A call for a sane struggle
Why I Reject the Petition
By Habtom Yohannes
September 7, 2007
Comments are more than welcome at: fithi7@gmail.com
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African
people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against
black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society
in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is
an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realized. But if needs be, it is
an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Nelson Mandela
The Americans are furious at the dictator of their own making. History is
repeating itself and humanity -certainly the Americans- seems never to learn
from history. The list of dictators supported, (mis)used and dumped by the
Americans is very long; to name but few: Mobutu Sesse Sekko, Ferdinand Marcos,
Haille Selassie and Reza Shah of Iran.
Isaias Afwerki seems to earn his rightful place in this list. Human rights has
been never the driving force of the Americans to befriend a dictator or to
oust him. The USA is mad at Isaias Afwerki and his regime in Asmara not
because of the gross human rights violations inside Eritrea, but because
Afwerki is subverting the interests of the USA in that ever troubled region of
Africa. The punitive measures being taken by the Bush administration: the
closure of The Eritrean Consulate in Oakland (deadline: Wednesday, November 15
of this year) and the possible listing of Eritrea as a sponsor of terrorism
has nothing to do with the horrible human rights situation in Eritrea.
And yet some Eritreans from the opposition camp welcomed these retaliatory
measures against the Asmara regime with jubilation.
Allow me to mention here some of the reactions.
They:
-“are delighted”(Nameless Concerned Eritreans in the Diaspora or Asmarino.com?
http://2007.delina.org/
-“are relieved” (EDP)
http://selfi-democracy.com/?read=articles/articles/1187978900OpenLettertoMs_Frazer_e.htm
- “seize the opportunity to support Dr. Jendayi Frazer”(EPM)
http://www.nharnet.com/Sept_2007/EPM_Sep0407.htm
and so forth...
I was astounded! Let me explain my astonishment and the reason why I refuse to
sign the petition to the US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice as published on
Asmarino.com
Pen-Name-Petitions & Pressure on Ethiopia
First of all I don’t want to sign a petition written by an unknown person or
group: ”We, concerned Eritreans in the Diaspora, are delighted to hear that
the U.S. government is finally giving the terrorism that has been stoking
violence and instability in the Horn of Africa the attention it deserves.” I
have stated it time and again that pennames are harmful in the present
Eritrean Struggle for Justice & Democracy. Writing a petition letter in
anonymity and on behalf of people you haven’t asked their permission
beforehand is worse. Who is “We”? The dictator speaks on behalf of the people
he doesn’t represent.: Bishim Hizbi, Awet Nihafash, Hade libi- hade dem. It
(We concerned Eritrean…) reminds me of the late emperor Haile Selassie. When
addressing the Ethiopian people he never said I but always WE.
“We the King of Kings of Ethiopia…Igna Ye-itiopia Niguse Negest)
Secondly all the articles were written on the eve of important boarder
discussions between Ethiopia and Eritrea here in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Non of the letters, if I am right, breath a word about
the boarder issue. It would given the letters more credence if a sentence was
included with the following substance:
“Since 2002 Ethiopia is refusing to demarcate the boarder between Ethiopia and
Eritrea as is recognized and accepted by the international community. This
stalemate has been an important excuse for the dictator in Asmara to prolong
the oppression of the Eritrea people; oppression, which is comparable to that
of North Korea and Zimbabwe. The Bush administration but also the previous
American administrations under President Clinton were constructively engaged
in resolving the boarder dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
We urgently call upon your administration to exert the necessary pressure on
Ethiopia to accept the international decision and allow the UN-cartographers
to do their work on the ground…” But alas…
Terrorism
My third objection has to do with the superficial use of terrorism in all the
letters addressed by my Eritrean friends and organisations
to Dr. Jendayi Frazer (Assistant Secretary of State for Africa) and to US
Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice.
What is terrorism? There is the famous statement that “One man’s terrorist is
another man’s freedom fighter”. Almost all the liberation movements against
colonialism, including Umkhonto We Sizwe of Nelson Mandela were once depicted
as terrorist organisations and their leaders as terrorists.
