Aferkebu Bun Dereja – Stop the Empire
Usually, coffee is served at least three times in a row: Awel, Dereja, and Bereka. Last time, I served you Aferkebu Bun Awel; today’s serving is Aferkebu Bun Dereja, and next will be Aferkebu Bun Bereka.
But the rulers in our region won’t let us enjoy our boon in peace… And they’ve put the region in a precarious situation.
Let’s move on… You’re welcome to the coffee ceremony (nqedem belu…).
In old times, empires were built through conquest and bloodshed. Today, they’re preserved by proxy tyrants, fake news, and agitation. While traditional thrones have fallen, their spirit lives on. Modern regimes are just as brutal; they don’t rule with swords but by manipulating truth. This is what you discover when you reflect on how the lust for power hasn’t changed—only the methods have. The Eritrean ruling party is no exception. It has inherited those old traits and infected its supporters with the same bug—one that thrives in environments where questioning is not encouraged.
People who admire the violent tyrants of the Middle Ages can’t become liberal democrats. They can’t be moralists while embracing the logic of the medieval inquisition. They can’t preserve life when they’re enamored with perpetual bloodshed—a regional tradition that has persisted for a millennium. They can’t value freedom and equality while condemning refugees to rot in exile for no other reason than their refusal to bow to those in power.
Sadly, there are too many examples of this behavior. Here’s just one:
Eritrean writers are often subjected to abuse through nasty, pitiful, and vile comments like this:
@Kibromzeru671:
“Saleh, may I remind you of what Asenna told you! You will be buried wherever you are, wrapped in a blue shroud. Did you get That; it means you will never return to Eritrea, especially you—you are doomed to remain in exile. Mark my note, until your tears turn into blood.”
That is a comment by a supporter of the Eritrean ruling party. What does this person gain if his wish comes true? Nothing. It’s just pure evil wish and monstrous behavior. An ambulance (Aferkebu) is needed to carry such people to a mental hospital before they infect others.
Succession Plan
For years, Eritreans have called for a national dialogue to build reconciliation. But the PFDJ is too arrogant to respond positively. Their attitude suggests that they believe reconciliation and dialogue are beneath them.
I firmly believe the ruling party’s policies are incoherent—perhaps a result of a highly militarized society, where civil space is vanishing, if not already nonexistent. Soldiers communicate through the barrel of a gun. They don’t accept that citizens have the right to disagree. No “disloyal” citizen may return home unless in disgrace—as a criminal surrendering. For many, that is unacceptable. Hence, mob justice condemns dissidents to permanent exile, determined not even to allow their remains to be buried in their homeland.
Do you remember Naizghi Kiflu? A veteran of the armed struggle, senior security officer, and Eritrea’s ambassador to Russia. After a fallout with the party ranks (his colleagues), he died in London. The Eritrean government refused to allow his body to be buried in Eritrea. Even his daughter travelled to Eritrea and personally appealed to the president, her father’s longtime friend and associate—but it didn’t move him. Naizghi’s body stayed in a morgue for a long time before being buried in London. There’s a long list of such people—devotees of the struggle—who were denied even a burial in the country they helped liberate.
Flying on autopilot is sometimes useful—but a human pilot must be present. Eritrea is on autopilot with rusty equipment. Over half the PFDJ Central Committee (its “parliament”) are in exile, imprisoned, or dead. The rest are either too old or inactive or “frozen” (unemployed in PFDJ-speak). The president has no deputy. His cabinet is aged—mostly in their late seventies or eighties. They never retire. The national budget is never disclosed. Prisoners are denied visitation and rot in jail without trial. There are no functioning, legitimate courts. The country is ruled without a constitution but with proclamations. That’s why Eritreans are more alarmed by it than by the Ethiopian elite’s aggressive gesture.
It is only during war times that the rulers remember national unity—even then, in a dishonorable way. Worse, they’re obsessed with loyalty. Disloyal individuals may surrender in disgrace—but will never be accepted for reconciliation or dialogue. National unity must serve the party—not the nation. There is the collision course between dictatorship and the free-spirited citizen. The Free refuse to become tools of the party. This pattern is well established. Their methods are predictable, as are their lies.
Dear Eritreans, your nation is in the ICU, Aferkebu. Reach out. Hold her hand. Get her the best doctors. It must be saved.
Awate Forum