Amelna

Clinton threatens Eritrea

2009-08-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

(Video) Eritrea at 63rd Session of UNGA: H. E. Mr. Osman Mohammed Saleh, Minister for Foreign Affairs

2008-10-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Press Play to view video

Who’s sawing off the Horn of Africa?

2008-09-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Not only has the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia deepened divisions inside both countries, but leaders in the Somali diaspora have been arguing that Ethiopia is committing genocide against ethnic Somalis. The AU, and a possible UN intervention in Somalia, should know that Somali leaders maintain that peace will only return to Somalia once a complete Ethiopian withdrawal takes effect. This particular issue has furthermore caused tensions between Eritrea and Uganda, further widening the negative impact political conditions in Somalia has on the Horn of Africa.... An analysis of the Horn of Africa’s political outlook in the short to medium term should include an assessment of geopolitical conditions in the Middle East. As part of Operation Enduring Freedom US naval vessels have engaged in several military strikes in Somalia. This shows that the Ethiopia-Somali axis is to some extent the “Southern front” of the larger Middle East theatre of war. US intervention in the Horn of Africa is brought about by the policy framework of the war on terror, ... This raises significant political questions that the AU has to confront, foremost among which is the impact foreign military aid (and political interference) has on the stability of African states. READ MORE!!!

U.S-Backed Destabilization of Central Africa

2008-07-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Paul Kagame, who was trained by the US military at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has been a regular visitor at Harvard University, at the James Baker III Institute in Houston Texas, at the White House and the Pentagon. US, European and South African military interests have continued to support various factions in Central Africa, arming militias and rebel groups through proxy armies from Uganda (UPDF), Rwanda (RPA), Burundi and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in south Sudan. France's presence in Central Africa is based out of Gabon, the major point of French military penetration on the continent. Read More!!!

Video Eritrea Djibouti at UNSC

2008-06-25T07:23:00.000-07:00

Click Here for Video!!! <<<<<

L'ÉRYTHRÉE VS LES VALETS ARABES, AFRICAINS ET EUROPÉENS DE L’INTÉGRISTE BÉBÉ BUSH

2008-06-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

The Partisans of Peace in Justice for Djiboutians condemn the Arab League in regard to its so-called mediation between Djibouti and Eritrea and its unwarranted intervention in the so called "Eritrea, occupation, which never took place because at no time Eritrea occupied a single parcel of the territory of Djibouti. There is never been a border problem between the 2 countries. It is a fabrication created from scratch by the enemies of Africa and the Arab world. " Read More

A. Dahan, Ph.D.
Président des Partisans de la Paix dans la Justice pour tous les Djiboutiens (PPJD)
Ex-Diplomate en Irak, en Somalie et aux États-Unis d’Amérique
Read More

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Warning to Africa: The New US Imperial Grand Strategy

2008-05-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

[There is] a New Great Game afoot ...the "New Scramble for Africa" on the part of the great powers. ...The U.S. military's European Command now devotes 70 percent of its time to African affairs, up from almost nothing as recently as 2003....At present the world is experiencing a new age of imperialism marked by a U.S. grand strategy of global domination. One indication of how things have changed is that the U.S. military is now truly global in its operations with permanent bases on every continent, including Africa, where a new scramble for control is taking place focused on oil. ... A political unit that has overwhelming superiority in military power, and uses that power to influence the internal behavior of other states, is called an empire....the United States does not seek to control territory or govern the overseas citizens of the empire, we are an indirect empire, to be sure, but an empire nonetheless.... Read More

GoSS: Keeping Poverty For Expatriate Benefit

2008-04-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

The World Bank and many NGOs in Southern Sudan are part of the designed continual impoverishment of the locals. The NGOs love crisis and they rush in wherever trouble splash with pretext of mitigating the effects of tragedies and disasters. Darfur is a hot case in point here. The World Bank loves post-war traps and they rush in wherever the war ends to complement the pretext of NGOs lifeline operations. Read More!!!

Eritrea: Won't Back Down

2008-03-09T01:01:00.000-08:00

Eritrea : Training of medicine in Eritrea (Part 1)

2008-02-18T20:50:00.000-08:00

Eritrea : Training of medicine in Eritrea (Part 2)

Human Rights Proponents????

2008-02-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

Video: Security Council: The situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia

2008-01-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

Video
30 January 08
Security Council:
The situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia
Click Here For Video!!!

Peace Process Essentially Means War: A look at UN Peacekeeping & Eritrea Ethiopia Case

2008-01-27T14:13:00.000-08:00

Few of us seriously scrutinize or even question “Peace Processes” and associated diplomatic maneuvers. It is something that automatically implies a benevolent and/or benign respectable endeavor.... “Peace process essentially means war,” writes R. Philpot, “a war in which the sponsors of the process choose the winner before the meeting they call take place. They then pretend to be neutral during negotiations. Having bought time, they tighten the noose on the designated loser and prepare the ground to install a government that is totally subject to their will.” ... Sherene Razack in her 2004 book, “Dark Threats and White Nights: The Somalia Affair, Peacekeeping, and the New Imperialism”, writes: "modern peacekeeping revealed its sordid colonial origins. Soldiers had acted more like conquerors than humanitarians." Read More!!!

