Eritrea: Isaias Afewerki is proof why there must be regime change

There is already a general consensus among Eritreans that the civic and political opposition should be working closely with the UN Security Council and all other players making sure the sanctions are comprehensive enough to include foreign trade and mining investments. Others are calling for the immediate and full implementation of the arms embargo, account freezes and travel bans on Eritrean leaders; some governments have already taken such action.

Other Eritreans also see the need to end PFDJ’s fundraising activities in foreign countries unless there are transparent guarantees that the money will go directly to Eritreans who need it most. Finally, there are those who think there should be a task force of experts to take on the possible questions of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the regime inside Eritrea and beyond its borders.

THE FINAL CUT

Sentiments are the basic threads of the national fabric by which the Eritrean blanket has been interlaced.  So much selective memory has pinned down the Eritrean identity to a map of a nation state that is almost of no significance in the global climate other than its troublesome influence in its local setting which, by the way, works against its own survival. 
 
Who would want to adopt or hype up those types of layers of identities, memories and sentiments... and for a map that wasn’t there in the first place and was always changing due to forces beyond its control?
 
Probably those who are incapable of handling their past or adapt to a fast changing future... or still, those who are crafty enough to use the map of Eritrea as a ground force to gravitate its importance as a cover up for their own personal benefit? 
 
Most Eritreans have been reduced to taking care of themselves or their families.  Preserving their nation state ranks last.  The nation state is on free fall.
 
So much for nationalism!

Unfiltered Notes: Idi Amin Buffoonery Reincarnated in Eritrea

"We are number one in this continent". This is the type of Idi Amin buffoonery that continues to haunt Africa. Unelected and unaccountable “leaders” stripping the dignity of their people willy-nilly, delivering nothing but empty slogans. Like the tigrigna saying "kebtimo wesidomen, ente xerfi gn zgedfanlom yeblanan". Isaias boastfully claims there is no food shortage in Eritrea and we know better. Isn’t that the sort of callous denial -- the refusal to feel the pain of his people – that eventually brought Haile Selassie down?

Even the most rabid diaspora supporters of the regime are not fooled by this “number one” bull, however. They may wrap themselves in the flag for the "show", curse the very freedoms they enjoy daily, and ungratefully slap the generous hand that feeds them. But they are staying put in their safe havens. They are not moving. What, no one wants to live in the number one country in Africa? Obviously, something must be wrong with that picture.

Djibouti, Eritrea and and the Making of the Sanctions

In May 2008, Djibouti referred the situation in Ras Doumeira, on its border with Eritrea, to the Security Council and various regional organizations (the AU, the Arab League), denouncing the strengthening of Eritrea’s military capacities and the occupation of territories belonging to Djibouti. The two countries have a longstanding border dispute in the region, where the border—established by agreements signed by France and Italy in 1900 and 1901—has never been delineated.

The Djiboutian and Eritrean armies had been engaged in a showdown for two months when, on June 10, 2008, violent fighting sparked by an Eritrean attack led to the death of several dozen soldiers from both countries. On June 12, the Security Council presidency—held by the United States at the time—condemned the “military action” conducted by Eritrea and called on both parties to withdraw their forces to the status quo ante and work cooperatively to resolve the dispute by diplomatic means. On June 24, the Security Council reiterated its call for restraint and dialogue in a statement to the press issued by the body’s president, who also asked the secretary-general to send a fact-finding mission to the region.

A DISGRACE DICTATOR AND HIS DISGRACFULL SUPPORTERS IN DIASPORA

The past weeks were like repeating and living the history of 50’s all over again – being pro or against. This time, there was Kinijit, Meskerem.net, Alenalki, Dehai, Shabait.org and others on the side of demonstration, advertising and agitating people to participate and to make it a success. Meskerem.net went even further by telling its readers that it’s their constitutional right and that anyone who dares to stand against them is like going against the US constitution. What a mockery! As if our people back at the homeland are living under constitutional rule of law. And then there was the silence of those “united under Ali Salim”, taking neither side on the issue of demonstration, but who, in earlier months, invested their resources bashing and trashing the democratic parties of the oppositions and were so good in polarizing the country in lowland vs. highland division, both geographically and religiously, tearing down the long standing tradition and fabric of our culture of unity and tolerance from their comfort zones, behind their key boards, simply to satisfy their egos.

