Tag: Isaias Afwerki
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Pirates Of The PFDJ
In 1976, when the Derg announced the change of King Haile Selassie’s birr in Ethiopia, the general public was reluctant to surrender the currency to the bank. People perceived the birr as a currency “guaranteed with gold” though by then the world had long dropped the system of defining the value of currency with gold.…
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Cold War Ended, Hot War Continues
The 20th century is very much defined by the cold war that continued from 1947 to 1991. For Eritreans however, that period was not cold at all, it was a never-ending cycle of violence, bloodshed and social displacement. In 1991 the general mood was optimistic as the end of the cold war introduced alluring terms like…
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Clipped Into Co-option
Outline Admonishing Eritrea; Brief reply to comments regarding my previous posting (Ethiopia, Tesfay Temnewo, Our youth) Clipped into Co-option I know beforehand that this article is going to stir some grumbling within some corners of our communities for two reasons: confrontational denunciations of patrons of the Ethiopian intrusion, and for diverting focus on Ethiopia rather…
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The United Kingdom Should Prove Isaias Afwerki Right
There is a saying in the Eritrean highlands when one observes that the effort exerted is vastly disproportionate to the puny outcome: “nezi ktg’Eta trhtSa?”—all of your sweating is for this? We had the exact same reaction after we read the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs June 7th Press Release regarding the British nationals who…
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Eritrea And Its Unusual Embassies: Part 2
Over fifty ambassadors, consuls and embassy workers are roaming the streets of Eritrea, frozen—a term used to describe party members who receive pay but have no responsibilities. The Eritrean regime prefers to have the families of diplomats appointed abroad to stay inside Eritrea as a collateral against diplomats abandoning their positions and asking for asylum,…
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Eritrea And Its Unusual Embassies
Question by Swedish Journalist, Donald Boström: Given what you said, have you thought about closing your embassy in Sweden and leave Sweden? Answer by Eritrean president, Isaias Afwerki: I care more about our Eritrean group in Sweden, which is large and active, than on our embassy. Why do we need an Embassy? But it would…
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PFDJ’s Eritrea: Klashnikov Diplomacy
Eritrea, under the despotic rule of the People’s Front for Democracy & Justice (PFDJ), has rushed to war and strolled to peace, and it has always accepted peace under terms much worse—after a lot of blood, toil, tears, and expenses—than the initial peace deals. The regime has had direct wars with Yemen (1995), Ethiopia (1998-2000),…
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Win, Lose Or Draw? ICG Always Says “Draw”
Consequently, the ICG reports were always famous for their string of non sequiturs. Their conclusions could never be supported by the premise. And the latest one, with or without Andeberhan, is no exception. So, whereas the government supporters are questioning the premise (without going to the details or bothering to present counter arguments), the real…