Video: Interview after UNSC meeting, Mr. Azouz Ennifar, On Eritrea Ethiopia

2008-01-25T19:54:00.001-08:00

Comments to the Media by Mr. Azouz Ennifar, Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNMEE on the latest report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritria

Eritrea: Gold & Mineral Exploration

2008-01-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

Eritrea at Work

The Clean Future of Eritrea

2008-01-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

Asseb, Eritrea,...is the first major city in Eritrea and only the second in Sub-Saharan Africa to make a major investment in clean energy. On 11 December 2007 the Asseb Wind Park was inaugurated. ... Based on the estimated cost (AfriWEA - Eritrea) of the pilot project, it’s cost could be repaid by the savings on cost and the value of the reduction of carbon offset within a short 5 years. This fiscal value would translate into environmental value as it would allow for the economic development of the town and region without compromising the natural environment. READ MORE!!!

Ethiopia attacks Eritrea

2007-12-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

TPLF’s small-scale attack in Eritrean sovereign territory meets with failure

Asmara, 26 December 2007 – In continuation to its ongoing provocations against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Eritrea, the TPLF regime has unleashed a relatively small scale attack at exactly 03:00 am local time yesterday December 25 in Southern Tsorona area of the Southern region upon dispatched Eritrean militias and security forces assigned to patrol the Security Zone, but was met with utter failure, Colonel Zekarias Okbaghabir Commissioner to the Eritrean Ethiopian Peace Keeping Coordination Commission disclosed in a press statement to ERINA in the evening hours today. READ MORE!!!

Jacob Zuma: Greatest Political Comeback

2007-12-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

Does Jacob Zuma's great political comeback and his sweeping victory over the Mbeki camp entail South Africa going left? alla Venezuela maybe? Regardless, western news papers and corporate media have already pulled out their knives and are going for Jacob Zuma's jugular. Will Jacob Zuma and the ANC be deterred? Or will this be the start of exciting times ahead?

Somalia's gruesome reality Thanks to Ethiopia

2007-12-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Warning, this report begins with graphic images...Away from the international spotlight and largely unreported, the crisis in Somalia continues to claim hundreds of lives. The United Nations says in recent weeks thousands of people have fled renewed fighting in the capital Mogadishu. Aljazeera's Mohammed Adow is one of the few journalists to witness first hand what's going on in Mogadishu. (Aljazeera)

Sweden denies Mogadishu conflict

2007-12-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

Swedish authorities have ruled that failed asylum seekers from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, can be sent back as there is no "armed conflict" there.,,,The Swedish immigration agency said that Swedish law says there is no armed conflict in Mogadishu because rebels there do not control territory. READ MORE!!

Africans United in Rejecting European Arrogance

2007-12-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

... Europe has failed to move beyond their colonial-era past-times of economic and political bullying. The African delegates gave Europe an unmistakable cold shoulder on ...trade...and European political interference in African affairs, centered on British arrogance towards Zimbabwe....The British mainstream press likes to present the problems at the summit as the fault of the Africans, rather than the reality which is it is the behavior of former imperialists who, engaged in fruitless antics, results in them looking the fool on the international stage. Countries such as Britain and Germany seem to put more importance on dictating to Africa on how it should deal with its internal affairs than grappling with the critical issues of African development and progress. Britain has turned what is essentially a bilateral political rift between itself and Zimbabwe into an international issue in the face of opposition by Africa...Mugabe’s stance and the defence of him by African leaders resulting in a row of British red faces, could not but be an inspiration to those who believe in the Pan-African strength of the continent in its struggle for independence and development. ...as the controversy centers around the emotive issue of land distribution to the indigenous peoples, land that was forcibly taken by European colonial settlers. ...Africans are not going to back down from defending a fellow African state that is the main target for annihilation by the West. When the same interests who are supporting regime-change in Zimbabwe are behind all kinds of intrigue to grab more wealth from the land and people Africa, ..it somewhat exposes the real meaning behind Western clamours about ‘human rights’ and ‘democracy’. READ MORE!!!

Eritrea Ethiopia: UN pulling its peacekeepers out?

2007-12-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

Aljazeera English TV news just reported, at 4:10 PM EST that the “International Community is pulling its peacekeepers out”, UNMEE, from Eritrea Ethiopia, after a deadline to agree on the physical demarcation expired Saturday.

Briefing By Jendayi Frazer on Condoleezza Rice's Travel to Ethiopia

2007-11-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

Click here to start video [Question starts at 5:45 min mark]
Includes questions on about John Bolton, EEBC and Jendayi Frazer

Transcript of Special Briefing (November 30, 2007)
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/nov/96040.htm

Eritrean Air Force - Part One, Su 27s

2007-11-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

It has been sometime since Eritrean Air Force added Su 27s to its Mig 21, 29 and more. Here is a preview of the Su 27.

Bakassi handover ruled 'illegal' (BBC)

2007-11-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

Nigeria's senate has approved a motion declaring that last year's handover of the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon was illegal...The upper house of parliament said that no part of Nigeria could be ceded without changing the constitution...Senators called on the government to halt the transfer of areas along the border further north...In 2002, the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of Cameroon in the two countries' border dispute.

