Eritrean refugees en route to Australia are stranded in Indonesia after their smugglers abandoned them when they learned Australian coast guard had intensified patrol of the seas. The Eritreans, who originated from Ethiopia, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, are mostly youth escaping “National Service”, the mandatory military service which was originally … more
In the late afternoon of November 5, Brigadier General Tekle Kifle “Manjus” presided over a meeting to discuss, among other things, the fallout from the youth round-up that was conducted on the weekend of October 26th where, for the first time, it was disclosed that an Ethiopian opposition group based … more
The Tigray People’s Democratic Movement (TPDM, known by its Tigrinya accornym De.M.H.T.) is one of half a dozen Ethiopian opposition groups stationed in Eritrea whose mission statement appears to have changed from bringing change to Ethiopia to fighting change in Eritrea by being President Isaias Afwerki’s last enforcement unit. Over … more
Eritrea is a country riddled with extra-judicial killing; disappearance; incommunicado detention; denial of fundamental human rights and indefinite military conscription which is tearing the very fabric of the society, according to Ms. Sheila B. Keetharuth, the UN Special Rapporteur to Eritrea. Her report was made on Thursday to the Social, … more
Last week, Eritrean journalist Mohammed Taha Tewekel was in Djibouti to press Djiboutian authorities to improve the living conditions of Eritrean detainees, prisoners of war (POWs) and refugees. Djiboutian authorities declared that they have dealt with more than 500 Eritreans who were members of the Eritrean military. Out of those, … more
Following the report of the Somalia-Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG), the United Nations Security Council passed resolution (2111) on 24 July to relax the arms embargo on Somalia and Eritrea, to extend SEMG’s mandate until November 25, 2014, to “underline” the importance of Eritrea granting access to the SEMG. The UN … more
On July 13, 2013, the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea (SEMG), which is mandated by the UN to observe and report on sanctions violations by Somalia and Eritrea, submitted its annual report to the Security Council. Even though the 500-page report on Somalia was released, a shorter 80-page report … more
The Archdiocese of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church in Diaspora sent a letter of appeal on May 24 to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling for “the immediate release of His Holiness Patriarch Antonios from prison” and that he be provided “with the necessary medical care.” The news was first reported … more
On May 15, Mr. Adam Bandt, an Australian Member of Parliament (MP), addressed a petition that was presented to the Australian house of representatives by the Eritrean National Council for Democratic Change (ENCDC.) By addressing the petition, the MP brought to the attention of the Australian House “the human rights … more
Barring any last-minute changes, Isaias Afwerki is paying an unpublicized visit to Qatar on Tuesday to meet with its Emir to discuss the stalled Eritrea-Djibouti border agreement. According to our sources, Djibouti’s president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, who was also invited, has indicated that he will not show up unless Qatar … more
The League of Arab States, which has officially offered the Syrian seat to the opposition coalition (“National Coalition”), held a ceremony at the Syrian embassy in Doha, Qatar to mark the event and participating in the ceremonies was Eritrean Ambassador to Qatar, Ali Ibrahim Al-Uqud. Eritrea is not a member … more
Last month, Sudan’s Minister of State, Mebrouk Selim Mubarek, declared that human traffickers are active in Eastern Sudan and they number in the hundreds. That was the first time a Sudanese official openly acknowledged that it has become a hub for human traffickers. Mebrouk, who owes his position to Eritrean … more
The Eritrean government’s official website disclosed on Saturday that Colonel Abdurahman Mahmoud Jasser had died on February 2nd “following his recent sickness” and that he would be buried in the “Martyr’s Cemetery” on Sunday. The government passed its condolences to “the family members and friends”. Now, family members are saying … more
An Iranian translator who recently defected to the West says that Qassim Suleymani, the leader of Iran’s paramilitary force, Al Quds, met with Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki on May 20, 1998. According to the translator, Ahmed Hashemi, the discussions between Qassim Suleymani and Isaias Afwerki–which was also attended by Iran’s … more