|
On 4
August 2004, James Swan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African
Affairs addressing the 4th International Conference on
Ethiopian Development Studies at the Western Michigan University, in
Kalamazoo Michigan
took the opportunity to “discuss U.S. policy and engagement in
the Horn of Africa”, and leveled unwarranted accusations against the
Government of Eritrea and the people of Eritrea. The sad fact is that
this US official, who has never visited the State of Eritrea, did not
even bother to check his facts before presenting his venomous
statements about the State of Eritrea. For Eritrean Americans such as
myself, it came as no surprise considering the fact that his boss is
none other than Jendayi E. Frazier, the incompetent Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs who has used the same spill in
her campaigns against Eritrea.
The record is clear, from undermining Eritrea’s
economic development, to sabotaging and manipulating its nascent
press, encouraging civil disobedience and more, the list of illegal
intrusions on Eritrea’s sovereignty by the State Department and its
many tentacled organizations (CIA, NED, USAID, VoA etc.) is long and
sordid. The State Department attempted to hijack Eritrea’s economic
and political development by funding groups and individuals who have
worked incessantly to destabilize Eritrea, isolate the Government and
people of Eritrea, undermine Eritrea’s peace, stability and security.
By preventing the expeditious demarcation of the Eritrea Ethiopia
border in accordance with the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission’s
13 April 2002 Final and Binding decision, it has also emboldened the
minority regime in Ethiopia to occupy sovereign Eritrean territories
for over 5 years, in violation of the African Union and United
Nation’s Charters.
Allow me to address each of the issues raised by
this US official for the record, assuming also that he does not know
the whole truth about the issues he mentioned. Mr. Swan assumed the
new position when Donald Yamamoto was “promoted” to his new position
as US Ambassador to Ethiopia. I want to give him the benefit of the
doubt and believe he was just echoing his boss’ sentiments without
checking the facts. If his analysis is based on the State Department’s
deliberately skewed and biased documents, I am willing to educate Mr.
Swan by presenting him with facts about Eritrea, its government and
people and Eritrea’s economic, political and social policies that have
been deliberately misconstrued. I will also endeavor to educate the
greater American public about the State Department and its illicit
activities in Eritrea that have contributed to the deterioration of
US-Eritrea relations since the Eritrea Ethiopia border conflict in
2000. Bear with me, it is a long read.
Eritrea’s Economy
Mr. Swan told his audience “Eritrea has
experienced economic decline”. Let us examine the facts.
During the armed struggle for independence in all the liberated
areas, the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) now the People’s
Front for Justice and Democracy (PFDJ), set up schools and clinics,
repair shops and other small industries to provide for the people in
the area. It’s post independence goals and priorities included
achieving food sufficiency, providing universal health care, equal
opportunity for education, clean water for all, and making sure that
there is equitable distribution of the country’s resources. In order
to do that Eritrea embarked on an ambitious infrastructure development
program, and the results are remarkable, by any standards. Eritrea
believes in a self-reliant economy, for it is the only kind that can
be sustained.
Here is a short list of what has been
accomplished, despite the situation that has prevailed for the last 10
years since the Ethiopian war of aggression and invasion in 1998-2000:
·
Massawa International Airport was built entirely
by Eritreans and it is now one of the most modern airports in the Horn
of Africa. The airports airside comprises a runway of a length of 3500
meters – enabling it to comply with the International Civil Aviation
Organization's (ICAO) Category I standard, and can be used by
large-capacity aircraft to take off and land. Construction began in
1999 and is already providing service.
·
Sawa Airport-also built entirely by Eritreans
·
Ports and Jetties all along the Red Sea Coastline:
Establishment of Free Trade Zone in Massawa, refurbishing of the Ports
of Assab and Massawa and the construction of several jetties along the
Red Sea Coastline to enhance Fisheries and Tourism related development
efforts.
·
Harena Boat Factory: Started in 1998 and produces
different types of boats ranging from 3-meter small open boats to
25-meter fishing and patrol vessels
·
Health Services: In addition to the 200-bed Orota
Referral Hospital inaugurated in 2003, regional referral hospitals
have been constructed in Assab, Barentu, Dekamhare, Ghidae, and
Mendefera. There are also health clinics throughout the country.
Eritrea has eradicated malaria, polio and
Maternal, child and infant mortality
rates in Eritrea have all fallen by about a third since 1995, a direct
result of better access and healthcare for pregnant women and ongoing
nationwide immunization programs. In addition to
building clinics and hospitals the Government of Eritrea has trained
hundreds of health providers, has bought and installed modern
equipment, and continues to enhance its health care delivery system.