''The agreement reached to cede the Bakassi region to Cameroon was not tabled before the National Assembly," Senator Muhammad Mana told the BBC..."Therefore everything on the agreement should be stopped until it has been ratified by the National Assembly.'' READ MORE

African peacekeeping - The doves of war (The Economist)

2007-11-22T12:40:00.000-08:00

THE United Nations will juggle nine separate peacekeeping operations across Africa in 2008, including the continent's two largest countries by area, Sudan and Congo. In addition, the African Union (AU) will partner the UN in a new hybrid peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur region. It may also persevere with its own peacekeeping effort in Somalia and in smaller operations elsewhere, such as the Comoros. This sounds impressive. But the UN and the AU are both, in fact, struggling. Read More

Eritrea Ethiopia - US State Department Press Release

2007-11-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC, November 20, 2007
Question Taken at November 20, 2007 Daily Press Briefing
(to watch video follow the above link, start at around 23 min)

Question: What is the U.S. reaction to the recent heightened tensions between the two countries? Have we been in touch with them? At what levels?
The United States continues to urge both Ethiopia and Eritrea to show maximum restraint, to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and to avoid any action that may escalate tensions between the two countries. Renewed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea would have a negative impact on all countries in the region. The Department issued a statement November 9 calling on the parties to avoid provocations and our concerns regularly are conveyed by our Chiefs of Mission to officials of both governments. The UN Security Council issued a statement November 13 calling on the parties to avoid force and to respect their commitments in the Algiers Agreements.
Released on November 20, 2007

The following is excerpt from Actual Question and Answer time
QUESTION: You know, the escalation of tensions in recent weeks amongst -- between Eritrea and Ethiopia -- what's the United States doing to try and encourage them to resolve their disputes?
MR. MCCORMACK: I'm not aware of what we're doing in the near term here recently. I know that we have made efforts to have the boundary demarcation commission meet. We have tried to get that back up and running through meetings in London as well as contacts directly with each government. I think the Ethiopian Government has expressed some willingness to do that. There's been some reticence on the Eritrean side. I'm not aware, however, Sue, of what we have done in recent weeks. I'm happy to check for you, though.

QUESTION: Okay. Has Jendayi Frazer made any special, you know -- is she going any time soon?
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, she was just recently in the region. I know she broke off from the Deputy Secretary. I'm not sure where she traveled to after she was with him in Mali and some other places in West Africa.

Ethiopia bottom on the list of TDI

2007-11-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

Despite the constant propaganda of the minority regime of Ethiopia on its development achievements Ethiopia is ranked at the bottom of the United Nations Trade and Development Index (TDI)
link for The Trade and Development Index (TDI): Country ranking

Somalia - Cast adrift -- (The Economist)

2007-11-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

The world turns its back on Somalia
THE escalating violence in Mogadishu, Somalia's ruined capital, continues unabated... The bodies of Ethiopian soldiers killed in gun battles with Islamist fighters were dragged through the streets by angry mobs....This week also saw the admission by the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, that there was no chance of a UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia...There is little chance now of the other AU troops promised by Burundi, Nigeria and others turning up. It looks as if Somalia is being cast adrift. Read More

Ambassador John Bolton Blows UNMEE’s Transparent Cover

2007-11-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

In his memoir, John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN, exposes how UNMEE, The UN Peacekeeping Mission to EthiopiaEritrea, was badly misused by the State Department and Kofi Anan’s UN Secretariat to conceal Ethiopia’s intransigence and UN’s failure. READ MORE!!

Security Council Statement: The situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia (Video)

2007-11-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

The Security Council this evening urged both Ethiopia and Eritrea to take concrete steps to implement the decision of the Boundary Commission formed to delineate their disputed border, immediately and without preconditions. READ TEXT Click Here!! .....
To Watch Video Click Here!!!

Ethiopia: Ultimate Betrayal of Africa? Africom - (Plus Video)

2007-11-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

Africa has yet to recover from the setbacks of 1962-63 “hectic diplomatic moves and arm-twisting going on among independent African countries”. The “Casablanca Group” and Kwame Nkrumah’s inability to setup “federation of all African countries” or a united Africa in the face of an opposition lead by the Colonial masters and nascent African leaders has left Africa vulnerable to countless ailments for decades. The Ethiopian Emperor’s cunning manipulation of those events with the aid of his American and British advisors (handlers) has worked to the detriment of regional stability in particular and the continent as a whole. Today, just when it looks like that Africa is about to speak with one voice Ethiopia appear set to betray African unity again. READ MORE!!

Eritrea/Ethiopia Bolton Reveals Jendayi Frazer's Deceit, (by OEA)

2007-11-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

(OEA) Bolton Reveals Jendayi Frazer Worked to Reopen the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Decision in Favor of Ethiopia

US Press Statement on "Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Impasse"

2007-11-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Spokesman,Sean McCormack
(November 9, 2007) We are concerned about the military build up and tension on the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia. We call on the governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any actions that might further heighten tension or reignite conflict. Both governments should respect their commitments in the 2000 Algiers Agreements. We urge both governments to disengage militarily from the most critical locations along the border and to cooperate with the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. We urge both governments to engage directly to address issues dividing them and fully embrace the efforts of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to resolve the boundary impasse and move toward normalized relations. To Read Original Text Click Here

Peace, Justice and Fairness, Eritrea Ethiopia: Can We Bank on Ban Ki-Moon?

2007-11-09T05:49:00.000-08:00

The Government of Eritrea is warning that the minority regime in Ethiopia is preparing to “launch an invasion against Eritrea …with the blessing of the US Administration." A repeat of Somalia. This charge is strongly corroborated by several reports coming out of the Horn of Africa, as well as, many American and European intelligence and diplomatic observers. READ MORE!!!

