Eritrean Regime Holding the Nation Hostage
Michael Abraha – Addis Ababa The Eritrean government is trying hard these days to be loved and paid attention to. The tragedy is the system is incapable of understanding that it does not deserve anything of
Michael Abraha – Addis Ababa
The Eritrean government is trying hard these days to be loved and paid attention to. The tragedy is the system is incapable of understanding that it does not deserve anything of the sort. The US administration quietly rebuffed a letter dated July 30, 2011 from beleaguered Eritrea’s Isaias Afewerki anxiously wanting to get President Obama’s attention.
The leader of the free world cannot help unelected leaders who are not accountable to their own people. Isaias has not only subjected his people to mass poverty, mass ignorance, and murder but is also said to be aligning himself with Al Shabab in order to kill and terrorize innocent Somalis and other Africans.
In response, the US has allocated some drones to the Horn region in partnership with Uganda, Ethiopia and other East African states to try to quell Al Shabab and its backers.
The Eritrean leader’s July letter to Obama desperately tries to explain why he should not face more UN sanctions and why Ethiopia should move out of “sovereign Eritrean territory” meaning from Badme – an allegation no longer credible. In reality, this is a demarcation issue and a call for a talk on how to demarcate the border does not necessarily make Ethiopia an aggressor. The only way to find out is to sit down and talk.
This reporter has tried to reach out to Eritrean Ambassador to the African Union, Ato Girma Asmerom, several times in the last 3 weeks for an interview mainly centered on the Badme myth.
When phone calls were not answered, interview questions were hand-delivered to Ambassador Girma’s office in the Ethiopian capital. In view of the fact that several past requests from this reporter for Q&A with Eritrean Strongman Isaias Afewerki and his top aides have been ignored, it seems the current attempt to challenge another Eritrean official has also failed. Here are the questions and there is still enough time for Ato Girma to respond:
1. Some critics, foreign and Eritrean, say the government is holding democracy hostage because of Badme – a desolate village believed to be the size of not more than three to four football stadiums yet to be transferred to Eritrea under UN plan. Is that an unfair criticism?
2. Once the border line between the two countries is marked and land swap is carried out, Eritrea is to get Badme but it will also return to Ethiopia productive pieces of border land bigger than the size of Badme, according to the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission. Why has Badme become a thorny issue for both countries?
3. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi bluntly told Eritrean professionals, and opposition politicians and students in Addis Ababa in September that he won’t give up Badme unless it is in exchange for real and verifiable peace from Eritrea. His stance seems to enjoy the tacit support of the AU, UN and the super powers. Why?
4. The Prime Minister also stressed he would never initiate war and send Ethiopian troops to kill young Eritrean soldiers and draftees in order to reach Asmara. Eritrea has in the meantime kicked out UN peacekeeping forces tasked to ensure peace so that the two sides could focus on development. In their absence, Eritrea remains in a state of war not very conducive for democratization or investment. Do you regret the expulsion of the UN troops?
5. It seems Eritrea is yet to present strong evidence to counter charges that it is arming terrorists and committing acts to destabilize the Horn Region. What are your hopes there would be no additional UN sanctions on Eritrea?
6. Do you think Eritrea’s membership with IGAD will be restored anytime soon?
7. If, as President Isaias says, there is no famine or hunger in Eritrea, why is the government not confident enough to allow neutral experts to confirm that people are not starving or malnourished? Were the Eritrean professionals meeting in Addis Ababa earlier in September wrong in calling for a humanitarian access to people affected by drought in the country?
Of course this is an interview that never was – destined to be dead on arrival. The attempt could be likened to an independent Libyan journalist trying to talk to Tyrant Gaddafi or his confused advisors and ask them if they have ever heard of such ideas as human rights or democracy. “Who are you talking to? You spoiled son of a rat! I will come to Bengazi and cat your tail off”, Gaddafi would be barking out of his bunker somewhere in the desert.
Free press is the number one enemy of tyrants and their cronies. This is true of Isaias and his misguided emissaries – including Ambassador Girma – who have chosen a comfortable, easy, lazy, corruptible leadership style without having to face any challenges from journalists or from ordinary people. Independent, responsible media coupled with a robust, democratic opposition are needed for a society to function properly.
Evidently, Isaias’s Badme ploy and his claims of the “Ethiopia threat” are a bogus pretext to stay in power indefinitely and to prevent the people from demanding their right to democracy and freedom.
The regime is the most secretive in Africa and does not believe it is unanswerable to its people or to the rest of the world. The country is now affected by drought and the US and some UN agencies and non-governmental aid givers have expressed fear that Eritreans may be facing hidden famine.
