Afar Hints Seceding from Eritrea

“There will not be a unified ERITREA, unless the right for self-rule is constitutionally guaranteed for Red Sea Afar and rest of nationalities in Eritrea. The Red Sea Afar will reserve the rights for self-determination including secession”.  RSADO will not compromise on its principles for self determination in Eritrea with anyone whether those opposed to regime in Asmara or Eritrean regime itself.  

RSADO is a vanguard Afar organization and is a member of EDA (an umbrella of opposition parties opposed to Eritrean regime. In August, 2010, EDA called for a conference in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), to discuss ways to bring about a democratic change in Eritrea. Red Sea Afar has put forward a plan f0r democratic Eritrea where rights of every Eritrean is respected, a federal system of governance where rights of all Eritrean nationalities (including Ruling Tigrigna) is represented and respected according to their respective regions and ethnic makeup. RSADO made its intentions clear to work hand in hand with all parties, by further drafting “Addis Declaration” based on principle of rule of law and equality of all nationalities in Eritrea.  

However, recent maneuverings by some in the opposition camps and the regime’s loyalist in Diaspora expressed their opposition to self determinations for nation and nationalities. As far as the Afar people are concerned we will not tolerate the injustice perpetrated against our innocent citizens and continuous flagrant abuse of Afar people’s properties and resources, confiscation of property, indiscriminate killing of innocent people, rape and forced conscription in army, besieging villages and cities by the brutal PFDJ junta of Asmara just for the sake of elusive national unity or anything else. While all these atrocities are committed to our people, RSADO will not remain indifferent and will call for secession from Eritrea. The Red Sea Afar have put their lives on hold for Eritrea to realize it’s dream of independent country; in return the Red Sea Afar population have been turned in to modern day surfs in our own homeland. The Afar has a choice to make end to this repressive highlander mentality and will declare self-determination including secession from Eritrea. 

Eritrea remains one of the most repressive governments in Horn of Africa, with no rule of law, with no hope for democratic principles or any prospect for democratic elections, playing destabilizing role in the region. Since its independence 20 years ago the authoritarian regime in Asmara became synonyms with all sort of rights violation , widespread murders, torture, rape, disappearances, expulsions, forcible confinements, these abuses earned the country nicknames such as “Giant Prison” or “North Korea of Africa” by international rights organizations.  

The Red Sea Afar population of Eritrea remains one of highly persecuted ethnic minority groups in the country, due to its highly strategic and economically significant stretch of coastal land including two ports. The Afar who is indigenous people famously known for resisting any form of occupations whether colonial or regional in nature is currently being removed systemically from their ancestral land in favor ethnocentric Tigrigna. For the past 20 years Asmara has been acting like illegal occupying entity rather than a tiny country that waged 30 years of resistance against Ethiopian rule for its independence. 

RSADO  

Executives will host a Press Conference in Brussels, Belgium on this Saturday, Oct 23, 2010 at 18:10 local time, on the issue of Afar’s rights to self-determination and subsequent secession from Eritrea.                          

Place: Gemeenschaps centrum Ten Noey VZW, 

Gemeentestraat 25, 1210 Sint-Joosl –Norde. 

Brussels  

For press conference related inquiries; you can reach us at, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

RED SEA AFAR DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZATION 

رمحلأا رحبلا رفعل يطارقميدلا ميظنتلا

 QASA BADIH QAFARIH DIMOKRAASIH MISSOYNA

 ዲሞክራሲያዊ ውድብ ዓፋር ቀይሕ ባሕሪ