its population of
just 5 million, Eritrea manages to create one of the
highest
Officials said it was the third time an Eritrean team
had failed to return
Eritrea's national football team, who have gone missing
in Kenya, are welcome to return home, officials say.
Information Minister Ali Abdu told the BBC they would
get a "good welcome" despite "betraying" their country.
..He confirmed reports that 12 players had not returned
from a regional tournament in Kenya. The UN says
hundreds of Eritreans flee the country every month amid
reports of government repression, poverty and a harsh
national service regime. But the government denies that
Eritreans are fleeing and accuses the UN of lying about
the figures. Mr Ali told the BBC's Focus on Africa that
the disappearance was "not good news".
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -
U.N. Security Council members have agreed to impose an
arms embargo on Eritrea this month, as well as travel
bans and asset freezes for government and military
leaders aiding Somali insurgents, diplomats said.
The United States and other
council members accuse Eritrea of supplying Islamist
rebels with money and weapons in their fight to topple
the fragile U.N.-backed transitional government in
Somalia, a virtually lawless Horn of Africa nation.
Are we
getting closer to Demarcation?
Meskerem 1212-09: There
is a lot of talk about border demarcation in Eritrea.
The city of Asmara is on the verge of going out into the
streets in celebration, they say. Folks who have called
family in Asmara and some recent arrivals in Canada and
the US are stating that there are activities in the
border between Ethiopia and Eritrea that indicate there
might be some movement toward demarcation of the
border. A gentleman who came from Eritrea last week
summed up the information as follows:
There is unusual heavy traffic of UN
helicopters in the border areas.
Rumors that the UN had ordered the two nations
to pull away their armies to allow the UN to work on
demarcation.
That the UN is engaged in dialogue with the
Eritrean government to open Assab for aid shipments
to Ethiopia.
Officials have launched a search for
Eritrea's national football team after the players
reportedly failed to return home following a tournament
in Kenya.
The Eritreans were knocked out of the Cecafa
competition for East and Central African nations last
week.
But when the team plane landed back home, it was
reportedly only carrying the coach and an official.
Fowlina, 12
December 2009 -
The inhabitants
of Fowlina and
Sifra-Genet
administrative
areas,
Gash-Barka
region, have
elected area
administrators
and village
elders.
The
war-displaced
inhabitants of
the two
administrative
areas which used
to be
administrated
separately have
now been
regrouped in one
administrative
area so as to
obtain improved
social services.
Stressing the
significance of
the regrouping
of the
inhabitants in
which the
expansion of
reliable social
service assured,
the local
inhabitants
expressed
conviction that
the newly
elected area
administrators
and village
elders would
serve the public
with
diligence.
In
response to a parliamentary question in June 2009, Mr.
Chris Bryant, the British Under-Secretary of State,
urged for evidence to be presented to prove that Eritrea
is supplying weapons to Somali insurgents. He
mentioned that the UN Sanctions Monitoring Group is due
to present its findings on the issue. Five months
later, we still have not seen the report and associated
evidence.
In
a debate in the House of Lords, on the 16th of July
2009, Lord Malloch Brown, the Minister of State, stated
that the British Government is worried by reports of
Eritrean Support for insurgent groups in Somalia and
again urged the UN to complete its investigation
urgently.
Shortly afterwards, the Minister said “it is in all
likelihood the case that the Eritrean involvement will
be confirmed. As ever, it is enormously important that
effective measures are taken against Eritrea.”
Rights Group: New Report Shows UN Rights
Council Shielding Worst Abusers, “Foxes
Guarding The Chickens”
Urges
U.S. to Reject HRC Resolutions in
Today’s General Assembly Vote
GENEVA, Nov. 30 — As the UN General
Assembly was set to today on approving
the Human Rights Council’s past year of
resolutions, a Geneva-based human rights
monitoring group called on the U.S. and
other democracies to vote in opposition,
publishing a report claiming that 18 of
its key resolutions were contrary to
basic human rights principles. (Click
here for 2009 UNHRC Key Actions chart.)
The Eritrean opposition joined the Ethiopian delegation in
Brussels in calling for sanctions against Eritrea. Betrayal
of our people or concern for our people?
Sanctions, whatever form, will kill Eritrea's poor children.
"the
offensive against Islamist
forces in Somalia is planned
for late December, the end
of the Somali rainy season.
