The other day I was just watching channel 4’s unreported world – how young Eritreans flee the country, cross the border to Egypt, end up smuggled to Sinai only to face more dangers as they make a dash to the Israeli border. Quite a heartbreaking documentary film!
I was in Juba two weeks ago and I can say that I saw another side of the Eritrean nature there. I do not know how it happened but a group of Eritreans are ‘controlling’ the Juba economy. That, without exaggeration, blew me away. They own the majority of hotels in the city, everything to do with construction work, water industry, restaurant, transportation and import export business and more. In the street I was staying I counted eight major hotels owned by Eritreans. The hotel I was staying at was owned by an Eritrean – it is called Star Hotel. I paid $130 per night for a pre-fab room! BTW, all the rooms are container-like pre-fabs or cheaply constructed rooms with corrugated roofs (they resemble small houses in Asmara). Guess who live in those hotels? SPLM army officials with 6-7 armed body guards - long term lodging. Literally, the hotels are like small army barracks.
The Eritreans I observed there were cliquish, befriended the SPLM generals, pay bribes generously (so I was told), smuggle in young Eritrean girls and so forth. Many of the electricians, carpenters, builders, contractors, engineers, plumbers ... all are Sawa (military camp in Eritrea) graduates! At one stage I saw over one thousand youngsters at one place partying – a totally Eritrean affair (with Eritrean music, food and all).
Where did the Eritrean businessmen get the money to start with? That is a big mystery!
Strangely enough no one speaks of politics – at least I did not hear one single comment about the regime back home. The owners of big businesses are ‘Eritreans’ who, I was told, haven’t severed ties with the government in Eritrea; I would say they belong to the ‘quiet’ group of people. I also heard an Eritrean Insurance broker, I think he is the manager of National Insurance Corporation of Eritrean (NICE) – by the name of Zeru Woldemichael, has set up an insurance company in Juba. Why?
One local person described the Eritreans as Mafiosi. They make quick money, lots of it, wire it to Arab countries, do not employ the locals, and their trading partners are none but other Eritreans in Uganda. It is all in the ‘family’. What I saw there, again, ‘blew me away!’ One really needs to watch what is happening there. Juba is being exploited to the maximum and the generals, who drive nothing but four wheel drives, are enjoying their cut. The majority of the population are left high and dry. I am very concerned ... that is instead of being proud of my countrymen who are raking sacks of gold in by the thousands .
I think the Eritrean government is behind this ‘gold rush’ operation.
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Eyewitness Account The Eritrean Mafia Thriving in Juba
Eyewitness Account The Eritrean Mafia Thriving in Juba
The Eritrean Mafia Thriving in Juba
Asmarino
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ICER Alert on Afar
There is human catastrophe unfolding in Yemen at this very minute. Two hundred and forty four Eritreans ninety five percent of whom are Afar citizens of Eritrea are in prison some for almost one year. Their crime is simply for entering Yemen without document. Their claim for political asylum until situation at home is improved was completely ignored by the Yemeni authorities and the UNHCR is on the sideline simply watching helpless.
As it is true with most Eritreans, this particular ethnic group is driven out of their traditional areas, prevented from leading their subsistence existence which is fishing on the Red Sea and forcibly conscripted in the open ended military National Service which has become scourge ....
Read more...Desperate Situation of Eritrean Afar Refugees in Yemeni City of Al-Hudeyda
Regrettably, the 300 Afar refugees are languishing in Al-Hudeyda prison where their lives are trapped in a serious threat. Apart from consistent warnings of forcible return to Eritrea, they are facing communicable diseases caused by contaminated food and water. Amongst them are around 50 Afar refugees are in a grave danger of losing their lives to this disease outbreak.
Unfortunately, the ongoing political uncertainty in Yemen exasperated the situation of Red Sea Afar refugees. Going on almost a year in captivity, they haven’t had any access to UNHCR and Human rights organizations, representatives of Yemeni government or any access to medications and basic needs, which is guaranteed to them under UN Geneva convention on rights of refugees.