Until today there is no universally accepted UN-definition of (international)
terrorism. For the sake of this article, I will use the definition of
terrorism employed by the US State Department:
Premeditated, politically (ideologically) motivated violence perpetrated
against non-combatant targets by substantial groups or clandestine agents,
usually intended to influence an audience”
Please keep this definition in mind.
Does Eritrea sponsor terrorism?
I have said and written more than enough about the devilish character of the
present regime in Asmara. But does Eritrea sponsor international terrorism? We
know that the Eritrean regime, without the consent of its people or their
representatives, was involved in countries as Rwanda/Congo in ousting the
former friend of the USA, Mobutu Sesse Sekko. The Americans gave Isaias their
blessings because it was in their interest to have leaders of the so called
African Renaissance (Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Yuweri Museveni of Uganda, Meles
Zenawi of Ethiopia and Kabila Sr. of Congo) in the region. The Americans knew
from the outset that Isaias was investing money and precious Eritrean lives to
destabilize and possibly overthrow the regime in Khartoem.
The list of Isaias’ confrontations with the neighbouring countries and
far beyond is long but does this make Eritrea “sponsor of (international)
terrorism”?
Was Eritrea ever involved in terrorising non-combatants or innocent people
outside its own territory; say like the Libyan involvement in the Lockerby
tragedy? If so where is the smoking gun? We have heard that there were 2000
Eritrean combatants in Somalia supporting the Islamic Courts and other
insurgents. So far I have seen only two Eritrean “journalists” captured in
Somalia: Ato Tesfaldet Kidane and Ato Salih Idris Gamma. I saw also one letter
on Asmarino.com written by an Eritrean who claimed to have been forced by the
Isaias regime to fight in Somalia. Ethiopia has claimed to have captured many
Eritreans in Somalia and to have found Eritrean identity cards on dead
Eritrean body’s. I haven’t seen any evidence so far that substantiate those
allegations.
It is very difficult to trust a dictatorial regime like that in Asmara, but to
accuse a dictator without any proof and to list a nation as “sponsor of
international terrorism” is illegal internationally and those in the
opposition must desist from supporting false allegations that might destroy
their nation.
Last but not least: PFDJ is not similar to Shaebia or EPLF. To call PFDJ an
illegal and “criminal” organisation is one thing but to state that terrorism
is in the nature of EPLF is hard to accept. These means that all our martyrs
and all the tegadelti (freedom fighters), who saw independence maimed or not,
including the G11 and part of the imprisoned journalists like Fessehaye
Yohannes (Joshua), were part
of a terrorist organisation. I can’t believe that someone like Yosief
Ghebrehiwet could get this out of his articulate pen. I hope he will redress
this point.
For me Gebha (ELF) and Shabia (EPLF) with all their shortcomings
are organisations every Eritrean should be proud of. PFDJ is another story and
I am ashamed of this organisation. But I can’t say that even PFDJ is a
terrorist organisation.
Fighting AGAINST or fighting FOR
Again this article is not meant to defend the gross human rights violations
inside Eritrea or the illegal (inter)national adventures of
Isaias and his PFDJ. If we want to have a thorough and sustainable change in
Eritrea, then we must wage the struggle in maturity and political wisdom.
Destruction of Isaias and PFDJ by all means and at all costs is not the same
as the resurrection of a democratic and prosperous Eritrea. We must continue
the struggle for democracy and justice incessantly, but at the same time we
must not forget to wage the struggle from within. Knowing what we are fighting
against is not enough. Much important is to realize what we are fighting for.
If we are fighting for a just, democratic and free Eritrea then we must stay
focused. Jumping in the wagons of the Americans or other foreign powers to
shorten the live of the dictator in Asmara might be counterproductive for the
national interests of Eritrea.