Professor Abdi Samatar interview with VOA

2007-11-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Professor Abdi Samatar interview with VOA
To Listen Click Here (mp3)

Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea

2007-11-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

UN chief Ban Ki-moon - "The continued stalemate on this issue (demarcation), the tension between the two parties and the military buildup along the border area are matters of serious concern,"...There is no other option but for the two parties to find common ground that would allow the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission to proceed with the demarcation of the border" .... For Full Report Click Here

Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Tensions Raise New International Alert

2007-11-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

“The United States government has a really strong interest in peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. Another war along that border would serve no purpose, just as the first war didn’t serve any purpose. And I think that the United States has to communicate this view more clearly to the Ethiopian government, that there would be sanctions should the Ethiopians get involved in anything like a coup attempt within Eritrea." ICG V. President

To listen to Crisis Group Vice President Donald Steinberg interview with VOA Click Here
To read VOA report Click Here

'Humanitarian crisis' in Somalia as fighting rocks capital

2007-11-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

Al Jazeera's Ghida Fakhry talks to Jendayi Frazer, the assistant secretary for African affairs at the US state department, who defends the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia

Ethiopia and Eritrea: Stopping the Slide to War

2007-11-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

The risk that Ethiopia and Eritrea will resume their war in the next several weeks is very real. A military build-up along the common border over the past few months has reached alarming proportions. READ FULL REPORT!!!

Ethiopia: Analysts Warn of New War With Eritrea

2007-11-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

There is a growing danger of renewed war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the coming weeks, and both the United Nations and the United States must act quickly to head it off, the International Crisis Group says in a report released today...The group says Western intelligence analysts have warned that Ethiopia might back a coup attempt against President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea, followed by an Ethiopian military intervention...“The risks are perceived to be all the greater because there is much speculation the U.S. would accept, perhaps even endorse, such a move and protect Addis Abeba from international condemnation.” READ MORE !!!

Ethiopia - A brittle Western ally in the Horn of Africa

2007-11-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Ethiopians remain mired in the most wretched poverty. Officially, about 80% of them live on less than $2 a day. Often it is a lot less than that....youth unemployment, some experts reckon, may be as high as 70%...The mood of the young is often restless and despairing .... Economic failings are Ethiopia's biggest long-term challenge; but its worst short-term problems are political...recent events have reignited the threat of ethnic, and thus political, instability...“the ethnic groups are on a collision course.”...Ethiopia's future could get much bumpier. In that case, its friendship in a dangerously volatile region would be of little use to the West. Read Article from Economist click here

The past and the future of Ethiopia

Condoleezza Rice Misleading Congress

2007-10-29T15:54:00.001-07:00

In a testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Middle East Policy US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice provided a disingenuous and misleading testimony in her reply to a question from Congressman Payne regarding the Eritrea Ethiopia conflict...Condoleezza Rice’s statement that she sent her “assistant secretary to talk with Mr. Isaias, and he didn't see her” is either a lie, or, she does not know what she speaks of. Either way is unbecoming of a person of her position. Rice’s assistant secretary, Jendayi Frazer, statements contradicts hers. READ MORE !!

Ethiopia to Launch Another War of Invasion Against Eritrea

2007-10-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

The Eritrean Ministry of information indicated that it has received reports from “foreign affairs circles” connected to “intelligence agencies” that the TPLF, a minority regime in Ethiopia, is preparing to “launch an invasion against Eritrea in the first week of November 2007 with the blessing of the US Administration."

Why did the US give its blessing to the invasion of Somalia? And why is it giving its blessing to the invasion of Eritrea?Who finances Ethiopia's multiple wars? Read Press Release

Eritrea's Struggle Begins Anew

2007-10-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

(The Economist) Remittances - Cash Back

2007-10-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Remittances Map ...(Oct 23, 2007) OVER 150m migrants sent an estimated $301 billion to their families in 162 developing countries in 2006, says the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a UN body. Remittances have been increasingly recognised as an effective means to alleviate poverty, particularly in rural areas where access to credit would otherwise be impossible. Although India and Mexico receive the most cash, at around $24.5 billion each, this represents less than 3% of GDP. By contrast, Guinea-Bissau relies heavily on its migrants' money, with remittances making up nearly half of GDP.

Sudan - Will the war start all over again?

2007-10-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

(The Economist) Will the war start all over again? ...
Read More!!

(Al Jazeera) Sudan President Approves Reshuffle ...
Read More !!

Eritrea & U.S. Rescue of its Puppet in the Region, Ethiopia

2007-10-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

The only consistency of these threats/policies is that it appears when successive U.S. puppet regimes in the region, Ethiopia, finds itself in much precarious position and requires its master to rescue it. It is the best indicator of the TPLF regime desperation...TPLF mired in several quagmires both inside and outside its borders, ONLF in Ogaden, OLF in Oromia and an assortment of other groups both in the North and South of the country, as well as, been stuck in Somalia while facing Africa’s largest and most disciplined army in its border dispute with Eritrea, TPLF is feeling the bells toll for its dying regime. It needs its master now more than ever to defuse some of the pressures at least, if not to save its neck. Unfortunately for TPLF this time it does not appear to work.
READ MORE !!!!

Sudan peace deal in jeopardy

2007-10-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

UN Concerned: Ethiopia & Eritrea shooting incidents

2007-10-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ban Ki-moon: CONCERNED OVER RISING ETHIOPIA-ERITREA TENSIONS, SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES RESTRAINT
To Read Statement Click Here

Darfur Rebels Find Refuge in Eritrea

2007-10-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Eritrea has opened its doors to rebel commanders from its neighbors, especially Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, which is part of the reason American officials are alarmed. The State Department says Eritrea has been shipping arms to Islamist fighters in Somalia, an allegation that the Eritrean government denies. At the same time, American diplomats have been quietly working with the Eritreans to push Darfur’s ever expanding galaxy of rebel groups to peace talks scheduled for the end of October in Libya. Read More!!!

Somalia- Breaking into even smaller bits?