Yosief Ghebrehiwet on Smerrr Paltalk on Saturday, May 12
On Saturday, May 12, at 12:00 PM (Los Angeles Time) or 21:00 (Berlin Time) Yosief Ghebrehiwet will give a presentation at Smerr Paltalk. The topic is "The Fallacies of the Democracy Project and Nationhood in the Eritrean Context" In this presentation, the following points will be discussed:
- What is wrong with the Democracy Project as practiced by the Opposition? On this part, more than a dozen fallacies will be discussed.
- After discussing the notion of "nationhood" in the Eritrean context, this question will be addressed: What is being done to hold Eritrea together as a nation?
- After looking at the rationale of the past (the Eritrean revolution) and the present (the opposition) movements regarding (1) and (2), we will look at this question: Given the above fallacies and failings, how do we anchor the Eritrean nation in the future?
Read more...
ICER APPEAL: Save Eritrean Refugees from Human Smugglers
The International Commission on Eritrean Refugees (ICER) would like to appeal to all the political groups in particular to those whose operational base is Ethiopia to give focus on the issues affecting refugees in particular to the shady operation going on in the refugee camps. Frankly, since their base of operation is located stone throw away from Eritrea where the bulk of the refugees originate from we believe they are better placed than most of us to influence events, at least in as far as regulating the flow of persons from the refugee camps in Ethiopia and the Sudan. ...
This being the case, therefore, why is it so difficult for the political parties and in particular those operating from Ethiopia where part of the illegal activities is occurring cannot act in earnest to stop it? Is it because they are too preoccupied dealing with the more burning issues, for example, the overthrow of the unrepresentative regime and replacing it with democratic one? ...
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Asmarino English
The Eritrean Mafia Thriving in Juba
One local person described the Eritreans as Mafiosi. They make quick money, lots of it, wire it to Arab countries, do not employ the locals, and their trading partners are none but other Eritreans in Uganda. It is all in the ‘family’. What I saw there, again, ‘blew me away!’ One really needs to watch what is happening there. Juba is being exploited to the maximum and the generals, who drive nothing but four wheel drives, are enjoying their cut. The majority of the population are left high and dry. ...
I think the Eritrean government is behind this ‘gold rush’ operation.
(Photo: Juba, capital of South Sudan)
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Eritrea has been under a UN imposed Sanction since December 23, 2009. This Sanction has a travel ban on high ranking officials, arms embargo and condition to freeze assets belonging to individuals or firms related thereof.
Observers in the Diaspora see this “hiring” as preemption to the diplomatic void that could be created if Presidential advisors who speak English such as Yemane Ghebreab and Yemane Gebremeskel are prohibited from traveling abroad. While Sophia is at the forefront of the media blitz by the regime, it is claimed the main enforcers of the regime’s campaign of intimidation and blackmail remain behind.
Read more...Stories from Underground Prison in Eritrea: Torture, Madness, Slave Labour, Death and a Father Searching for his Son (Life under PFDJ)
Noting his conditions, the health personnel collaborated and extended their support to him by providing him accommodation to sleep with them (as the temperature is relatively better outside than in the underground cell and there is fresh air outside) and supplied him food from their own rations which were relatively better than the food provided to the prisoners. Later in that night, the prison officer (now I forgot his name) who was next in rank to “Wedi Granite” in authority learned that the health personnel had collaborated with the patient and he was very much angry that Kibrom had been staying outside the underground cell. He threatened the health personnel with punishment for their actions and ordered Kibrom to be returned to the underground cell. Read more...
Torture, Suffering and Imprisonment (Life under PFDJ)
The editor would like to remind readers that what happened to Mussie Hadgu is a normal occurrence among the youth of Eritrea. Almost every escaped Warsai has a personal story to tell of how he or she went in and out of prison, concentration camp or training camp. Usually, it is after a number of false attempts that the escapees make it to the refugee camps in Ethiopia or Sudan. In between, there are tales of capture, torture and escape, to be repeated again in recapture, torture and escape and so on until one manages to escape for good. And this is the story of the fortunate ones. Others are either shot dead while crossing the border or languishing in some underground prisons. Fortunately, Mussie Hadgu has finally made it to safety. But in between is the story of the horrors that the youth of Eritrea face.