Somali refugees and ethnic
Somali citizens of Kenya are being
recruited and trained
by the thousands for a U.S.-backed offensive in Somalia, to begin next
month. The Associated Press, citing numerous sources among refugees,
young men who have deserted from the new militia and their families,
local Kenyan officials and foreign diplomats, reports that the offensive
against Islamist forces in Somalia is planned for late December, the end
of the Somali rainy season. That’s the same seasonal window the
Americans took advantage of three years ago, when the U.S. instigated an
Ethiopian invasion of Somalia that plunged the country into..
PEOPLE AND POWER
The mystery behind Eritrea This episode of People & Power
can be seen from Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at the
following times GMT: Wednesday: 0600, 1230;
Thursday: 0130, 1400, 1930;
Friday: 0630, 1630; Saturday:
0330, 2030; Sunday: 0030, 0530;
Monday: 0830.
Critics accuse Afewerki of being a dictator who
suppresses freedom of the press and isolates Eritrea
Isaias Afewerki, Eritrea's president, led his country to
independence in a decade-long war with Ethiopia.
Today he
tolerates neither opposition nor dissent as he increasingly
isolates his nation of five million people from the outside
world.
Journalist Sinéad O'Shea travelled undercover to Eritrea and
found that its focus on security and isolation is borne of
bitter experience.
Many Eritreans believe that if Ethiopia were to make another
attempt to capture its strategic Red Sea coastline, the rest of
the world would turn a blind eye.
Basic facts about the UPR
What isUniversal the
Universal Periodic Review?
The Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a review
of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four
years. The UPR is a significant innovation of the Human Rights Council
which is based on equal treatment for all countries. It provides an
opportunity for all States to declare what actions they have taken to
improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome
challenges to the enjoyment of human rights. The UPR also includes a
sharing of best human rights practices around the globe. Currently, no
other mechanism of this kind exists
Eritrea denies aiding Somalia's Islamist rebels
Tue Dec 1, 2009 1:24pm EST
* Eritrean envoy says no justification for UN sanctions
* Envoy urges UN council to take up its Ethiopia dispute
By
Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Eritrea's U.N. envoy
denied that his country has been supporting Islamist rebels
intent on toppling neighboring Somalia's fragile government
and said there was no reason to sanction Asmara.
The United States and other council members accuse Eritrea
of supplying al Shabaab rebels with money and weapons as
they fight to topple the U.N.-backed transitional government
of Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the official leader
of the virtually lawless Horn of Africa nation.
بورتسودان: يوسف عبد المنانعن صحيفة آخر لحظة السودانية
22/11/2009
أكدت أريتريا أن الوجود الأسرائيلي بأرضها لا
يتعدى التمثيل الرمزي لسفارة صغيرة يغيب سفيرها أغلب العام ولا تمثِّل
ضرراً للسودان وشعبه، مثلها مثل السفارة الاسرائيلية بالقاهرة. وقال يماني
قبراب، الأمين السياسي للجبهة الشعبية الحاكمة في إريتريا لـ «آخر لحظة»،
إن العلاقات السودانية الأريترية مستقرّة ومتنامية وغير متأثِّرة بمواقف
اثيوبيا، التي قال إنّها تتقمص دور رجل الولايات المتحدة الأمريكيّة في
المنطقة .
October 10, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopian Prime minister Meles
Zenawi today said that, with the current unbending position the
Eritrean government runs , border demarcation is unlikely. Zenawi on
Saturday reiterated before the parliament, the firm stance of his
government to resolve the dispute with Eritrea peacefully.
Over 240 students graduate from Institute
of Training and Education (SMAP)
Shabait.com
Asmara,
28 November 2009 - A total of 241 students graduated today in degree
and diploma from the Institute of Training Education and Consultancy
(SMAP) upon completion of courses in the fields of Accounting,
Management, as well as Information Technology and Communications.
Ethiopia: The architect
of the proposal via proxy Uganda
Now
is the time to insist on changes of policy by Eritrea
Saturday, 28
November 2009
Eritrea has consistently made it clear it only responds to overwhelming
pressure, and this is what must be applied. Clear changes of policy and
active implementation of acceptance of UN Security Council Resolutions
should be the first indication of compliance. It is only this which will
help bring back the region towards the rule of law and the goals of
defeating poverty and keeping extremism at bay. (MoFA)
Thursday,
26 November 2009 22:28 Berisso Oogato Leaked memo written from an official with
the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2006 detailing a
meeting with Jenday Frazer, the Bush Administration's
Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs, indicates
US encouraged the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopian
government .