2007-10-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

... to the horror of those trying to put Mogadishu back together again, the north is beginning to crack too (see pic). Fighting broke out this week between Somaliland and Puntland ... Meanwhile, Mogadishu is getting worse again... Government troops and the Ethiopian forces propping up Somalia's government are still being attacked by bombs, grenades and snipers of the Islamist militias ... READ MORE !!!

Testimony by Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi E. Frazer

2007-10-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

“Ethiopia and the State of Democracy: Effects on Human Rights and Humanitarian Conditions in the Ogaden and Somalia”

House Committee on Foreign Affairs Africa and Global Health Subcommittee Hearing Text for Hearing
Video for Testimony

Eritrea Self-Reliant & Rejecting Foreign Aid

2007-10-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

This struggling, low-profile nation is doing something virtually unheard of in Africa. It's turning down foreign aid...With a president who vows not to lead another "spoon-fed" African country "enslaved" by international donors, Eritrea ... has walked away from more than $200 million in aid in the last year alone, including food from the United Nations, development loans from the World Bank and grants from international charities to build roads and deliver healthcare. READ MORE!!

Video - Eritrean FM Osman Saleh Speech at 62nd UNGA Session

2007-10-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh delivered a brief but highly articulate, clear and to the point speech at the General debate of the 62nd session of United Nations the General Assembly.
Click here for the text of the speech.

Press Play below to view Video!!!

( Chatham House) -- Eritrean economy close to collapse

2007-10-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Sophia Tesfamariam, a political analyst of the Horn of Africa, who has written extensively on the region disagrees with Chatham House claim that the "Eritrean economy [is] close to collapse". "Obviously the facts on the ground speak otherwise ..." Sophia stated.

Eritrean economy close to collapse
Chatham House - 25 September 2007

A report released today by Chatham House states that the economy of Eritrea is close to collapse. A combination of internal repression and regional and international isolation has placed intolerable strain on the country's society.

Eritrea is also facing a continued border dispute with Ethiopia and is in danger of being branded a state sponsor of terrorism by the United States. External threats such as these help to fuel paranoia within the country, and tie up more than 350,000 people in national service - preventing the country's youth from contributing to the economy.

Eritrea continues to survive on remittances from its diaspora communities. Contributions from these groups account for a third of the country's entire GDP. With annual imports of $700 million and exports of only $20 million, the country is also facing a looming debt crisis.

Even if peace does return to the region, Eritrea cannot assume a swift return to the beneficial economic relationship it used to enjoy with Ethiopia. It has lost its role as the main market for Ethiopian exports and no longer acts as a trade outlet for its neighbour. It will be a challenge for Eritrea to make its economy fit for the modern world.

Killer Volcano Blows - Island disappeared

2007-10-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Killer Volcano Blows Its Top
(Oct, 01, 2007) At least eight Yemeni soldiers have been killed in a volcanic eruption on an island off its Red Sea Coast. Volcano erupted off Yemen - Lava spewed hundreds of metres into the air near a military base on Jabal al Tair. Witnesses said the island was engulfed by fire and then disappeared. A government official said the western part of the island had "collapsed" following the eruption, that was triggered by several earthquakes.

Eritrea Responds to Ethiopia's Threat

2007-09-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

It has come to Eritrea’s attention that, by letter dated 22 September 2007, the Ethiopian Foreign Minister has indicated Ethiopia’s intention to attempt to renounce the two Algiers Agreements by which the Eritrea-Ethiopia border war of 1998-2000 was put to an end. READ MORE

Earthquake Near the Coast of Eritrea

2007-09-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Summary:
Magnitude ML 3.4
Region NEAR THE COAST OF ERITREA
Date time 2007-09-21 at 22:35:25.5 UTC
Location 13.98 N ; 42.31 E
Depth 4 km
Distances 114 km SW Al-h'udaydah (pop 617,871 ; local time 01:35 2007-09-22)
67 km E Edd (pop 11,259 ; local time 01:35 2007-09-22)
For more info click here

Ethiopia: Gearing up for another war with Eritrea?

2007-09-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

25 Sep 2007 (By- Sam B.) After consistently rejecting the major tenets of the ‘final and binding’ Algiers Agreement for the last five years Ethiopia is now claiming that the agreement has been breached by Eritrea.

Under a pretext of this ‘breach’ of the Algiers Agreement Ethiopia affirmed that it may terminate the peace pact that ended its border war with Eritrea.

Seyoum Mesfin, Ethiopian Foreign Minister, sent a letter to Eritrea stating that Ethiopia is considering its “options, including terminating the Agreements or suspending their operation in whole or in part.”

Ethiopia and Eritrea signed an Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities on 18 June 2000 in Algiers, Algeria. The two countries had gone to war in May 1998 because of a border dispute. It is estimated that 19,000 Eritrean and more than 100,000 Ethiopians perished prior to the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities. The cessation of hostilities agreement was part of a comprehensive peace agreement signed on 12 December 2000 in Algiers, with US, UN, EU and AU as witness and guarantors to implement the ‘final and binding’ ruling of a Boundary Commission mandated under the agreement to delaminate and demarcate their borders.

Ethiopia’s letter is a second blow to peaceful resolution of the dispute. Earlier this month Ethiopia also rejected the ‘final and binding’ ruling of an Arbitration Commission in The Hague, Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC), which adjudicated its border dispute with Eritrea. Ethiopia’s recent threats appear to confirm Horn of Africa observers’ apprehension that Ethiopia would attempt to invade Eritrea with US backing as it did in Somalia.