Eritrea’s ambitious health program to combat communicable
diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases and
tuberculosis was set up to coordinate and improve the treatment and
management of these four communicable diseases. Eritrea's first
"free-standing" HIV testing facility represents part of a nationwide
campaign by the government to improve AIDS awareness as well as care
and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs). At least 20
other such centers have been set up in hospitals around the country
and counselors have been trained.
·
Education: In addition to the many Kindergartens,
primary and secondary schools constructed all over the country. The
Sawa Training Center is now providing vocational training in catering,
hospitality management, computer skills etc. the Eritrean Institute of
Technology (EIT) at Mai Nefhi, College of Business and Economics in
Halhale, Hamelmalo College of Agriculture, Hagas Agricultural School,
are just some of the many educational facilities that have been built
in addition to the many satellite schools operating under Asmara
University.
·
Dams and microdams have been built or are under
construction all over the country. Anseba, Gerset, Harenet, Mereb,
Toker, Seled Tinkul, and Titri to name a few of the big ones.
·
Embankments and terraces: In
line with the soil and water conservation scheme and with the full
participation of the inhabitants in the area.
·
Housing Projects-Throughout the country, the Government
of Eritrea is working to alleviate the housing shortages, especially
in the urban areas and through the Warsai-Yikaalo Program for
development, large housing projects have been completed.
·
Roads: There is not a single village that cannot be
accessed by road today in Eritrea. The most fantastic rides are the
Massawa-Assab road and the road through the Northern Red Sea Zone.
Feeder roads connect all villages and towns to the major highways,
which have been expanded and renovated.
·
Railway: The old railway system has been revived and has
become a special treat for tourists and natives alike
·
Electricity- The Hirgigo plant in Massawa is providing
electricity to surrounding vicinities that did not have power.
Eritrea’s electrification project is continuing with more and more
villages now having access to electric power. Solar energy and wind
energy have also been utilized for wider distribution and usage of
electricity.
·
Telecommunications- Mobile phones have been introduced
and are now widely used pretty much all over Eritrea.
·
Reservoirs and access to clean drinking water- More and
more villages are getting access to clean water, more wells have been
dug and the effort is continuing.
So, if this is a sign that Eritrea is going
backwards, in order to make a fair comparison perhaps Mr. Swan can
tell us what Ethiopia and others in the region have accomplished in
the last 10 years. Contrary to what Mr. Swan told his audience,
Eritrea’s economy is not heading backwards; the facts on the ground
speak otherwise. Mr. Swan’s colleagues are upset because Eritrea has
rejected the tried and failed World Bank and IMF development models
that have crippled African economies and sustained poverty, as opposed
to enhancing development in Africa.
On the issue of the G-15
Neither Mr. Swan, nor his boss, Jendayi Frazier,
seem to know much about the G-15. I doubt that the audience Mr. Swan
was addressing or the media that Dr. Frazier was addressing know about
them either; but that does not matter, because the intention is not to
inform them of the truth, but rather to paint an ugly picture of
Eritrea by jumbling the issues and misrepresenting the facts. To
them, they are just political “sound bites”. But since they mentioned
them, allow me to shed more light on that issue.
Mr. Swan should know that, even though the
Government of Eritrea has not to date disclosed fully the information
at its disposal, there is ample evidence that shows how US
intelligence agencies were embroiled, at the height of Ethiopia’s
third offensive in May 2000, in instigating acts of sedition and
treason, including attempted liaison with Ethiopia, within a small
ring of senior government officials [known as G-15]. There is no need
to shed crocodile tears for the predicament of this group of Eritrean
officials. The Government and people of Eritrea are handling this
delicate issue of national concern with great care and magnanimity. It
should be recalled that the State Department and its hired guns
labeled the coup makers “reformists” and launched a vicious slanderous
campaign against the Government of Eritrea and its supporters inside
the country and in the Diaspora.
Mr. Swan told his audience that the G-15 are
missing. If he knew anything about them, he would know that, out of
the 15 original members, 11 are detained in Eritrea (for crimes
against the State), 3 are outside Eritrea-2 right here in the USA, and
1 is living and working in Eritrea. Of the three in exile, Haile
Menkorios is at the United Nations (he was hired by Kofi Annan at the
height of the Eritrea Ethiopia conflict). The other is Adhanom
Gebermariam and he earns his keep by churning out anti-Eritrea
articles on enemy sites such as Asmarino.com and Awate.com for use in
the annual reports produced by the State Department and organizations
such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Mesfin Hagos is
somewhere in Europe, trying to stay relevant by making periodic
appearances in cyberspace.