Click below to read the full document: (pdf):
http://www.oromoindex.com/images/stories/frazer-somalia-memo-2006.pdf
Technical problems, more technical problems… I wasn’t
bothered by the train driver saying that, one gets used it, and for
an Eritrean, thanks to the internet, go round here and there,
diversion from the gossips such as ‘Dos
& Don'ts of wearing purple’ and
what is more, the mighty Wikipedia was dying, dohh, like every thing
that is not based on the cruxes of reality.
Here and there gets me to the sanctions, to Ali Salim
It has been reported that a draft resolution is being circulated
among UN Security Council members calling for sanctions against Eritrea
for allegedly supplying weapons to Somali insurgents fighting against
the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in violation of a U.N. arms
embargo. The draft resolution which was drafted by Uganda calls for an
arms embargo, freezing of
Ethnic Ogaden fighters in Ethiopia have launched an offensive in the
southeastern Somali region and claim to have recaptured seven towns from
government forces.
In a statement released early on Saturday, the Ogaden National
Liberation Front (ONLF) said its attacks were launched across a
broad front and had begun on November 10.
According to information received by The Indian Ocean Newsletter, a
deadly skirmish occurred on 16 November in a place known as Jaketa,
situated between Harar and Babile in the east of Ethiopia. It pitted
government soldiers of the South Eastern Command against unidentified
rebel forces and is believed to have made several tens of victims among
the government troops. Many of the wounded soldiers were treated at the
Hiwot Fana Hospital and other hospitals in Harar.
Uganda Diminishing the
Stature of United Nations Security Council
Amanuel Biedemariam
11-25-09
For century’s, African leaders have done
tremendous harm to Africans equal to that of the European colonizers by
selling Africans to Western slave masters and by allowing foreigners to
exploit Africa for their selfish interests. The exploitation of Africa
using African leaders is pervasive. African resources are exploited by
the West and other powers using African leaders
Last
Thursday, a U.N. Security Council draft called for
sanctions including an arms embargo against
Eritrea. The alleged sanction in the name of “aiding
Islamist insurgents in Somalia” targets at travel
bans and asset freezes for government officials and
military leaders.
However, there are
also claims that the call for sanctions against
Eritrea touches on trade barriers for protecting its
domestic market. U.N. diplomats said that the
resolution was drafted by temporary Security Council
member Uganda and has been circulated to other
members of the 15-nation panel.
Ucba Ftwi
11-21-09
Is there such a thing as to humanize human rights? There is now. Or is
it a case of ‘human rights is human rights is human rights’. Here or
there, day or night, it would have to be the second – just to avoid
jumping into conclusion and confusion from the point I intend to make.
For once the unappreciative that I may seem to be, I paused on the part
when
Obama,
in his ‘town hall style interview in China’ where he had to think twice,
..
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A draft U.N.
Security Council resolution calls for an arms embargo against Eritrea
and travel bans and asset freezes for members of its government and
military for aiding Islamist insurgents in Somalia.
The resolution, obtained by Reuters on Thursday, was drafted by
temporary Security Council member Uganda and has been circulated to
other members of the 15-nation panel, U.N. diplomats said.
The United States and other council members accuse Eritrea of supplying
al Shabaab rebels with money and weapons as they fight to topple the
fragile U.N.-backed transitional government of Somali President Sheikh
Sharif Ahmed, the official leader of the virtually lawless Horn of
Africa nation.
Leadership 101
Desbele Kahsai
Thu, 19 Nov 2009
“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a
vision. You can’t blow
an uncertain trumpet.”
Theodor M. Hisburgh
The Brussels Conference although its objective was to bring the plight
of the Eritrean people into the world stage, it also has exposed
unexpected views from under the rug; the noise makers and the hope
seekers. The former will always act the same as long as they are not
the actors and will act as spoilers at any cost. The later are the
abler who apply their resources; experience, profession, lobbying,
networking and so forth. In short they know how to apply leveraging.
What is leveraging?
On Sunday 1115-2009 @ 2:30pm EST, Radio
Voice of Eritrea's Naz Yemane will present two
participants of
EEPA conference inBrussels
Voice of Eritrea's Naz Yemane's discussion with two participants of the
Brussels Conference including Mr. Abdurahman A. Sayed, the spokesperson
of the conference and Ms.Meriem Omer, a member of the Task Force.
Two Eritrean
executives of l’Association Suisse Enfance-Erythree
(ASEE)
Voice of Eritrea's Naz Yemane chats with Ms.