Weather we believe it or not, all the countries in the region want to see a
weak and controllable Eritrea. We must develop a way of struggle to achieve
democracy and justice in Eritrea without weakening its international and
regional position. Removing the regime is the start of the change; but mind
you: I am saying the start. To bring the change to its sensible change one
needs an alternative. Alternative that brings sustainable change in Eritrea
without weakening its forces in the region. To achieve this the die-hard
supporters of PFDJ and hopefully top officials from inside the regime must
develop a new mindset. Nobody is old to learn. If we don’t develop a paradigm
shift and step over our own shadows, then I am afraid Eritrea will be a new
Iraq or Afganistan with puppet regimes like that of, respectively, Al Maliki
and Kharsay. The oppsoition must not be obsessed with the STRUGGLE AGAINST but
it must develope an alternative for an attractive and convincing STRUGGLE FOR
justice and democracy in Eritrea. And we need a strong and vibrant civic
society of professionals and intellectuals who can opperate as a vanguard for
long lasting change in Eritrea.
But what we see that even these professionals and intellectuals are immersed
in their own pitty interests. We all -including myself- must do some thorogh
soul search and come up with attractive alternatives. The strength of Isaias
and his cohorts is the weakness of the opposition and the civic society.
PFDJ-supporters are responsible
In his last “interview” -more monologue than interview- with TV-Ere (TV-Aoré),
Isaias Afwerki said something like: “the Americans must not get mad at us
because we castigate them openly, those who love you tell you openly your
faults. If they listen to the castigations them might benefit from it”.
At that time I thought of the G11 and others who were thrown into the dungeons
of Isaias just because they tried peaceful to admonish him and to rescue their
nation. The only crime of, for example Beraki Gebreselassie (former Minister
of Information and Culture and former Eritrean Ambassador to Berlin) was his
handwritten letter to Isaias in which he advises him to withdraw from the
occupied contested territories and fight the Addis regime in a peaceful way,
thereby saving the precious live of our youngsters.” Isaias instead of
listening to the advice of his colleagues replied: “we won’t kneel down”!
Indeed President Isaias, those who love you castigate and advice & if you head
their advice you will benefit yourself! Had you listened to their advice then
Eritrea would have not lost 19.000 (double that number may be?) precious lives
for a senseless war!
That Eritrea has became the pariah of the world and the curse of for its own
people is the sole responsibility of Isaias Afwerki and his blind supporters.
Not of that of Weyane, or the so called traitors or the Americans. I don’t
want to see the destruction of my brothers and sisters (Isaias, PFDJ and their
blind supporters) but I want see you peacefully removed from your illegal
positions, better yesterday than today. If you continue the path of Saddam
Hoessein and his children, you all will be destroyed and you will take Eritrea
and its people into destruction like what Saddam did with Iraq. I hope God
will open your eyes before it is too late. In the open the Eritrean peoples
have been telling you what you want to hear but deep in their hearts they have
been cursing you. Their tears and sorrows will bear fruit one day. Instead of
writing slunders articles against Weyane, The Americans, Anthony Lake, Kofie
Anan; have the courage to write one page article to the dicatator in Asmara
telling him: enough is enough! He must go! Not for the sake of Americans or
Weyanes, but for the sake of our martyrs, for the sake of Eritrea and the
Eritrean peoples. You Eritreans, the present supporters of PFDJ and those who
are opposed against PFDJ did miracles in ascertaining the independence of
Eritrea. If we join hand and do some thorough soul searching, then I am
confident we will achieve another miracle in making Eritrea the country were
its peoples will live in freedom and dignity.
To conclude...
1. I believe change in Eritrea must come from within
Every support to accelerate change is welcome. But we must be careful not to
embrace every action or support we get from the outside world. Not every stone
thrown against the Eritrea is beneficial for the Eritrean people.
2. We must know what we are fighting for and not only what we are fighting
against,
3. Our driving force must be the interest of the nation and the wellbeing of
the people and not short-sighted personal interests,
4. We must realize that the destruction of the regime in Asmara is not the
same as the ascension of a democratic Eritrea,
5. We must do away with our futile differences and personal grudges against
each other - I am saying this first and foremost to myself- and converge all
the precious gifts and talents of all Eritrea to build something new where our
people could be proud of and whereby our martyrs could rest in peace and
dignity forever.
We must join together to make a just and respectable Eritrea possible.
Hawkum,
Habtom Yohannes fithi7@gmail.com