As far as those detained in Eritrea are
concerned, there is not a single foreign entity (much less the US
State Department who is primarily responsible for their predicament)
that could care more about their well being than the people and
government of Eritrea who are most saddened with the events that led
to the detention of these individuals. The Government and people of
Eritrea will resolve this very painful issue in their own way and do
not need to be continuously harassed by self-serving individuals and
groups that contributed to their delinquency in the first place. These
folks are not in Guantanamo Bay or some unknown secret CIA prison in
some godforsaken place. They are in Eritrea, amongst the magnanimous
Eritrean people who have, for over 30 years, sacrificed their own
safety and security to provide these EPLF veterans, shelter from
ruthless western backed Ethiopian regimes.
Finally, I doubt that the detainees would approve
of the evil campaign against Eritrea that has been orchestrated in
their name.
The issue of the Independent Press in Eritrea
The Government and people of Eritrea opted to
close down the “independent press” that had mushroomed in Eritrea in
1999 for two reasons: they had seized being independent and were
endangering the peace, stability and security in Eritrea and
disrupting the unity of the nation. In addition, they had violated
Eritrea’s Press Proclamation No. 90/1996. Internal and external groups
and individuals hijacked their “independence”. They ended up becoming
mouthpieces for forces that sought to destabilize Eritrea in time of
war. The arrests of these persons in Eritrea had nothing to do with
them being “journalists”.
For a better explanation of who they were, I will
refer to reports written by Neil Skene, an American journalist hired
by the State Department to conduct “training seminars” for journalists
in Eritrea between 1999-2001, during the Eritrea Ethiopia border
conflict, to give the readers a bit of background and facts that
neither Reporters Sans Frontiers (I call them reporters Sans Couth),
or the State Department ever mention. In a matter of 3 years, the
budding journalists turned from nationalists to enemies of the State.
How did this happen? Well let us take a look at what Neil Skene has to
say.
On 24 April 2002 Neil Skene wrote the following
about the detained journalists:
“…I know most of them, because they were my
students in three weeklong training programs financed by the US State
Department over the past three years. What they lacked in experience
they made up for in dedication to learning to be journalists in a
country that had no experience with journalism. During breaks, we
drank cappuccino in a cafe downstairs from the American Cultural
Center. They took me to their favorite places for dinner and invited
to me to their offices, which were usually drab rooms with peeling
paint, sparse furnishings, a couple of computers and sometimes a
single window …”
So far so good…there is more.
On 01 October 2001 Neil Skene wrote:
“…On my first visit, in October 1999, the mood
was very different. The journalists were novices. Patriotism among
them was high. They were eager to form a press association to organize
further training sessions…By my second visit a year ago, the
journalists were more skeptical about the failure of the government to
introduce democracy. They were still something of a ragtag band and
retained the mild manner endemic to their culture, but they were no
longer naive. They discussed continuing to meet informally…”
It was in May 2000 that the Ethiopian regime
launched its third offensive causing the displacement of hundreds of
thousands from their homes and villages. I suppose Neil Skene is
talking about the National elections, which were postponed, for
obvious reasons. Why would that raise the skepticism of these
journalists, if they were truly nationalists? What did Neil Skene
discuss with his students in their “informal” meetings? When two of
the “journalists” in his class, Milkeas Mehreteab and Semere Taezaz,
escaped in 2001, they contacted Neil Skene and within days, the State
Department arranged for their entry into the USA at a time when the
country was still recovering from the terrorist attacks of September
11. Soon after the arrival of the two journalists Milkeas Mehretteab
and Semere Taezaz, the anti-Eritrea media campaigns began with CPJ in
the lead and Neil Skene working in tandem with them. Here is what he
writes about Dawit Isaac, one of the detainees:
“…Dawit Isaac, was
one of my students. He worked for the largest and most pro-government
of the papers, Setit. It was his newspaper that most clearly
signaled the end of naivete about President Isaias' democratic
intentions. The paper wrote an editorial gently suggesting it was
about time to implement the six-year-old constitution…”
There was nothing naïve about Dawit Isaac or the
“journalists” courted by Neil Skene and they are not detained for
their gentle suggestion to implement the Eritrean Constitution. He
neglects to mention the role of the journalists in the campaign
against in by members of the G-15 and their sponsors in the Diaspora,
of which he is one.