Ogba Tekle member of the
executive body and Treasurer and Ms. Sophia Ammar, member of the
executive body and Secretary of the Association.
The ‘missing constitution’ had been the cause (le reason de
être) of many groups, organisations, opposition forces, angry
parties, disheartened individuals and academics.
The question started as, “where is the ‘missing constitution’?” it
sailed itself to the storm of “is the ‘missing constitution’ good enough
anyway?” next stop is any ones guess. Full text
Agree
Ucba Ftwi
I agree, I try to agree,
I agree free speech is full of manipulations and spin
I disagree when I cannot utter a whine
I agree democracy everywhere is an abused word
I disagree if I cannot even live in my household ..Full
Poem
Asmara,
7 November 2009 - A total of 1,611 students graduated today in
degree and diploma from the Eritrean Institute of Technology and
the Collage of Arts and Social Science respectively. The fields
of study include Teacher Education, Engineering and
Technology, Natural and Social Science, as well as Law and Arts.
Likewise, the Dean of the College of Arts and Social Science,
Dr. Okbagebreal Beraki, pointed out that the College which
launched its task in 3 degree and 2 diploma programs has now
expanded its activities to 7 degree and 2 diploma programs.
There are also plans to begin a degree program in Law, he
added. Dr. Okbagebreal further called on the graduates to live
up to the nation’s expectations.
..The graduating batch comprises 1,324 students from the
Eritrean Institute of Technology and 287 from the College of
Arts and Social Science.
International
experts and politicians are in Brussels for a two-day meeting on ways to
harmonize European and American policy on Eritrea and other parts of the
Horn of Africa.
The meeting is sponsored by
Europe
External Policy Advisors, a Brussels-based research group. It is
being held amid mounting international concern about Eritrea's
human-rights policy and allegations the Eritrean government supports
Islamist insurgents in neighboring Somalia.
In August, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned the Eritrean
government would face sanctions if it continued aiding Somalia's al-Shabab
insurgent group, which allegedly has ties to al-Qaida. Eritrea denies
arming the group
Nevsun
Resources: Top Pick of Peter
Grandich
Chief Market Commentator
Peter Grandich recommends
Please note that Nevsun's management is
extremely well established in Eritrea, and fully capable of taking the
Bisha Project through to production and operations.
Tsorona, 6 November 2009 - A two-room housing
residential facility constructed through the collaboration of
the Government and partners has been provided to 551 families
each in Kudoweiba and Unanazo whose homes were destroyed during
the TPLF regime’s war of aggression, according to Mr. Tewolde
Medhanie, head of project supervision in Tsorona sub-zone. Over
36 million Nakfa has been disbursed for the implementation of
the project.
He indicated that the active participation of the people in the
construction of the houses was significant in the speedy
finalization of the project. Mr. Tewolde further explained that
the families are now leading improved standard of living as they
now also have access to potable water supply and health, as well
as education services.
..The beneficiaries expressed satisfaction with the continued
support being extended by the Government. The inhabitants of the
locality practice cattle rearing and vegetable farming.
Should we be worrying by
the comments of a person? Some of our brothers have said a lot because
they assumed that we were worried by the comments of one person. But are
Ali Salim’s views and tendencies the creation of one person? One thing
we know is the name and form under which the views of Ali salim appeared
seem to be new. But the substance and the drift of his views are not
new. We have observed those views and their corresponding tendencies in
our struggle for a long time: sometimes hidden, with little significance
and in some other times widely exposed, in a way that attracted our
attention and concerns. This political trend has been in existence in
our democratic struggle from the start; we have noticed its existence in
the past; we are experiencing it today; and we
An open letter to Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso
Subject: the October 9 Conference on Eritrea, Organized by EEPA in
Brussels
H.E. Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission
By Tewolde Gebresellasie
Chairman Eritrean Democratic Alliance Executive Committee
Dear Mr. Barroso
..Let me have the opportunity to extend my best wishes for the second
term of your presidency and I also wish you more success to attain the
goals of the European Commission.
We in the EDA (Eritrean Democratic Alliance) would like, in this letter,
to express our reservations and anxiety on the forthcoming conference
organized by the Foreign Policy Advisor (EEPA) of the EU, on November 9,
alleged "to align the stands of USA and EU regarding violation of human
and democratic rights in Eritrean".