Read more...Eritrea: Frozen and Reshuffled, Again
Sources from Asmara (Eritrea) indicate that the Afwerki administration has been on a panic mood since the day the UN has passed the resolution to impose sanctions on Eritrea. President Isaias Afwerki has fallen into old proven tactics that served him well in times of crisis. Information leaked out from Colonel Tesfaldet Habteselasie office (President’s Office) indicate that as a number of people that have been sidelined for a long time (in the Orwellian language of the PFDJ ruling party, “frozen”) are being “reactivated” to resume important posts, various reshufflings are also being made.Read more...
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Comments
pariculary Juba like what happened to our kins in Ethiopia.
Now, eritreans, obroni, indians, kenyans, ugandans have run to the new gold rush taking place there. You must remember that the deprivation of war has led many of the ex-Sawa brigade to enjoy life to the full in Juba.
Wadjube: I'd be careful not to generalize; it isn't true for all. But if you do sense Eritreans relatively have more than their share of fights under influence, its possible because most if not all are former soldiers and are quick to react (may be combustible) to some minor slights.
On a humurous note: have you observed the infamous Eritrean headbutt in action?
Steve Aluba brings an important point. Eritreans in Juba should be extra sensitive and reach out to the population. Lack responsibility, harm not only your business but also your lives.
North and south Sudan have signed an agreement to demilitarise the disputed Abyei region and allow in Ethiopian peacekeeping forces, former South African president Thabo Mbeki said on Monday.
Eritreans do not suffer from any complexes. Having ones own country's safety at heart is not a security complex but a concern of patriotic citizen. Some of you think, because we a have a editorship that is killing it's people, there is an opportunity for Ethiopia to impose itself on us again. For a while you seem to ignore even what could be the consequences of such mindless act. When you talk about Eritrea, you show an attitude of a rapist in front of a beautiful lady, you can't control yourself. You show instinctive hatred and diabolic possession for no apparent reason. Although the Weyane have done a good job in this respect, I think the Amhara jingoist ideology is still around. It's easy to go to war than to come out of it. War is about destruction nothing more. In war all are losers.
You say said Shaebia sold us "empty nationalism" at great cost to many. That is an enemy talk. Eritreanism is nationalism, OK, but what's empty nationalism? Show us your "full" one. You say EPLF 'infiltrated' ETn economy, like anti-ER ETns. ERns were "legally" ETns until 1993, so what infiltration? If there was anything illegal they did then, GOET didn't stop them, processing and repackaging ETn coffee was legal.Saying ER will stay forever means ER nzelaalem tnber, not insecurity.You say "we" ERns, but you're againt we ERns. You talk about a depressed kin, tell her to be an ERn and swim or blame others and sink. Happy father's day.
"Eritrea is there to remain forever."....this is exactly what I mean by Eritrea's insecurity complex , you tent to subconsciously cry such slogans when there is nothing in my comment that suggests Eritrea the land will perish tomorrow cos it has been there since time immemorial , unless you mean Eritrea the word, but the Roman empire where I suppose Eritrea the word is originated from didn't last forever let alone Eritrea an entity on the verge of premature death.
Your people set up businesses, but bring in their "refugee" brother or uncle from Uganda or so to do the job, A - to-Z. All we ask is for you to be considerate enough to include the locals too. Of course, we don't have a functional government, for the time being, to look after Laws, but the produce of collective unhappiness is a real DANGER. Don't forget this is a new country yet to be forged out of a bloody war, so the scent of gun powder is still in the air.
God Bless
Steve Aluba
Juba
AMICE was an Italian(?) firm that imported automobile spare (or replacement) parts to ET. When ET deported many ERns to ER, some people must have jokingly said that the Amiches would replace the hardworking ELF/EPLF fallen heroes. Thus, we have the name Amiche. It is not bragging, but typically, ERns have a good work ethic. I think it is a product of culture and tradition, not necessarily genes, because we have lazy ones too. If no one has told you the secret, ERn ingenuity depends on using your head and muscle to rely on self; or you get "free" lunch and loose your freedom.
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