According to BBC report: “War could resume between Ethiopia and Eritrea unless they accept a resolution of their border conflict, a former Horn of Africa UN envoy has warned.” Ethiopia's consistent rejection of peace has moved the entire region further into chaos and war-footing.

The President of Eritrea on the other hand sees no reason for going to war. When asked if war is inevitable between the two countries, President Isaias Afwerki replied:

"On the contrary, why should war break out between Eritrea and Ethiopia if the border issue has been legally resolved? There is a UN resolution and a court decision on this issue. Agreements were also signed. How can any side justify the war? We in Eritrea see no reason for the eruption of war between Eritrea and Ethiopia."

It is obvious that Eritrea does not see the need for war. How about Ethiopia? How does Ethiopia, one of the most aid dependent nation in Africa, one that is incapable of feeding itself manage to finance all the wars inside and outside of its borders? Who finances Ethiopia's wars?

Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS) this week reported of "worsening food security among already extremely food insecure" Ethiopians. And appealed for more assistance.

UN is not democratic - a dictatorship?

2007-09-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia says may call off Eritrea border pact

2007-09-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

ADDIS ABABA, Sept 25 (Reuters) -- Ethiopia said on Tuesday it may terminate the pact ending its border war with Eritrea, accusing its smaller neighbour of breaching the deal on several fronts including coordinating "terrorist activity".
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin in a letter to his Eritrean counterpart said Addis Ababa would be forced "to consider its peaceful and legal options under international law" if Eritrea continued. Reuters News Reports

Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 September 2007 Press Statement

The New Military Frontier: Africa

2007-09-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

U.S. arms sales to Ethiopia, which has one of Africa's largest armies, have roughly doubled and military aid has increased two and a half times. But the nation has not received military Humvees since 2002, when it used them against its own people. During protests following the May 2002 elections, the Ethiopian military fired on crowds from the Humvees, killing 85 people. The U.S. sold the Humvees to Ethiopia for counter-terrorism operations. Will the other military assistance Ethiopia receives be similarly abused? Read More!!!

We don’t live on their handouts ... we don’t care

2007-09-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Eritrea denies US allegations it supports terrorists
(AP) Wednesday 19 September 2007.
September 18, 2007 (MOGADISHU, Somalia)—Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu Tuesday denied U.S. allegations his country supports terrorists, adding Eritrea isn’t worried about U.S. gathering evidence to determine whether to declare the Horn of Africa nation a "state sponsor of terrorism."

"It is ridiculous," Abdu said Tuesday. "We have fought terrorists long before Sept. 11.

"We don’t live on their (the U.S.) handouts; it makes no difference, we don’t care," he said. "They always say might is right, but we say right is might."

On Sept. 9, the top U.S. official for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, said Eritrea could be added to a list of nations that sponsor terrorism.

Somalia fighter training camp

2007-09-16T01:41:00.000-07:00

Somalia: Islamic Courts ready for offensive

2007-09-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

Somali opposition groups ally

2007-09-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia: Regime Rejects Peace Again

2007-09-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Ethiopian ruling regime today rejected a call for peaceful resolution of its border conflict with Eritrea. The call and a meeting arranged by United Nation established Arbitration Commission in The Hague, Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC), was abandoned due to Ethiopia’s refusal to cooperate with the Commission.

It was revealed, in a press release, that Eritrea in its part accepted and “agreed
in writing to every point on the Commission’s agenda.”

Eritrea also expressed that: “It committed itself to full cooperation with the Commission and with UNMEE in assisting the Commission” for peaceful end to the conflict through demarcation.

The Press Release further revealed, “Ethiopia made clear that it was not prepared to cooperate with the Commission.”

Consistent with Ethiopia’s previous belligerent and hostile stance towards peace with Eritrea and the Commission’s work, it further “stated that even if Eritrea did everything that the Commission specified, it was not prepared to move forward”, the statement revealed.

Ethiopia’s continuous refusal to cooperate with the Commission has made the peaceful implementation of the Commission’s decision or peaceful resolution of the conflict impossible for the last five years.

Ethiopia which has recently invaded Somalia and is embroiled in a quagmire, could also start another war with Eritrea diplomats in the region warn. According to BBC report: “War could resume between Ethiopia and Eritrea unless they accept a resolution of their border conflict, a former Horn of Africa UN envoy has warned.”

Ethiopia with its refusal to cooperate with the Commissions final chance to comply with its resolution it has moved the entire region further into chaos and war footing.

"US soldiers not welcome in Africa", says SA Defense Minister

2007-08-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

Americans should keep their distance.....Any country that allowed itself to be a base for the US strategic command in Africa (Africom) would have to live with the consequences, South Africa Defense Minister, Lekota said. READ MORE!!!

Riz Khan- Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki: Challenges & Crises

2007-08-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

Interview with Al Jazeera English, Riz Khan- Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki: Challenges & Crises

President Isaias dismisses as baseless anti-Eritrea accusation by US State Department officials

US/Sudan Relation & Darfur

2007-08-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Ethiopians & Pentes: the 21st century missionaries

2007-08-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Darfur tribal leader Musa Hilal

2007-08-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

CARE Rejects U.S. Food Aid

2007-08-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 16th, 2007
Democracy Now

One of the world’s largest international charities has announced it will stop accepting millions of dollars in U.S. food aid over concerns American methods are doing more harm than good. CARE International says aid efforts are hampered by U.S. requirements on ‘monetized food aid.” Instead of directly going to needy communities, U.S. grains are shipped on condition charities sell them on the local market and then use the proceeds for their activities. CARE says the program is inefficient and results in food shipments to those who can afford them, not those in need. The U.S. program has also been faulted for shuttering local producers unable to compete with subsidized American prices. Several CARE officials involved in the American program have criticized the practice. CARE employee George Odo said: “If someone wants to help you, they shouldn’t do it by destroying the very thing that they’re trying to promote.”