Our apprehension is about how this conference was organized and how its
participants were selected. While the most concerned Eritreans, the
whole opposition forces, especially the EDA – the wide National Front
and umbrella of 13 political parties and organizations working in unison
– were excluded. The EDA that was formed as a result of the strong and
prolonged great efforts of our people, its struggling organizations, and
genuine civil societies, was excluded from the organizing and
participation processes of this conference. Our apprehension is also
based on the possible disparaging impacts of this conference on the
ongoing struggle and unity of the Eritrean opposition forces.
Full Text
“Success isn’t
measured by the position you reach in life, it’s
measured by the obstacles you
overcome.” Booker T. Washington
On October 24th and 25th
Washington DC was not only the center of
diplomats from around the globe. It also hosts
the new paradigm of Eritrean engagement and
diplomatic solution finding. Grassroots of the
three organizations; Eritrean People’s Party,
Eritrean Democratic Party, and Eritrean People’s
Movement who came together to ratify the
Political Programs and Party Constitution
drafted by the Joint Leadership Committee which
will be the pillars of the new party effective
January 1, 2010. Similar conferences were also
held simultaneously around the globe for the
same purpose
..The cynics had labeled our
unity’s objective to PFDJ and even to Ethiopia.
Those allegations are unfortunately power driven
and very divisive intensions. The D.C conference
confirmed the seriousness of our unity journey
and sent the cynics empty handed.
Blame it on my impatience, I dislike things that go by volume 1, volume
2… episode 1, episode 2… part 1, part 2, part I feel like this, part I
feel like that, part convenience. I feel and pre-judge that they are
aiming to entice and make me wait in expectation. They also remind me of
the “sandwich phenomena”, a very British approach, where by you start
your negotiation by praising the counterpart, a mild soup, then you tell
them how much you hate their guts with over spiced hot main dish,
finally you brandish them how sweet they are, with a creamy desert. You
say your goodbyes, living them confused “one could never really hate the
guts of what they called sweet”, the ‘sandwich phenomena’.
..Allow me to divert slightly. Westerners, I am generalising again, but
you know what I mean. The revolutionaries, the leftists, the
environmentalists, the activists, the anti capitalists,
WHY
THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA..
Eritreans
in Scotland condemn UN sanctions on Eritrea
NEVSUN
EVIDENCE
THINS
Yet
another but no different defamatory report scheduled to be
presented to the Security Council this week in the name of the
United Nations has been issued alleging that ‘Eritrea continues
to extend support to Somali armed groups in violation of the
sanctions against it’.
In
the course of a
visit to Kaqbda
Dam in Dubarwa
sub-zone
constructed by
Bidho
Construction
Company, the
President met
with the
exemplary
farmer, Mr.
Gebremichael
Gebremeskel, who
has been
carrying out
impressive soil
and
The
Report referred to by Mr. Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of
African Affairs
A bloody war between Somalia's
Wednesday,
March 10, 2010
Disengaging
from Somalia
United
States Department of State
The
Aljazeera interview, the deliberate posting and airing of the interview
when the protests were in full swing to dampen the protest and the
justified public anger at the whole event and at those involved. 
More
Ethiopian troops reach in El-berde in southern Somalia
Dr.
Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
UN
Chief to name Eritrean diplomat as new special envoy to Sudan
Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia 31 January 2010- 
African
heads meet to discuss regional conflicts, climate change
The
Government of Eritrea has urged the African Union to respect
its membership rights and not to discuss any matter
regarding Eritrea at AU Summits convened in Addis Ababa.
Eritrea's concerns are predicted on the following:
APPEAL
TO STOP THE GOVERNMENT OF ETHIOPIA’S CONTINUED MILITARY SIEGE AND
TERRITORIAL AMBITIONS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
General
Stanley McChrystal hints that negotiations in London
could see Taliban leaders join new Kabul government
An
Ethiopian Airlines passenger aircraft has crashed into the
Mediterranean shortly after taking off from Beirut, air traffic
controllers in the Lebanese capital have said.
WILL
AU SUMMIT HOLD ETHIOPIA ACCOUNTABLE FOR WAR
CRIMES?
Amnesty
International has called for arms transfers to the Somali government
to be suspended until there are adequate safeguards to prevent
weapons from being used to commit war crimes and human rights
abuses. 
ዕምጸጻን ጭውያን ፍትሒ 
Posted:
1/18/2010 2:06:00 PM 
Police
arrest 400 and detain more than a dozen Somali parliament members
following Friday's violent protest by Muslim youths
CALLS FOR LEGAL
CHALLENGE AGAINST THE ILLEGAL AND ARBITRARY UN SC SANCTION
AGAINST THE PEOPLE AND NATION OF ERITREA REVERBERATES ACROSS
CONTINENTS AND ACROSS POLITICAL LINES.