“G-1- Melts Down”

My heartfelt congratulation to Ms. Jane Dutton for  being an example of a professional journalist that stood firm and stayed focused on the task under the un-statesman , unrefined and uncivilized behavior of the Eritrean tyrant.  She has managed to create a vivid contrast between professional and unprofessional behavior- one that the world will be able to access and use as an example of a truly failed leadership. She deserves the Edward R. Morrow Award for “Overall Excellence”.  She could also qualify for some kind of an award by the newly established Eritrean Journalist Association in Diaspora.

When you see the interview please keep in mind this idea: if G-1 was this brutal and unethical to a foreign journalist how do you think he will relates to his subordinates if they dare challenge his monologue or diatribe?. Darkness has descended on Eritrea and Jane Dutton opened a window for us and the world to see an aspect of it.

Government of Ghana Vs “The Animal Farm or GOE”

Shame on those people in the Diaspora, who enjoy the democratic rights of many countries in the world, and yet who knowingly ignore the plight of Eritreans inside the country.  It is selfish and self serving not to want your own people in Eritrea also enjoy the same democratic rights that you enjoy daily.   You have sold your people for 30 vacation days a year.  You have volunteered to be used by the government intentionally in order to enjoy your vacation in Eritrea “peacefully”.  I urge you to side with your people who are waiting to hear from you.

Can US Be Haven for Those Who Sanction Torture?

The Somalis are represented by the Center for Justice and Accountability, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that uses civil suits to pursue ex-officials from foreign countries accused of atrocities and human rights violations.

Over the last decade, the little-known center has sued former government officials and high-ranking military officers from nearly a dozen countries, including Bosnia, Chile, Haiti and El Salvador. The center has won every suit that has gone to trial.

But the Samantar case will test the ability of victims to file civil suits to seek compensation from their alleged torturers. Samantar's lawyers argue that he should have immunity from lawsuits because the actions he took were in his capacity as a government official.

DID YOU ENJOY THE SHOW?

Afewerki sits in front of the Eritrean flag in a short-sleeved shirt, his fingers flexing as he denies that there was ever an assassination attempt. “You’re assuming that you’re talking on behalf of the people of this country,” he tells Dutton. “Let the people talk,” he insists. Which people? The ones in diaspora ignorantly and coerced to demonstrate against entirely reasonable sanctions? Surely not the ones in prison for writing the truth or speaking it in any form not approved by the state? Surely not the ones summarily imprisoned, tortured, executed, or shot dead on sight as they try to leave this paradise that all those demonstrators in diaspora also felt compelled to leave? Does he mean the people in detention centres and concentration camps waiting to be returned to almost certain death, should they talk with their confiscated mobiles?

[Eritrea Sanctions Watch] Western Mining Companies: Throwing a Lifeline to a Brutal Regime in Eritrea

You bet on your life that right now, behind the scene, the mining companies are frantically looking for ways and means of reversing the sanctions; but unlike the regime’s supporters who wouldn’t dare contradict a single word the tyrant utters, the companies know on whom to put their pressure: on the tyrant himself, the only one that matters on this game. One need only go to dehai.org to see how the regime’s supporters are blaming the US for the sanctions; for them, if there is anyone whose behavior has to be changed, it would be the West, in general, and the US, in particular. None of them would ever dare suggest, or even entertain, that maybe there is something that Isaias can do too. The same holds true with the leadership inside Eritrea, only this time it would be naked fear that holds the tyrant’s subordinates from telling him the truth; in their case, it is neta dumu men ‘katchil yiserela. The mining companies though, unconstrained by this nationalist frenzy from outside and debilitating fear from inside and highly motivated by the huge stakes involved in the gamble they are taking, are the only ones well positioned to tell the tyrant to behave. Implied in their advice would be: “You can terrorize and torture your people whichever way you want; the world doesn’t give a damn. But do not mess with the outside world. First, get out of Djibouti, a step that could be easily and quickly verified to your advantage. And, second, stop interfering in Somalia. If you do that, we are all set to do business. And with our money starting flowing into your coffers, you can terrorize your people as much and as long as you want.”