New York Times Video Report on ONLF - Ogaden Somali Fighters

2007-08-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

US Backed Ethiopian troops commit war crimes

2007-08-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Asmera Architecture

2007-08-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Privatizing: Famine & Relief Assistance for Profit

2007-08-10T01:11:00.000-07:00

Corporations hatch many schemas to make profit from all kind of unseemly situations. However to privatize famine and relief assistance for profit maybe to push the envelope a little too far and detestable.

Eritrea: Embodiment of Resilience

2007-08-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

From my own, completely non-expert guesstimate, its seems that the reservoir has about 6 metres to go! Thankfully there is at least another month or two left in the rainy season. Perhaps we will have enough to allow it to overflow and let water go north to Zoba Anseba. At the very least Asmara has plenty of water for the next few years. READ MORE !!!!

An illegal immigrant's life in the US

2007-07-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

Honduras - Democratic Constitutional Republic
An ally of the United States in the fight against Nicaragua.

UN peacekeepers under fire

2007-07-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

Part 2

Migration Gamble: Life-or-Death???

2007-07-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

"Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping." -- CIA Factbook

President of Eritrea, Issaias Afewerki: On Eritrea's involvement in Somalia and Region

2007-07-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

President of Eritrea, Issaias Afewerki: On Eritrea's involvement in Somalia and on the Eritrea/Ethiopia issue

Video - Interview with Hussain Aidid: Somali deputy prime minister

2007-07-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hussain Aidid, the Somali deputy prime minister, talks about the Ethiopian 'occupation' of Somalia.

Video - Ethiopia: starving thousands of its people & siphoning off aid dollars & UN programs

2007-07-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

Famine Feared as Ethiopia Blockades Food Shipment To Rebel Regions
The New York Times is reporting the Ethiopian government is putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of starvation by blockading emergency food aid and choking off trade to eastern parts of the country....One humanitarian official accused Ethiopia of trying to starve out the population. He said "If something isn't done on the diplomatic front soon, we're going to have a government-caused famine on our hands." The official refused to be quoted by name because he feared reprisals against aid workers. The New York Times also reports the U.S.-backed Ethiopian military and its proxy militias have been siphoning off millions of dollars in international food aid and using a UN polio eradication program to funnel money to pro-government fighters.

Eritrea: The Oldest New Nation - By Issayas Tesfamariam

2007-07-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

Video - Ethiopia's unrest - 35 Opposition Politicians Sentenced for Life

2007-07-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Part II >> click Here!!

The stolen African voice

2007-07-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

In truth there was never any real prospect that western governments, which have gleefully presided over the creation of new classes of the super-super-rich, would use their considerable influence to push African leaders to pursue policies which would shift resources away from the rapacious national elites towards the poor...Nor was it likely the west would permit Africa to stray from the neoliberal orthodoxies prescribed for the continent by the World Bank and the IMF. These policies have generated wealth for elites... but have proved over two decades singularly unable to reduce the human misery afflicting hundreds of millions.

Africa needs strong, revolutionary leaders popular enough to put pressure on both their elites and international partners to modify their policies, not only in the interest of humanity but also of security and stability. But it is well-nigh impossible for such leaders to get elected. Read More!!!

Somali Says “No!” to Food Aid

2007-06-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Somali elders have asked the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to halt its food aid supply to Somalia for it contributes to the unrest and distortion of market prices of food in the region. ...Since the start of the year, the WFP has delivered 335 000 tonnes of food aid to Somalia. Mohammed Abdulahi, Chairperson of elders in the lower Juba Valley of Marere District laments that the food which is often brought during harvest time has brought down the price of maize by 60%. “It is not the first time we are sounding this message to WFP,” says Mohammed. Read More!!!

Banderana, Kibretna - By Sophie Tesfamariam

2007-06-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

All across Eritrea, the Eritrean flag flies atop mountains-even painted on some, atop private homes and atop cars and buses. It welcomes you to every village and bids you farewell as you leave. It is a constant reminder to all, the enormous costs paid for freedom as well as a source of pride for those who serve under it. At the Stadium, on Independence Day, as our men and women in uniform paraded through, our flag was hoisted high just as our hopes are for the future of our country. On Martyrs Day, our flags were all at half-mast, blowing solemnly in memory of our bravest.

The Eritrean flag, to Eritreans is a symbol of our freedom. It is a symbol of our integrity as a people and as a nation. We display our flag with pride and with appreciation for all who gave their lives so we could be free. We look to our flag for support in times such as these, when those who want to break our spirits test our strengths. This summer while visiting Eritrea, on the eve of Martyrs Day, we saw a lone soldier, dressed in full military fatigues, carrying his guns, his mess kits and the legendary black and white checkered scarf wrapped neatly around his neck. What got our attention was the beautiful full size flag he was carrying. Coming down the mountains near Decamere, it was a majestic sight. This flag moved down the mountains, blowing in the wind towards the main road.

We got out of our cars and ran towards him. He was shy and was a bit surprised by our advance. We asked him where he was going and if we could give him a ride. He of course declined and told us the reason why he was there alone, his flag in hand. He told us that he had walked all the way from Senafe and was heading to Decamere in memory of his fallen comrades. "MebSaa" is what he called it. We took a few pictures with him, bade him farewell and watched him disappear as we made around the mountains heading back to Asmara. That sight of that young man with his flag, his companion, on that lone journey, is something we will not soon forget. Our flag the symbol of our liberty, of those who defend her with their lives and those who pay enormous sacrifices so we can have a nation to talk about.