“One
precondition for peace and stability would be the unconditional
implementation of the final and binding decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia
Boundary Commission”, Mirjam van Reisen, Director EEPA.
The
UN Security Council’s December reform of its policies and procedures for
terrorist sanctions incorporated several provisions recommended in a
report co-authored at the Watson Institute late last year.
Asmara,
11 January 2010 - The Head of Organizational Affairs at the
PFDJ, Mr. Abdalla Jabir, said that the unjust and illegal
sanctions resolutions adopted in the name of the Security
Council is a continuation of the covert acts of conspiracy
designed to undermine the Eritrean people’s firm unity and
nationalism. 
Violence,
fear and confusion: welcome to the Horn of Africa In Yemen,
Somalia and beyond, the lawless, strife-torn region has
provided disturbing evidence that its myriad problems cannot
be ignored – and that the west must see the connections
between them all 
Uganda,
Sudan Downplay US Warning Of Possible Attack On
Sudan-Uganda Flights
VOA News
SANA'A,
Jan. 09 (Saba)- President Ali Abdullah Salehreceived on Saturday a
letter from Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki concerning bilateral
relations between the two countries.
In
the course of the interview President Isaias Afwerki
was conducting with the national media outlets
regarding the objective situation and future
prospects, interference signal was effected with a
view to blocking the live interview. Moreover,
intensive satellite jamming was resorted to in a
futile bid to muffle the fourth part of the
interview which was conduced yesterday.
President
Isaias, in calm and and guarded language, shred to pieces the evidence
patched to impose sanction against Eritrea. In one of the interviews
broadcasted live in the last four consecutive days, he exposed the
workings of the Security Council's big five.
program.
Eri-TV, the official television station of the
Eritrean government, reported that during
President Isaias's fourth
day
of interview on January 4, 2010, heavy
jamming/interference of the satellite broadcast
was observed and reported. The report indicated
that, although there was heavy interference in
attempt to block the interview, the broadcast
and the message were able to reach the
international audience. The reporter stated that
the attempt to block the truth from reaching the
world community is tantamount to an attempt to
block the sun with the palm of your hand. In
concluding the report, the reporter let loose a
barrage of questions: who, why, from where, for
what purposed, why now...?
1907
(2009), imposed a number of sanctions
against Eritrea. The pretext behind the
sanctions is that Eritrea has been providing
support to the insurgents in Somalia as ..
unjustifiable
resolution."
THE
ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES ATTACK
IN THE ZALANBESSA FRONT.
ናይ
ሓርበኛ ነብሲሄር ስውእ አዮብ ብስራት ናይ ዝኽርን ፈነዋን መደብ አብ
ኦክላንደ ካሊፎርንያ
Addressing
Challenges to Targeted Sanctions 
Eritrean
Official Denies Sponsoring Insurgents to
Destabilize Neighbors 
ናይ
ስንብታ አኸባን አዋጅን ናይ ቀደም ሰውራዊ ባይቶ ናይ ሎም ሰልፊ ህዝቢ
ኤርትራ
Shabait.com,
Asmara, 27
December 2007 –Asmara Associate Nursing
School yesterday graduated 416 students
in certificate level, of whom 23 are
male. 
Provisional
draft report on UN Security Council and European
Union blacklists 
By
Tesfa-alem Tekle
Asmara,
28 November 2009 - A total of 241 students graduated today in degree
and diploma from the Institute of Training Education and Consultancy
(SMAP) upon completion of courses in the fields of Accounting,
Management, as well as Information Technology and Communications.
UPDATED ON: Saturday, November 14, 2009
Last
Thursday, a U.N. Security Council draft called for
sanctions including an arms embargo against
Eritrea. The alleged sanction in the name of “aiding
Islamist insurgents in Somalia” targets at travel
bans and asset freezes for government officials and
military leaders.
Asmara,
7 November 2009 - A total of 1,611 students graduated today in
degree and diploma from the Eritrean Institute of Technology and
the Collage of Arts and Social Science respectively. The fields
of study include Teacher Education, Engineering and
Technology, Natural and Social Science, as well as Law and Arts.
International
experts and politicians are in Brussels for a two-day meeting on ways to
harmonize European and American policy on Eritrea and other parts of the
Horn of Africa. 