Let us see what has become of Neil Skene’s
“journalism students” who managed to leave Eritrea under suspicious
conditions:
·
Milkias Mihretab, was awarded the Percy Qoboza Award
from the U.S.-based National Association of Black Journalists and also
Amnesty International’s 2002 Special Award for Human-Rights Journalism
Under Threat. He was issued a US visa in Sudan and brought to the US
just weeks after the September 11 attacks. He was the most vocal
“journalist” in exile and stayed in close contact with Nail Skene.
·
Khaled Abdu, co-founder and former editor in
chief of Admas, became a
recipient of Human Right Watch’s Hellman/Hammett grant.
·
Aaron Berhane, writer and editor at Setit, now
living in Canada is also a recipient of Human Right Watch’s Hellman/Hammett
grant.
·
Kidane Yibrah Beyene, a reporter is also a
recipient of Human Right Watch’s Hellman/Hammett grant.
·
Semere Taezaz Sium, a reporter at Keste Debena was
brought to the US and was awarded Human Right Watch’s Hellman/Hammett
grant.
What were they being rewarded for? After all,
they were not established “journalists” with any record to speak of.
What was Neil Skene teaching these Eritreans? How did the
“nationalists” turn into runaway defectors and informants? Whose
interests were they serving with their publications? A lot of
unanswered questions remain. If there is one thing that Eritreans
have, it is patience. We will wait to find out.
The advent of the Internet, and opportunity it
allows for all citizens to play an active role in the
process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and
information has diminished the role of the mainstream media, as
we know it. In my opinion, the issue of the independent press in
Eritrea neither warrants the attention of nor is it of any concern
self serving organizations who have contributed to its closure in
Eritrea. Eritrea is a very young nation and for those who have been
watching the institution building process in Iraq and Afghanistan, at
a cost of several billions, will appreciate the growth and progress in
Eritrea, considering its limited financial and human resources, not to
mention the incessant interference by those seeking to destabilize the
young nation.
William Blum, who left the State Department in
1967, noted that amongst America's prison population of more than two
million, there are probably at least a few hundred who have practiced
journalism at one time or other, in one manner or other. Can we then
say that the USA has imprisoned hundreds of “journalists”? I hope Mr.
Swan and others will understand, once and for all that the
“journalists” in Eritrea were not detained for their “criticisms” of
the government. It serves no purpose to continuously state otherwise
when the State Department itself is complicit in that sordid affair.
The State Department and its hired mercenaries should stop insulting
the Eritrean people’s intelligence.
On the issue of the implementation of the Eritrean Constitution
In Eritrea a very conscious and healthy
democratic attitude has been cultivated over the long and bitter
struggle for independence. There is also no connection between
democracy and having a written Constitution. Britain and New Zealand
stand out as strong democracies and yet do not have written
Constitutions. Where citizens of a country have no sense of democracy,
a written Constitution, however eloquently it proclaims democracy,
will be insufficient to guarantee it. Democracy depends on certain
values such as tolerance and trust, which cannot be secured in a
Constitution. So for those individuals and groups that have been
harping about the implementation of the Eritrean Constitution, all I
have to say is get a grip! Stop regurgitating “sound bites”.
I am by no means implying that Eritrea should not
fully implement the 1997 Constitution, nor do I have doubt that
it will. I say fully because most of the articles in the Constitution
are being implemented. The one that has the destructors and defectors
up in arms is the one that deals with the national elections.
Suspending certain Constitutional rights during war is not unique to
Eritrea. The fact that national elections have been postponed does not
mean that Eritrea is not implementing the other articles in the
Constitution. There are articles that call for the defense and
security of Eritrea, for equal opportunity for health care and
education for all Eritreans, for developing Eritrea’s infrastructures
and developing laws and structures in support of the Constitution are
ongoing and cannot be achieved overnight etc. etc. all of which are
being implemented Conducting elections is not a determinant of a
democratic system. We need not go further than Ethiopia to see that an
election every 5 years does not produce a democratic state.
The process of
adopting a Constitution is as important as its substance. The process
must be legitimate, and in order for it to be legitimate, it must be
inclusive. With thousands of Eritreans in the frontlines defending
Eritrea’s sovereignty, and the country held politically hostage in a
no peace, no war situation, holding national elections cannot be a
priority. The stability and security of the State is. Elections are
not new to Eritreans who have held democratic elections for various
positions within the EPLF during Eritrea’s long struggle for
independence. Eritrea has, since independence, conducted several local
elections for the people’s assemblies, local courts etc. etc. not to
mention the worldwide referendum on Eritrea’s independence. When
Eritrea conducts its national elections, it will be all-inclusive,
free and fair, just as it has been in the past.
