I almost forgot it was Eritrea's Independence Day today!

I almost forgot it was Eritrea’s independence day because, to many Eritreans it has lost long ago, if not its meaning, but certainly its luster, its shine, its brilliance. Instead it has been replaced by apathy and spiritlessness.  Sadness, misery and even depression have displaced the joy and euphoria of May 24, 1991. Anyone old enough to remember that day witnessed pure joy in the faces of Eritreans; unbridled, completely unrestrained joyfulness as they greeted themselves and hugged and kissed each other.  I remember when I went to Sixth and L (the Eritrean community center in down town Washington D.C.) the place was chocking with Eritreans.  The crowd spilled outside into the sidewalk.  That scene continued for days.  Pure joy and happiness.

THE HARD REALITY MR. YEMANE GEBREAB CANNOT COVERUP

The call for the RULE OF LAW has now become the demand of most former members of EPLF and some members and sympathizers of the dysfunctional PFDJ. Reversing this growing and expanding trend is now the most important political agenda and the main mission of Mr. Yemane.

Mr. Yemane can recycle, million times, all the excuses we have heard in the last 12 years as to why Eritrea has no constitution, no rules of law, no free press, free economy etc. and try to convince the shrinking supporters of the dictator to stick with him for few more months. This is a losing war. The wind is not favoring Isaias and his trouble shooter.

In a strategic sense the dictator is fighting for its survival- for its power. The governing agenda is anchored in a trying to arrest the emerging demand for change.

Asmara University Reopens

(Asmara 21-05-2013) President Issias Afwerki, Chancellor of the University of Asmara announced today that on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of Eritrea’s independence the revamped, refurbished and re-inaugurated university of Asmara will once again be offering cutting-edge courses that will enable young Eritreans for life in the new Eritrea.

The announcement that was made this morning started slightly late as the Chancellor and many of the faculties couldn’t find the university. It later emerged that in his 22 years of tenure as a chancellor this occasion was the President’s first visit ever to the Institute that has produced four generations of Eritrean academics and intellectuals who now hold esteemed positions at prestigious universities around the globe.

Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change (EYSC) Launches New Television Program: EYSC TV

EYSC (15-05-2013): The Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change - Global Group - announced today the launch of its new television program, EYSC TV.

The television program, which will air twice a month beginning on Wednesday May 22nd at 7:33 PM Berlin time, covers over half a million households in the Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Darmstadt areas in Germany and will be accessible world-wide at the same time via YouTube or via the distribution links of the TV studio. EYSC ensures interested viewers that it will publish the programme simultaneously to the TV broadcast on EYSC Facebook and in YouTube.

From Here to Dignity

... Even where violence has been engaged e.g. torture of young people in the military training centres the main objective seems to be humiliating the subjects… and seem to have had the desired effect of complete subjugation… for how else is it possible for a father whose son disappeared in the Sinai and whose daughter became a colonel’s concubine and whose wife has to queue up for his two breads a day; would silently carry a loaded Kalashnikov and goes out combat training at 4:00 am before his morning shift at 6:00 am? Internalised shame that is how… the despicable dictator’s worst crime against my people so far as I am concerned is the fact that he reduced my brave and upright compatriots renowned for their courage to shadows of their former selves…

To Solve the Ethiopian Eritrean Conflict a Change in the Psyche of the Power Elites Is Essential

The Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict is based more on subjective attitudes rather than any intrinsic irreconcilable differences. Hence the first step to solving this intractable relationship is changing the psyche.

The subjective underpinnings of this conflict make solving this problem both easy and at the same time difficult. If the problem is objective and the counter parties are level headed, it is easier to find objective solutions. However, subjective differences deeply engrained in tradition take longer to change. Fortunately, there is a strong undercurrent of change.

Many members of the conflict generation are realizing the futility of this endless cycle of violence. They are self-introspecting and seeking peaceful solutions as their legacy to the new generation. The population at large is tired of paying a heavy toll for this endless conflict. The younger generation is no longer willing to be cannon fodder to empty nationalism particularly when they lack the basic rights and necessities of life.

Oedipus Recommends Self-Blinding for Eritrean Elite

... the tragedy in Eritrea has been not only socially engineered and carried out by the elite for a long duration, but is taken as a virtue to be proud of and keep for posterity. ... Hence, they are all culpable. Isaias cannot substitute Oedipus. Clearly, the reason for the so far eluding catharsis cannot be separated from the wish to attribute every crime in the land to Nsu, or the dictator.