The burden of proof is on the Eritrean government. If Isaias is confident there is no famine, he should have no problem letting neutral aid experts to independently verify the situation. There is no reason why the Eritrean independent press or the democratic opposition should accept Isaias’s denial of famine.
One last point about rats: It should be noted that thousands of regime supporters are defecting and quietly joining the pro-democracy camp. But there are still some diehard, non-thinking Isaias worshippers and greedy beneficiaries. If Isaias tells them they are rats, they will grow tail the next hour. If he tells them to march on the streets of Western capitals or attend his misinformed, disingenuous gatherings, they will show up with even longer tails on their behind. The encouraging truth is they are fast becoming extinct like dinosaurs before them
Kibrom T. October 11, 2011
SHAWEL MOVEMENT,
Not a blind eye my friend. Not by a long shot. What I really believe happened is that we were in a daze! We simply wanted to deny, subconsciously, that what Isaias has been doing could not happen in our Eritrea! Eritrea! Eritrea! Look at us, we are still staring at each other and say, “Is it really us? Can a man from among us who fought for all those years no less, be such a beast?” I believe there lies the answer.
Time has arrived, however, for us to act. And so you and I, Temesgen and our young people everywhere are doing just that. Now we communicate, now we chase the Monkey, now we boldly demonstrate in the streets of NY City, now we are ringing the bells in Germany, Sweden and England. I believe the stage is set for us to put concrete plans to remove this beast who calls himself Eritrean with a bold face. I believe this with all my heart and soul: Only force will remove him. And I believe it will happen because our people in Himbirti, our peope in EraEro, our people from Assab to Keren are asking: “Entai daa khoynom?” This question is directed at us and must be answered. The march has began!
Temesgen Medhanie October 11, 2011
Kibrom,
Well said hawey. All the power to you.
Tsahaye October 11, 2011
Michael Abraha, woyane’s new recruited OOSUB, has tried to put some questions to either gauge the feeling of Eritreans about his masters’ refusal to respect international law and norms or he is simply trying to show his loyalty by putting another article of no useful substance.
He tried to convince us that the woyane regime believes the only road to lasting peace is to solve the problem through negotiation. If woyane has ever believed in this, why did it first opted for war and finally accepted to settle the issue through an international court of law? Not only that, it also signed that the verdict would be “final and binding”.
If Michael Abraha believes his master, Meles Zenaw, statement that Badme is just a tiny rock-like piece of land and there are more fertile lands that have been awarded to Ethiopia, why not tell us which part of Eritrea. The point, however, is not about a fertile or a barren land, it is about respecting international laws: the only law that leads to lasting peace and coexistence between the two nations.
May God save Eritrea from PFDJ’s dictatorship and woyane’s barbarism.
Temesgen Medhanie October 11, 2011
Tsahaye,
Help me out here. Am I reading you right? You said,”…why did it (Meles) first opted for war and finally accepted to settle the issue through an international court of law? Not only that, it also signed that the verdict would be “final and binding”.” I knew from the get go that, you were a confused dude, but I didn’t know you were this much messed up. Are you sure, you’re not confusing Meles with Isaias. Think gain. If you could that is.
Ahmed Saleh October 11, 2011
tsehaye
If you got time, try to do your own research and study all the facts about that conflict. Sometimes luck of information
of the subject get a person confused. Try to figure out the wrongs in their side and ours then get on your conclusion.
To say we are always wright does not make us Angels.
Kibrom T. October 11, 2011
Here you go rearing your ugly self again! After I read a few of your postings, I could clearly tell that you are not only confused and messed up, but your obsession with the Ethiopian leader also shows that you are a mercenary, unbecoming of an Eritrean – if you are one which I doubt. So you don’t go to the keyboard and write four paragraphs of rubbish about the meaning of a mercenary, take this from me: A mercenary is one who performs a task purely for material gain; venal. As you have heard from me before, I don’t care if you are messed up or you are venal, but if you keep your rubbish postings directed at (not that they care) honorable Eritreans whose only goal is to free our people from bondage, I will dog you wherever you show up. It is obvious that you don’t care about the Eritrean people, but we do. It is true that we have jobs and families to take care of, making us look like we are looking the other way in regards to Eritrean freedom. But nothing could be further from the truth. I do not know of any Eritrean who is not proud to have these eight letters making the magic word “ERITREAN” figuratively carved on his or her wide forehead. You will never understand that if you live to be a 100 years old.
Ahmed Saleh October 11, 2011
Kubrom
those unrespectfull fellows are not stupid. Their tactic by calling names to Temesghen and others is to
distract us from our humble discussions. We are smart enough to know their intentions . Stay firm
with your positive attitude for the sake our beloved people. Don’t worry it is a learning lesson and don’t forget many Eritreans are reading these posts , so be a leader as a good example not a follower like them.
Tsahaye October 11, 2011
Kibrom T. (G?)