Eritrea’s role in the region
Mr. Swan also told his audience that Eritrea was
destabilizing the Horn region. Eritrea’s record is clear. Eritrea has
been instrumental in the Sudan achieving peace after the decades long
war between the North and South. Eritrea has also helped resolve the
Eastern Sudan problem, which culminated in the signing of a peace
agreement in Eritrea on 14 October 2006. Today Eritrea is involved in
the Darfur issue and is seeking to find a lasting solution to that
problem.
In Somalia, Eritrea has called on the
international community to respect the rights of the Somali peoples.
Eritrea has provided a peaceful venue for Somalis to engage in
dialogue to resolve their issues. Eritrea is promoting peace and
stability in the region while the US backed minority regime in
Ethiopia is working day in and day out to destabilize the region by
waging aggressive wars of expansion and invasion. It is also
militarily occupying sovereign Somali territories as well as sovereign
Eritrean territories.
While the fact that the minority regime in Addis
has been financing various Eritrean “opposition” groups including the
Eritrean Islamic Jihad is well known and documented, little is said
about the role of the State Department sponsored groups and
individuals who have been working to destabilize Eritrea. For the
record and for brevity’s sake allow me to mention a few known and
verifiable facts.
The State Department has been funding Paulos
Tesfagiorgis’ illicit activities against the State of Eritrea and its
people (see
http://www.ned.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll) for years. This
individual’s history of betrayal is too long to be detailed in this
one piece. Suffice it to mention that he is considered one of
Eritrea’s most notorious traitors. His dubious activities before
Eritrea’s independence in 1991 and his activities after independence
are a matter of public record and known to all Eritreans. It is no
wonder then that he would be the person leading the anti-Eritrea
campaign in the Diaspora today.
In western capitals, betraying the trust bestowed
upon them by the people of Eritrea, Paulos Tesfagiorgis partnered with
runaway disgruntled diplomats such as Hibret Berhe, Adhanom
Gehbremariam, Haile Menkorios (hired by Kofi Annan ), Mesfin Hagos and
others, he set out to blemish and tarnish Eritrea’s image and present
Eritrea as a pariah in the international arena. While the Eritrean
Diaspora overwhelmingly rejected Paulos and his coterie, they were
welcomed and cuddled by the State Department. These mercenary
individuals, Eritrea’s “Chalabis”, set out to wreck Eritrea’s
international image and are today shamelessly (not surprisingly)
celebrating the latest assault by the State Department on Eritrea and
Eritreans living in the United States.
In 2001, encouraged by their handlers, Paulos
Tesfagiorgis and his coterie called on all Eritrean Americans:
“…to organize and petition the US, EU, other
governments as well as non-governmental organizations, including
Amnesty International, as part of a sustained political, diplomatic,
and economic campaign…For Eritrean-Americans, a good place to start
with respect to the new struggle is the Asmarino.com [an anti Eritrea
website] database that houses contact information of the approximately
5000 individuals …will need to build an informal and consequently
formal network that is action-oriented… Through this network, letters
will need to be drafted, finalized, and distributed to US government
representatives, World Bank, IMF, Amnesty International and other
organizations…will need to be disseminated electronically, i.e. inside
popular Web-sites, as well as physically, i.e. attending forums…
Diplomatic efforts should result in the total alienation of the
regime, leading to the imposition of sanctions and freezing of
development aid…”
While the State Department funded and courted the
“opposition” and plastered their names and pictures on a flurry of
“alerts” and posters, and provided them with airtime on Voice of
America and the BBC, the Eritrean Diaspora turned away in disgust.
The frenzied western media led by VoA and BBC,
recycled and amplified the unverified reports laundered by the
above-mentioned individuals and groups. Their pages were filed with
stories of “dissent”, “crack’, “reform”, etc. etc. Economic and
humanitarian aid to Eritrea was stopped. US led western governments,
who were looking for ways to subdue independent Eritrea, found a way.
