Month: June 2014
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Eritrean Orthodox Diocese Supports Catholic Bishops’ Letter
The Eritrean Orthodox Church’s Statement (Translated into English by Semere T Habtemariam) In a statement issued on the occasion of Eritrea’s Martyrs’ Memorial Day, June 20th, the Arch Diocese of North America of the Eritrean Orthodox Church expressed its unequivocal support for the Year-of-Faith’s Pastoral Letter of the four bishops of the Eritrean Catholic Church.…
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A UN Human Rights Inquiry Commission For Eritrea
Resolution A/HRC/26/L.6 which was tabled by Somalia at the 2014 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Eritrea was adopted by the UNHR in Geneva. Mr. Yusuf Mohamed Ismail, the head of the Somali delegation who made the introduction to the session stated that, “Since the tabling of the draft resolution, a number of countries from different…
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Eritrean Exodus: Reversing The Trail Of Moses
In an act of complete desperation, a mainly-Eritrean crowd of refugees in Israel has decided to march to the Sahara this Friday morning. About one thousand refugees left the barbed wire protected Holot detention camp on their way to the Sahara to protest their mistreatment by Israeli authorities. Eritreans have been escaping from their country…
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Sunridge in Eritrea: Gold Rush or Gold Rash?
The Eritrean mining sector is wrapped in secrecy similar to all other sectors of the economy. The government has never published financial reports since the independence of Eritrea in 1991. As such, only investors who are willing to operate in shady environment are willing to invest in Eritrea. There is no delineation between the interest…
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Constructive Ambiguity And Eritrea’s Bad Choices
One of the most memorable revelations of Dejen Ande Hishel, the Eritrean Air Force pilot who escaped after 15 years of arrest without charges, was his realization (four years into his arrest) that, in Eritrea, to ask the government, “what are the charges against me?” is to commit a crime because your question is slandering…
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Eritrean Mining: China’s Wanbao Withdraws
Recently, Wanbao, China’s largest state owned mining firm announced its withdrawal from Eritrea and that it would no longer seek a stake in the cash strapped Canadian mining company Sunridge Gold. The company [Sunridge] which has been involved in the exploration of precious metals in Eritrea since 2003 was unable to reach production phase due…
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Rest In Peace Memhr Mewael
Another member of the “Steadfast Generation” left us these past days. After a long and debilitating illness, Memhr Mewael Mebrahtu passed away on Tuesday, June 17 2014 at the age of 80 in San Diego, California. Mewael was born in Keren, on September 11, 1933 to his father Deg. Mebrahtu Gubsa and his mother Weizero…
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Eritrea: Demographic and Environmental Crisis
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights situation in Eritrea disclosed that 4,000 Eritreans are fleeing their country each month. Thousands more are unaccounted for since they are not registered with UNHCR or other agencies that tracks new arrivals. Many Eritrean refugees leave their country and melt away in the neighboring countries, mainly in Ethiopia, Sudan…
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Pastoral Letter: A complete and Literal Translation
I was moved and inspired by the courage of the four Eritrean Catholic Bishops and felt obliged to do something, or at least, shout out the proverbial expression of solidarity, “I am an Eritrean Catholic too.” Compelled by an irresistible urge to help and promote their cause, which is Eritrea’s cause, I took it upon…
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The Flood Of Poverty
A team of Kuwaitis traveled to Eastern Sudan and visited Eritrean refugee camp to offer some aid. They report what they observed about the forgotten and neglected Eritreans, some of who are third-generation refugees. The first batch of refugees reached Sudanese refugee camps in 1967 and since then, their numbers have been increasing, yet always…
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U-Turns Regression: Two Opposition, Two Eritreas
“In truth, there is no pain but comfort, no fear but courage, no chaos but order, no betrayal but trust and no dishonor but the highest of accolades.” (Haile-TG) Prelude Politics has never been a matter of principles. It was and will be a matter of interest. It is not unusual to see political U-turns…
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The Selfless Bishops Who Took The Lead
Unable to watch the humiliation of their people idly, four Eritrean Catholic Bishops from Segeneiti, Asmara, Keren and Barentu Eparchys rose up and blew the lid in the face of the notorious dictator – Isaias Afewerki. These four courageous Bishops have had it and without fear or favor, they dispatched their pastoral letter to the…
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Why Do We Write?
“We write to tell the truth. We write to know who we are. We write to find our voices. We write to save the world. We write to save ourselves. We write so that when we look back and see that moment when we were totally clear, completely brilliant, and astoundingly wise, there is proof…
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The Brewing Nightmare
I know we have a few former commies in here. So let us try to appear “ideological” at least in one paragraph. In a way, it is also the abstract, summary or snapshot of the rest. If you are a lazy reader, a serious person or do not have time for too much BS, read…
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Eritrean Catholic Bishops Ask: “Where Is Your Brother?”
In a spiritually embellished letter, four Eritrean Catholic bishops issued a letter addressed to the Eritrean people. In the 38-page letter that the Catholic Bishops from the eparchies of Segeneiti, Asmara, Keren and Barentu wrote, they described the situation in Eritrea and appealed to the faithful to find solutions to the economic crisis, excessive exile,…
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Shum Gedede & The Goatskin
This article is first published on Sep. 19, 2005 when the current trend of degrading and belittling the Eritrean struggle was unthinkable. I thought of bringing it up again to help us reflect. Its TIGRINYA TRANSLATION IS HERE ሹም ገደደን ቆርበትን (ሳልሕ “ቃዲ” ጆሃር):: This story is dedicated to the top brass of the Eritrean…
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Dejen Ande Hishel: The Prison Breaker
On February 27, 2014, Dejen Ande Hishel, 38, an Eritrean fighter-jet (Mig-29) pilot and trainer, escaped from a maximum-security Eritrean prison in Asmara, where he had been held in captivity without charges, a verdict, or a day in court, for fifteen years. While his whereabouts have not been disclosed, it is safe to say that…
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Eritrea: NEVSUN’s Multi-million Class Action Lawsuit Settlement
Recently, Nevsun, the Canadian mining company operating in Eritrea, approved a multi-million class action lawsuit settlement brought by a New York-based law firm representing shareholders and investors. The firm had accused Nevsun of US securities fraud. Nevsun owns 60% of the Bisha Mining Share Company in western Eritrea while the remaining 40% is owned by…