Month: December 2016
-
Eritrean Ministry of Information At War With Foreign Media
Six days ago, Abdulrahman Al-Rashid, the previous editor of Alsharq Al-Awsat, who now maintains a column in the newspaper stated that “the Saudi minister Ahmed Al-Khatib visiting the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam appears to have been an excuse for a media exchange that turned the relationship between Riyadh and Cairo from an intimate one to one where…
-
UN Blue Helmets Shouted “Boo” In South Sudan
While the world community, as well as the people of the region were celebrating the birth of a new country in the South of Sudan, others were skeptical. Most Arabs, however, screamed, ‘conspiracy to divide the Arab world’! They seem to have forgotten that the Arab-African Sudan lost its Southern half under president Numeiri, who…
-
Christine Umutoni In Eritrea: Another Abuser of UNDP Mission
The global mission of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is poverty reduction, fighting HIV/AIDS, promoting democratic governance, energy and environment, and social development, crisis prevention and recovery, encouraging the protection of human rights, and the empowerment of women. Such noble mission is non-existent in Eritrea. Thanks to the resident UN Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP-Eritrea…
-
Soulmates: Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Isaias of Eritrea
[Apologies: apparently the video that was linked to here seems to have been pirated. The full version is now not accessible. The clip above is the trailer of the documentary which is available on Netflix.] Many people like to compare countries, that is why you hear Eritrea is the North Korea of Africa. That comparison…
-
Deliverance: A Tale of Colliding passions and the Muse of Forgiveness
Book Review Title: Deliverance: A Tale of Colliding passions and the Muse of Forgiveness Author: Dr. Bereket Habte Selassie Genre: Historical Novel Pages: 330 Publisher: RSP (Red Sea Press) ISBN: 9781569025178 (HB) and 9781569025185 (PB) A new novel by Dr. Bereket: Deliverance, a Tale of Colliding passions and the Muse of Forgiveness Reviewed by Semere…
-
The Dardanelles, The Nile, And The Red Sea
In December of 2010, Bouazizi, a frustrated Tunisian street vendor, set himself ablaze and soon died of his injuries. The immolation effectively depleted the tolerance capital of Tunisians and they toppled the 23-year dictatorship of Zen Al Abideen bin Ali. However, not many realized that the Tunisian uprising was the eye of the storm that…
-
A Boy’s Odyssey into the Multicultural Nature of Eritrea
It sounds Like Tigrinya, but it is not Tigrinya. When I was thirteen years old, a kid I met during our trek to the Sudan once said this to mock me: “haa wo tekkal shweshsh[1]” as he skillfully navigated the bushes, donning his shorts, which were as tight and as short as todays boxers. I…
-
Atlantic Council: Leaving Eritreans In The Cold
On December 8, the Atlantic Council, an American think-tank, organized a panel discussion on Eritrea. Entitled “Rethinking Eritrea”, the event was moderated by Bronwyn Bruton,the deputy director of the think tank’s Africa Center; and the panelists were Seth Kaplan, a professorial lecturer at Johns Hopkins University; Anthony Carroll, senior associate at the Center for Strategic…
-
Undercover Lobbyist Rethinking Eritrea
The Atlantic Council (AC), an American Think Tank, is hosting a seminar, aptly entitled, “Rethinking Eritrea.” There is no Eritrean in the list of panelists, unless Dan Connell, a longtime friend of Eritrea is considered one. The meeting is scheduled for today, December 8, 2016, in Washington, DC, for the benefit of the deputy director…
-
Gejeret 1975: Life Under Mengistu’s Derg
If you are from Gejeret, then you might remember where the residents of that neighborhood in Asmara found refuge in 1975. I was one of those who took refuge at San Francesco or Collegio La Salle, which was administered by the Kerenite Fratelli, Fr. Michael, Fr. Kahsay, Fratello Beyene, and Fr. Demsas. Later, I heard…
-
Nile Politics: Eritrea, Sudan Ethiopia, Egypt
On November 28, 2016, Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki traveled to Egypt for a three-day visit and met Egypt’s president, Abdulfatah AlSisi. The official news outlets of the two countries didn’t disclose much about the visit except the usual boilerplate statement, ‘they held talks to boost bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries.” However, several Egyptian…
-
Recognizing Individuals: A Step Towards Transparency
Let’s pause and consider ourselves and identify “who is who” among those who are making history, by being in the foremost list of activist leaders, in the quest of justice for Eritrea. In today’s Eritrean political mindset, many may feel discomfort when individual dissidents are picked from the crowds of justice seekers pool. Though these…