Eritrea’s own children, encouraged and funded by NED and others,
served their cause, by inventing the most brazen lies about the
Government of Eritrea and especially the People’s Front for Justice
and Democracy (PFDJ). Their camping in the Diaspora was categorically
rejected and it failed miserably. Today, most of the defectors and
runaway disgruntled diplomats and members of the “opposition” are
eking a living hiding in western capitals doing menial jobs and living
on handouts, cursing the darkness and hiding their shame. Talk about
fall from grace!
Adding insult to
injury, the Thorolf Rafto Foundation awarded Paulos Tesfagiorgis in
2003 for his efforts against the government and people of Eritrea.
Paulos has been fleecing NGO funds throughout his adult life and is
still doing so today raising the “human rights” and “democracy”
mantra. Today, Paulos tells us that he was in Ethiopia in September
2007 enjoying the Millennium celebrations with Ethiopians. What a
coincidence, so was Jendayi Frazier. I wonder what Jendayi E. Frazier
and Paulos discussed during his latest trip to Ethiopia.
As if all that was not enough, in 2005, the State
Department turned its attention on Eritrea’s youth. Again through NED,
it funded a group calling itself the Eritrean Movement for Human
Rights and Democracy (EMHRD) to translate and distribute manuals on
civil disobedience. This group comprises of young Eritreans who were
sent to Universities in South Africa for higher education. The
Government and people of Eritrea borrowed 50 million dollars in order
to give young Eritrean men and women an opportunity for higher
education outside the country in South Africa, UK, US and other
places.
These young men, wooed by Paulos Tesfagiorgis and
Dan Connell, are now engaged in anti-Eritrea activities in the
Diaspora. While the Government and people of Eritrea are left to pay
the debts incurred for their education, these young men are
gallivanting in western capitals maligning the Government of Eritrea
through State Department sponsored and funded “seminars”, “youth
forums” etc. etc. Dan Connell, known to many Eritreans for his book
“Against all odds”, in which he chronicled the Eritrean people’s long
and bitter struggle for independence, was now working to reverse it by
funding and teaching young Eritreans subversive techniques he learned
(from the CIA). According to the NED site, the young Eritreans are “developing
a manual for non-violent resistance, which they will print in several
Eritrean languages”. These manuals according to NED, are to be
distributed throughout Eritrea and the Eritrean Diaspora. I got a copy
and read the manual, it neither promotes “human rights” nor
“democracy”, it encourages anarchy and lawlessness.
On the issue of USAID
Neither Jendayi E. Frazier nor her Deputy John
Swan bothered to tell their audiences why USAID had to leave Eritrea.
She didn’t bother to tell them about Kevin Turner, Todd Nettleton and
others who entered Eritrea posing as “humanitarian NGOs” and
“journalists”, recruited and hired by the State Department through
USAID. The activities of these “Christian” fundamentalists in Eritrea
are a matter of public record. The Government of Eritrea did not ask
USAID to leave for no reason; it told the US Ambassador that it was
not “comfortable with its activities in Eritrea”. Any sane person can
see why.
These individuals and groups using “religious
freedom” as a pretext, encouraged civil disobedience, provoked
conflicts within long established religions in Eritrea, “harvested”
new churches etc. etc. forcing the Government to take action to
protect its citizens. It passed a new law requiring the registration
of all Churches including a submission of their funding sources etc.
In February 2004, the State Department put Eritrea on its list of
“Countries of Concern” for taking actions to protect the people of
Eritrea from those who were working hard to disrupt its harmonious and
exemplary religious institutions that have thrived in Eritrea for over
1500 years.
In my humble opinion, the State Department’s
activities in Eritrea are not indicative of those who want healthy and
good relations, quite the contrary. The State Department must respect
Eritrea’s sovereignty and stop meddling negatively in the internal
affairs of Eritrea. It should promote the rule of law by enforcing the
EEBC decision and respecting Eritrea’s national laws. US-Eritrea
relations can improve with positive and with continued constructive
and informative dialogue. Undermining Eritrea’s economic, political
and social development will not help mend US-Eritrea relations and
will not secure US interests in the Horn of Africa
Can the State Department really expect US Eritrea
relations to improve without fundamental changes in US policy for the
Horn of Africa? The Government and people of Eritrea have remained
silent throughout the past six years hoping that the State Department
would mend its ways, but to no avail. It is time to speak up and
divulge the sordid facts and let the American public know the facts
about the State Department and what is being done in their name.
In future articles, I will try to expand on
Paulos Tesfagiorgis and groups in his coterie who have been working
hard to blemish not just Eritrea’s international image, but also
Eritrea’s proud history. Stay tuned...
The rule of law must prevail over the law of the
jungle!
|