You act like a preteen in an adult’s body. To tell you the truth, I am now so “scared” of being “dogged” by another woyanay or unknown OOSUB.
Kibrom T. October 12, 2011
Tsahaye,
You will never know it but I have already accomplished part of my goal as related to your venality! Enough said.
Barentu October 11, 2011
Michael Abraha, would you please stop being a “spokesman” of the Weyane dominated Ethiopian regime. Just focus on your own political concerns and agenda. You are not there in Addis to lecture Eritreans about “international law … Badma …”.
With such cheap journalism, why do you wonder, why young Eritreans do not give a sh**t to your conferences? Why do you wonder why Hgdef gets thousadnds of people while you get only 20 aged ex Jebhas only?
What your guys lack such as vision, leadership, focus and dedication, the dictator has plenty of though many of these are twisted. Eritreans will support you only if confront the evil within the Kidan commission first.
Tsahaye October 11, 2011
Just for test.
Tsahaye October 11, 2011
Temesgen Medhanie,
Part (1)
My problem is that each time I have to deal with your discharged waste, I also feel the pain of stooping to your level. I would not say with certainty that you have a problem understanding my simple English, but I know what your purpose is for being here. You are here to promote woyane’s mission and goals. You are her to create a wedge among Eritreans, and above all, you are her to fight and weaken patriotic Eritreans.
For the record, when I said the woyane barbarians had opted for war and finally accepted to settle the issue through an international court of arbitration, I was trying to make a statement about the oxymoron and unstable behaviour of your woyane masters. No matter who started the war, however, the woyane regime was not an angel either. It was the woyane regime which had complicated every effort of reaching a piece full settlement to this date starting from extending the Badme and its environs issue to the entire border. It was the woyane regime who killed in cold blood several Eritrean soldiers in Badme before the war started. It was the woyane barbarians who had started removing Eritreans who lived in the disputed areas for generations way before 1998.
Tsahaye October 11, 2011
Temesgen Medhanie
Part (2)
I know you are tasked to defend woyane’s interests and its criminal acts so I don’t get too much surprised when you act the way you do, possibly out of pure frustrations. Remember that patriotic Eritreans never get discourage or swayed from their main goals by a bunch of woyane’s internet agents like yourself in this medium. And whether I am “a confused” person or not, you should not get too much excite. You are not going to have your dirty dream (or your Hlmi derho) realized.
May God save Eritrea from PFDJ’s dictatorship and woyane’s barbarism.
NB: The message was posted in two parts because the system refused to allow it in one butch.
Kibrom T. October 11, 2011
Tsahaye,
You sound like one untrained dog barking with the same sound. You must have have been neglected when you were a little boy growing up in Temben! OOSUM, Wayane, Meles, Hlmi derho. Wake up man. You are making a fool of yourself: Confused, messed up, venal, mercenary, barking dog. Well, I better stop before I catch your disease.
By the way: butch # batch!
Tsahaye October 11, 2011
Kibrom T.
Thanks for the spelling correction. As to catching my disease, do not worry about it. Mine is less contagious than the disease you have acquired from your woyane masters.
Temesgen Medhanie October 11, 2011
Kibrom,
My hunch is, Tsahaye could as well be one of the Eritreans who got deported by the Ethiopian government right at the inception of the war. You could see that he is bitter and at times miserable. As much as I don’t condone the unfair and unjust deportation of Ethiopians of an Eritrean origin, I sure take to heart and let go of the hard feeling as the Ethiopian Prime Minister time and time again expressed his remorse about the said event. At a peril of generalization, I would say, most of the people who had lived all their lives in Ethiopia and got deported to Eritrea seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place so to speak. Simply because, as much as they feel alienated with in the Eritrean cultural-norm as they live in Eritrea, they are equally bitter towards the Weyanes for the said injustice that had befallen upon their lives. That is probably the reason, Tsahaye seems to “take on” the Weyanes and the PFDJ as well where he sometimes finds himself seconding the very fallacy of the latter where he seems to be confused and messed up.
Tsahaye October 11, 2011
My apology for some typos in both parts. “her” should read “here”, “piece full” should read “peaceful”, “butch” should read “batch” and “excite” should read “excited”. I will be careful with my typing next time.
Ahmed Saleh October 11, 2011
Tsehaye
You are lucky and honored to get a chance in this forum to discuss politics with my teacher and my
brother Temesghen Medhane. If you know what i am saying.
Temesgen Medhanie October 12, 2011
Ahmed hawey,
I am humbled by your kind words. Thank you.
