Tag: Horn of Africa
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Negarit 199: Perfecting the Resistance
In English and Arabic, opposition (معارضة) and resistance (مقاومة) are different, but in Tigrigna the word for both is (ተቃውሞ). Conceptually the terms are similar in usage though different essence. Generally, opposition describes a political party operating in a system of government based on democratic competition through elections. In Eritrea organizing outside the ruling party…
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Invaders or Defenders?
Today I will formally introduce the background intro music of Negarit, that you hear in the intro and outro. It is the work of my youngest brother Ahmed Abdulrahim. On behalf of myself and the audience of Negarit, I express my appreciation and gratitude to Ahmed for the gift. Thank you. I always avoid mentioning…
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Presence of Ethiopian Forces In Eritrea
Can wars end? What are signs that wars will end? What was the result of past “wars to end wars”? Is our region hastening Armageddon? Will the war in our region ever end? Who are the actors in the war apart from what we see? What is sovereignty when foreign forces are stationed in a…
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Mighty Eritrea and Great Tigray
I have been reading some books and trying to see the difference between the traditional Tigray and Amhara perspectives of ending Eritrean independence and swallowing it. Things never change in the South, the historical inter-Habesha rivalry rages on, since 1270–the ascension to power of the so-called Solomonic dynasty. The region still suffers from the millennia-old…
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Ethiopians Still Talking About Talking
Since Abiy Ahmed took office as Ethiopia’s prime minister in 2018, the region is entangled in a civil war. So far, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, the economy sustained heavy damages, and ethnic conflicts are spreading to every corner of the already unstable region. Preaching hate and violence has become the daily…
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New Faces To Embolden The PFDJ Festivals
Three new faces were delegated to embolden the PFDJ supporters in the current media offensive. Yemane Gebreab who serves as the presidential advisor was the familiar delegate to such activities outside Eritrea. His appointment to the position was never announced. His accompanying official to such missions was Abdella Jabir who is jailed since 2013 after…
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Drones Created Out of Dirty Residues
In the last episode of Negarit (#181), I asked my audience ‘what do they miss the most in Eritrea?’ I was not surprised by their answers because I can identify with most of them. But regardless, they were heart-wrenching. Let me begin with a memorable story about a strong, assertive, no-nonsense woman I knew as…
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Three Envelopes for The Horn of Africa Leaders
A newly appointed corporate manager asked his predecessor to give him the best advice he could. The outgoing manager gave him three envelopes and told him to open them in sequence whenever he faced serious difficulties. Soon, he opened the first one. It read: blame everything on the previous management and buy time. He did.…
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One Kicked Out, Two To Go
In 2018, when Abiy Ahmed made his overly promoted visit to Eritrea and “signed a peace agreement” with Isaias Afwerki, half the world media and the political tribes behaved like a child taken to a circus for the first time and watched sheepishly as wool was passed over their eyes. But the second half (and…
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Somalia Elects President Hassen Sheik Mahmoud
Somalia led the ex-president Formaggio to the Exit door and welcomed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who won the election by 184 votes. Amid a worsening inflation, lack of security, food shortage and a widespread draught, Somalia’s 328 representatives elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud out of 35 contenders. Mohammed Formaggio, the last president came next. President Hassen…
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Between Constitutionalism and “The Constitution”
[Reading time 9 minutes] Carlo was a driving school owner and trainer who was traveling to Keren in a bus together with his friend. The bus driver was reckless and seemed incompetent. The bus swayed and the passenger panicked, including Carlo. The friend asked Carlo to sit beside the driver and instruct him how to…
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Tension in the Eritrean Ethiopian Border
(Reading time: 5 minutes) Gedab News learned that, over the last two weeks, large contingents of [Eritrean and Tigrayan] forces and equipment were amassed around the Ethiopian-Eritrean border areas. For the last few weeks, both forces have been undergoing serious training and “a confrontation is very likely”, and if a confrontation ignites between the two…
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Awate.com is released from Intensive Care
After operating at a minimum capacity for a while, awate.com is now back–after improving website security and renewed drive.
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Ethiopia Prepares for a Negotiated Settlement
On Sunday, a two-day long pan-Ethiopian meeting concluded in Addis Ababa. The preparatory meeting elected a committee that will draw plans for a wider nationwide consultation and negotiations conference in which the constitution and the federal status of Ethiopia will be discussed. Regional notables, academicians and politicians attended the meeting. The attendants overwhelmingly agreed that…
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“May You Beget A Black Cat”
In 1986 a border conflict erupted between Qatar and Bahrain over the ownership of the Hawar Islands (Fisht AlDibal). Qatari forces arrested 29 workers sent by Bahrain on a construction job. Soon, Saudi Arabia succeeded in mediating and securing the release of the prisoners; in 1994, the case was resolved by the international court under…
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Please Come and Invade Us!
A fringe racist, bigoted, and servile group has been trying hard to undo Eritrea and what its people stand for. They have been mocking the struggle for self-determination and freedom including its veterans. They were in the verge of losing steam when the Ethiopian civil war erupted and the fringe Tigrayan groups became vocal. Their wish is to…
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Eritrea: “A Foolish Undertaking”
Over the years I have come across many views; some I learned from, others I were a waste of time, still others were dazzling and made me scratch my head. My topic for today is one the most annoying view That’s based on a twisted logic, devoid of any rational thinking—the following is a sample:…
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Alleged Consultation to Form a Military Wing Unfounded
Gedab Investigative Report: On July 30, 2021, an Eritrean website reported about a “consultation between Eritrean entities.” It further reported that “several Eritrean opposition organizations were engaged in preparatory meeting to form “a wide political and military entity to topple the Asmara regime.” It added, “the Khartoum consultations is led by Mesfin Hagos, an ex-Eritrean defense…
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Eritrean Leader’s Sandcastle Play
Eritrean president Isaias Afewerki recently ventured out of his hideout at Adi Halo near Asmara to travel to the port city of Massawa for some reflective moments at the beach. [Adi Halo is, of course, the leader’s infamous rural outpost which doubles as his makeshift “presidential office.” The place has an even more bizarre history…
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Eritrea, Tigray, and Ethiopia: Where to from Here?
Passions in the current war (Eritrea and Ethiopia on one side) and Tigray on the other are running high akin to the war of the 1998 to 2000 where the majority in diaspora were settled on the notion of my country, right or wrong. When passions run this high it is rather difficult to distance…