“Aid Breathalyzer” to Measure Economic Growth

2007-06-14T01:27:00.000-07:00

Economic growth indicators in Kenya and Africa have left many ordinary citizens puzzled on whether statistics “speak” the truth. Pictures of starving, malnourished and fly infested children and discussions about African adults harbouring amoeba and malaria parasites point to another type of growth. The stark reality is that some people elsewhere are believed to be moved more by this situation that they propose aid to Africa as the key to development....No single African wants to perennially face disease, famine, dirty water, poverty and be an object of ego laundering for Western thinkers. The aid industry has eroded Africans’ self-confidence. Developed and emerging economies see resources and wealth in Africa, while pushing the erroneous belief that Africa is poor....Top chiefs of the G8 discussed aid to Africa when many African countries are celebrating improved economy performance. Kenya’s political elites are celebrating the country’s record 6.1% economic growth last year but they stop short of telling Kenyans that they are riding high on aid and emergency assistance. How sustainable is such growth? Read More!!!

Democracy is Dead

2007-06-04T00:22:00.000-07:00

The problem is similar all over the world: the market is undermining democracy. We know this and we know, too, the result: the end of true political choice. And yet few people seem to have drawn the obvious conclusion: either democracy goes or the market does. The two, at least as currently prefigured, cannot exist together....What, then, can be done? There are plenty of suggestions out there, but none of them is self-contained and none of them ultimately convincing. We probably shouldn't expect them to be; this is, after all, a fundamental and structural problem. It is not insoluble, but it requires vision. If we can't roll back the advance of the global market - and it looks increasingly unlikely - then we will have to do something else: we will have to reinvent democracy; take it to its next stage. Read More!!

Pyrrhic victory

2007-05-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

Beginning to play a crucial role is the Eritrean government, the arch-enemy of the Ethiopians. Eritrea has emerged as the main backer of the ONLF and the CICs. The West has been supportive of both the TFG and the Ethiopians....The biggest albatross around Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zennawi's neck is his own restive ethnic Somali minority within the borders of Ethiopia itself. Containing such a formidable force is no easy task. Indeed, last week a blast killed 11 people and wounded the local leader of the ethnic Somali region of Ethiopia bordering Somalia.Read More!!

John Ukec Lueth, Sudanese Ambassador to the U.S, reaction to Sanctions

2007-05-31T00:02:00.001-07:00

Click here Play Video!!!

TPLF and Tigrean Identity politics

2007-05-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

TPLF's [Ethiopian ruling party] politics has been a source of material, political, community, and intellectual development of the Tigrean ethnic class that has been the primary source of instability in the region, of Horn of Africa.....Eritrea’s role in the region has often been grossly exaggerated... Given that Eritrea’s human rights records are inherent results of the perpetual state of war in which it is forcedly placed by Ethiopia's Meles. Read More!!!

The future of the Darfur

2007-05-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

The United Nations Secretary General's Special Enoy to Sudan Jan Eliasson talked about the status of his negotiations on the future of the Darfur region and the issue of transatlantic cooperation in addressing global challenges. Ambassador Thomas Pickering, Board Member, Atlantic Council of the U.S.,moderated. To play video click Here

Analysis - Ethiopia Warmongering Again

2007-05-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

Serious observers of the Ethiopian political panorama, especially the homegrown who can also do better reading of the Abyssinian psychic, are unanimous in that Prime Minister Meles is concocting ‘good’ reasons to wage another war against Eritrea. Movement of ground troops and political debates in the doomed Ethiopian parliament suggest that this war is very likely to follow the coming winter which also comes conveniently after the Ethiopian millennium,... It is unlikely Meles will go to war before such a big party ....A number of reproach strategies have been adopted by Meles paving the ground for attack and grooming “logical” justifications for the possibility of a war.Read More!!!

Eritrean Air Force - Sukhoi Su-27

2007-05-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Delivered: 8 - Su-27SK/Su-27UB
Picture 1 ----- Picture 2
First delivered: Summer 2003
The Su-27UB aircraft was first spotted at the Sukhoi plant at Komsomol'sk-on-Amur wearing the serial 608 at the top of the fin in the same style as Eritrean MiG-29s. The 8 might suggest that this is the 8th Su-27 in service.....AFM has also published a photograph showing the Su-27UB on the flight line among several Eritrean MiG-29s in Eritrea. More on Eritrean Air Force

Video - SECURITY COUNCIL PRESS STATEMENT ON ETHIOPIA, ERITREA

2007-05-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Watch Video click here or Picture

The following Security Council press statement on Ethiopia and Eritrea was delivered on 8 may by Council President Zalmay Khalilzad ( United States):
Watch Video click here or Picture
Read More

Press Briefing - President of Eritrea, Issaias Afewerki & EU Commissioner, Louis Michel

2007-05-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Louis Michel - "this improvement and this deepening of our relationship are inspired by a very positive and constructive approach on both sides. One of our objectives is to continue a political dialogue on the Horn of Africa. The European Commission has launched a comprehensive strategy on the Horn because we believe strongly that there will be no individual solution without having a comprehensive and global solution for the Horn....the idea of this strategy is to build the moods and to create an atmosphere of good will tackling concrete problems, and putting all the political tensions which exist in the Horn in another perspective. I appreciate the support of President Issaias."