Thus, the verdict of a collective self-blinding in a symbolic sense proposed here applies to all of us. The shame and indignity is such that, had such similar event happened in a country such as old Japan, the Samurai elite wound not have hesitated to commit a seppuku, a suicide by disembowelment with a short dagger.

The preferred weapon in our case may be the mesfe, a tool used by our wretched mothers and sisters. ... Forbidding as this darkness may appear, it is bearable; its likely benefit is the end of the search for the ultimate vision, a task, the chorus of the Eritrean opposition does not seem to stop chanting.

Part II: Moral Crusade that Has Changed the Political Landscape of Eritrea:

The Eritrean political parties also suffer from lack of a clear ideology and dynamism that enables them to live up to the expectations of the people for leadership, as well as to the challenges left behind by the uprising.

The overall struggle of Eritrea merits the building of a new way of life that allows all Eritreans to live in peace, harmony and prosperity.

A new way of life requires a new ideology E.g. Leninism is unimaginable without talk of "dictatorship of the proletariat", “the vanguard party", the correct line and "democratic centralism.”It is the ideology of communism.

It is very difficult to win support unless people relate to a specific ideology, principles and vision of an organisation. And it is difficult to relate to an organisation unless its ideology is clearly stated and debated and put in a written form and made available to the ordinary people.

Dear DC Organizing Committee of May 2013 Event

As you know the Sinai situation has finally got traction, media and international attention. This coming May event give us an opportunity to capitalize on it and raise the level of attention about Sinai by doing demonstration (demo) not just in front Sudan but also in front of Egypt Embassies. This will help our humanitarian effort, highlight and elevate the Eritrean refugees’ plight and resonate with our people inside Eritrea. It has been said that USA government has done everything against Isaias regime short of taking of removing the regime by force. Therefore, it is no use to do demo at neither White House nor State Dept. Instead, many have been calling to do demo in front Qatar Embassy because Qatar has been the chief supporter of Isaias regime. The recent visit by dictator Isaias to Qatar is a good hint and by doing demo against Qatar will create buzz among our people, give our effort political relevance and expose the PFDJ dealings.

A Response to Allegations Made against Me by Red Sea Fisher

For me, one of the most important things, and perhaps the most exigent, is that Eritreans are still fleeing their homeland in unprecedented numbers. Unless this horrifying trend is halted immediately, they will continue to suffer in the hands of Eritrean and non-Eritrean victimisers. There is no doubt about this. The atrocities which are associated with the unprecedented instance of forced migration, such as torture, extortion, sexual abuse, human trafficking and possibly also organ harvesting, will continue unabated. ... The way we see it, I hope it won’t be far before we could see some, if not all, individuals being prosecuted before national, regional or international judicial organs for the abhorrent violations they have committed against Eritreans. Indeed, the mounting pressure coming from the UN Security Council, coupled with the appointment in 2012 of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea, indicates only this. For government apologists, the best thing to do is: advise their government to mend its way of doing things before it is too late.

Unfiltered Notes: The Sinai Tragedy

And here is the irony. Eritrea is a highly militarized country with over 300,000 under arms and few Rashaida tribesmen are believed to operate the human trafficking ring. The Rashaida are 1% of Eritrea’s population. That comes to a total of about 50,000 Rashaidas in the country. Assuming 1% of them are involved in human trafficking, it begs the question how a highly militaristic and trigger-happy regime that has waged war with all its neighbors is unable to disrupt a 500-strong criminal gang? Given its vast spy network, it is even reasonable to assume the regime knows each one of them by name.  The ratio of Eritrea’s army to the few Rashaida traffickers is 600 to 1. Said another way, Eritrea’s 600 military personnel are no match to one Rashaida operative. The regime either has no desire to stop the trafficking or, as some suspect, the regime is actively profiting from it.

Nevsun Resources Ltd. puts Canadian values and innocent lives at stake

The question we need to ask is this: Does the Canadian government know? A mining company like Nevsun receives the unconditional support of the Canadian government while the government thinks they are helping developing countries.

“As world-class corporate citizens committed to sharing their knowledge and expertise with developing countries, Canadian companies are helping bring greater prosperity to our friends throughout Africa,” said Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade in a statement upon his return from a trade mission to Nigeria and Ghana.

Contrary to Minister Fast’s statement, a company like Nevsun Resources Ltd. is not helping to bring greater prosperity, but only poverty, displacement and emigration. They are damaging Canadian values by aligning themselves with the totalitarian Eritrean regime which only abuses its own people day in and day out.