Eritreans in South Africa humiliated Ambassador Saleh Omer.

Members of the Eritrean community in South Africa have posed great challenge to the newly assigned Higdefiet ambassador to South Africa, Mr. Saleh Omer Abdu, on the late evening of the 16th of April.

Mr Saleh Omer who is previously crowned with presenting unfounded and fabricated lies to Eritreans in Nairobi and as many international and renowned media outlets addressed an audience of more than 250 in Johannesburg and tried to confuse the participants with his unmannered street language.

A cold weather! The meeting was supposed to start around 7pm. The so called ambassador didn’t come on time. He came at quarter past 8. Very funny! He told us he was lost in the City for direction. But the fact as it has been verified by the participants of the meeting is that he was not very far from the meeting hall. However, he was not expecting the arrival and presence of the strong members and leaders of the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights group in the heart of the meeting. The assistant of the ambassador Mr. Kaled Abbera informed Mr Saled Omer about the presence of the unexpected and large group of the opposition with their leaders that the outnumbered the rest that has shocked the ambassador and delayed the general meeting to be started. Upon hearing their presence, I am sure he was delayed to brainstorm more and more lies again or has probably asked his boss whether to conduct the meeting or not.

Mr Saleh repeated the same agenda as his colleagues do in other parts of the world and spoke about how many dams constructed, vaccination administered, boarder issue, filfil asphalt…. and so on and so on for lengthy hours, but never mentioned about the recent tragedy and Bisha Gold mining which I think he was instructed by his boss not to address such issues…These Eritreans have never welcomed any Higdefite representative to South Africa; more over this Mandela City of Joburg doesn’t entertain such low standard and unqualified ambassadors. A question and answer session started. I observed the organizers of the meeting transferring the microphone from one corner to the other, but were met the similar questions. The ambassador told the organizers that he was not going to answer the questions one by one but all in one. So, I have tried to summarize the questions presented by the participants in South Africa below:-

An elderly and humble man takes the microphone and started to ask the ambassador…yes we know we have paid heavy price to raise our flag high on the sky, yes we know no one gave us our land for mahala (with out any payment in one of the South African languages); but we still lack freedom, and you are telling us to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Eritrean Liberation Day. Ok, but what political reforms have your government done by far so that we can celebrate?

A young Eritrean who grew up in Addis also asked the ambassador why this tiny country has made accusing The Super Power America a daily business. Why is the leadership not taking the option of solving this conflict diplomatically?

Again a young man stands in the very near of the embassy staff and asks … it is very silly and shameful to celebrate May 24 when the leadership and its style remain the same; it is very comical to see us being proud of this so called unconstitutional 20 years of liberation when we still remain ruled and oppressed by one man. So, I will only come if you guys are going to come and surprise us with some great news whereby we can celebrate our day of liberation together with most offended members of our people. Otherwise, it is so impractical and heavy for us to simply dance as in the past while most of our people are under the shade of darkness and remain in isolation. So do you think this coming May 24 will be the end of the dictatorial regime in Eritrea? Do you think in this coming May 24 you will tell us that your president is moving from his korecha siltan?

Another young man again stands from the fourth line of the left row participants… He asked the ambassador why he didn’t try to mention even for a second the recent tragedy of Eritreans who vanished in the Mediterranean Sea which of course is the cause of the dictatorial regime in Asmara. He accused the ambassador for telling us that it is because of Woyane and Americans that we still remain in darkness and in state of emergency. He kept on talking that there is a saying in Tigrigna that goes like…fetariyey kab fetawiyey dea haliweni ember kab tselaEyeysi baEley alekuwo. He continued saying that in 1993, we were really dancing and happily enjoying and even saying that ab meretna kem diletna. Now there is nothing like that. So, at this moment we don’t have any enemy, except the government of Eritrea by itself. The young man asked the audience atum ahwat ab meretna kem diletna do koyna ena….and the participants replied in the same voice and loudly …aykonannnnnnnnnnnn!!!!! The ambassador started to drink water again and again eree endateAmo….

By 11 pm, there was a problem of microphone and a gentle man comes in front of the audience. After lauding the ambassador for gathering the Eritrean Community he started bomb shelling the ambassador with his clear messages. Thanks to the global era! Every one now has information in his finger tips. You came here to tell us about the current situation of our country but you escaped to mention that the Ethiopians are digging trenches in the front lines bordering Eritrea. You also told us that the Ethiopians are our enemies, but surprisingly the Eritrean youth is flowing to Ethiopia and the Ethiopians are expanding their refugee camps into 4 or 5. So who do you think is going to defend the nation now? I am also asking about the whereabouts the G-15? Can you tell us their current situation? I am not worried of their identity. I am asking you to tell us where they are and how they are and when do you think they are going to come into the court? And this is a question of the entire Eritrean people…..

Imagine answering these whole series of tough questions! Imagine when an ambassador is being trapped between two hard choices. To win the heart of his boss is to lose the whole audience, that is, to create more lies and deny all the honest questions asked by the audience. And to win the spirit of the audience is to lose his biggest boss; his ally in killing and ambushing our sincere people, hatsey dictator president Isaias. Epee! Calamita nay aya Iisaias sihibato!  He couldn’t answer the questions, he lied and lied … and lied…

In the past, when several meetings ended, it was the staff of the embassy led by their ambassador who comes out of the meeting and the participants followed thereafter. To their disappointment, in this special meeting, as the ambassador started to give the chance to an elderly but less respected supporter of their poor office to conclude the meeting, the participants led by the leaders of the Eritrean Movement for democracy and human rights started to flow into the exit door of the conference hall and the meeting came to an end with out any formality.

In this meeting, the core leaders of the Eritrean movement for democracy and human rights were present for the first time in 7 years. Although they asked only one question, the first seat position they held in the meeting disturbed and melted the confidence of the ambassador whilst creating courage in the audience. At some point of the meeting the ambassador became intolerant and angry that he moved his head closer to his colleague Mr Kaled Abera and offended and disrespected him for his mobile was making an SMS message alert tone. Generally, the ambassador was not cool and mannered through out the meeting as all the questions raised were totally against the government! No supporter! All the audience clapped their hands together very loudly and whistled in support of the people who asked the questions.

I met Mr. Samuel Bizen, the chairman of the opposition, through telephone later and asked why the core members didn’t challenge the ambassador. He replied “We just didn’t attend the meeting for the sake of asking the ambassador only, but to teach them good lessons and to tell them that we have these many conscious people about the Eritrean state of affairs. We are so proud of our people! I really have a high regard for them for confidently challenging the ambassador and we still have to push together to remove the dictatorial regime. And we have seen from this meeting that no one is left behind. Every body is aware of his/her enemy.”

Solomon Kiflemariam
Johannesburg, South Africa
17th of April 2011