Kibrom T. October 11, 2011
Tsahaye,
I am sure you are very much aware that my point was not to correct the misspelling of the word, for any reader would know what you meant. My point was and is you repeat these words and phrases ad infinitum, and soon you will find that Temesgen and Michael Abraha will ignore you or will try to bring you back to your senses over time. Or, I, humble that I am, will not allow you to attack Eritreans of goodwill willy-nilly. I cannot tell for sure whether you grew up in Temben or Addis. But you sure are bitter about what Meles did to you or you are a Temben-Eritrean germinating a crazy hate for this hyphenated word. Temesgen has a great point. If you were kicked out by Meles and your properties taken by Wayane, you are fighting a wrong war. Get a grip. You are at the edge of a cliff and you are about to fall. We care less about Wayane and Meles, even though Ethiopia is providing a safe haven for Eritreans. We thank them for this. You sound idiotic when you loop like a broken record. A meaningful song is destroyed by a broken record and we have no intention of allowing you or anybody else to ruin our song.
“No one can insult me without my permission.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Tsahaye October 12, 2011
Kibrom T.
Enjoy listening to your “song”. I am here for a higher purpose. I only deal with people whom I think have the potential to cause greater damage to Eritrea than your baby-talk.
Kibrom T. October 12, 2011
Tsahaye,
Your feathers are ruffled alright! “Bay-talk” eh! “Irony is wasted on the stupid.” It is called a metaphor, you idiot! People like you are running Eritrea.
You are trying with your midget brain to destruct us by drawing in the Wayane. Think again.
Kibrom T. October 12, 2011
Please read as distract not destruct in my last sentence above.
Tsahaye October 13, 2011
Kibrom T.
Please chill down. I was suspicious that you have a problem of controlling your temper, but I never thought you can also eat your own soul as a result of self-induced rage. There is a saying in Tigrigna that goes like this, “Dedhri adgi zekedes, hla entezei lemede, trat adgi lemede.” I thought by associating yourself with some cool guys that you would learn and improve your political acumen. I urge you to spend more time with the cool Temesgen Medhanie. I am of the opinion that he is an intelligent guy although I have a serious problem with his political game. Please don’t bother to reply to my comments. You are way behind time.
Wedi Zere October 11, 2011
Ato Girma Asmerom has the blood of Aster Yohannes and many others on his hands.He persuded Aster who was in America at the time to come home and took care of her little children.He gave her his false asuurance that nothing would happen to her but only to be picked up by his spys at the airport without giving her a chance to farewell her children who were there to welcome her.
Neither Ato Girma nor his evil master has the courage and audacity to face courageous journalists (unlike Tewelde Woldegebriel of the VOA )or the public,if they do,it will be their dead brain supporters like what we witnessed in New York few days ago.
arcobaleno October 12, 2011
The trip of New York shows how vulnerable has become the monster. He was relieved and begann to glow as soon as he saw his dogs barking mad in front their lordling. He said he was not expecting such kind of reception, because he had a bad conscience. Does he or his ERITv need this cheap propaganda? Only an insane person like him behaves the way he did.
addis October 12, 2011
Temesgen
You so funny you said
“Ethiopians of Eritrean origin” where did you get that the eritrean who deported from addiss abeba never consider them selves as an Ethiopian those who consider themselves as an Ethiopian they are still in addis abeba. and then you said
“sure take to heart and let go of the hard feeling as the Ethiopian Prime Minister time and time again expressed his remorse about the said event” meles cannt repair what he did so what ever he says doesn’t count he did it purposley. For example he took what ever the eritreans own didnt give it to the Ethiopain people instead to weyane memebers and tigray origns only. majority of the new owners got so rich they are building schools hospitals and so on in tigray. At last meles said that he is going to return to the eritrean owners and some people went back to addis abeba and come back losing more money for the process and lowyers and never got a dime. And now temesgen you telling as meles say this meles say that. Let the Eritreans from addis deal with this and please stay out of this you been repeating the same message over and over.
Fitihawi October 13, 2011
If you lived in Ethiopia and became one of the victims of deportation,then your concience well knows that what you are saying is not true.If your argument is out of hearsay,then let me explain what really happened.I was one of the victims of the unpopular Meles deportation.
If we point our fingers at Meles or his gov’t for looting our properties and take them to court,then we are accusing the wrong party and we tend to lose big time but we can comfortably accuse Meles and his regime of deporting us out of the country we lived our whole lives .Remember,I am not condoning the blanket deportation or defending the regime for its actions.
During deportation,there are people who had time to represent an agent to deal with their properties while others had no time to pick up a representative to run their properties and left it to the gov’t.There are also some who made a partial authorization to their properties(deal with their assets but not the capital).
Most of those who represented have lost big time because they were betrayed by their representatives and one of them is my uncle who lost a big house and welding shop worth millions of Birr at todays market.But the ones who left their properties unrepresented found it easier to claim back their assets untouched and they all won.