ERI-NEWS

Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Prepared by the Press Section of the
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to AU
and UNECA

Regional Cooperation not a Matter of Choice but Vol 4. Issue 73

Necessity: President Isaias Afwerki
04 November 2017
President Isaias
Afwerki, on 7th Inside this issue:
October 2017, gave an
interview to national President Isaias
media outlets focus- Afwerki Sent
3
ing on domestic and Message of
regional develop- Condolence to
ments. Somali President
The following are
excerpts from the part The Politics of
of the interview on 4
We are not living in the middle ages or Religion
enhancing regional cooperation and in the 19th century. We are living in the
the reform of the African Union. 21st century. If we depend on our indi- Mainstream Media
vidual resources only instead of devel- on Eritrea, a Tireless 5
oping mutual cooperation with our Storyteller that
Question: Mr. President, the world Continues to Go
appears to be morphing from a uni- neighborhood, we will not be able to
achieve the envisaged goals. The argu- Astray
polar to bi-polar international order.
What is your take on the role of Africa ment here is that regional cooperation is
not a matter of choice but necessity.
in the unfolding international order?
After 1991, IGAD, COMESA and the
President Isaias Afwerki: There is African Union embarked on promising
broad consensus that in the 50 years transformations. However, the ultimate
since its foundation, the African Union outcomes fell short of expectations.
has not lived up to the expectations of
the African people. The founding princi- In the 21st century, the only continent Contact Addresses:
ples have not been crystallized. In view that remains marginalized is Africa. Tel: +251-116620052
Fax:+251-116620011
European, North American, Latin Email:eritreanaumission@
of these realities, the AU recently
established a task force, led by Rwandan American and Asian countries are gmail.com
progressing while Africa remains in a P.o.Box: 5527
President Paul Kagame to revitalize the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
African Union. The task force enumer- perplexing situation. Without focusing
ated eight points that amplify the short-at the continental level alone, if we Eritrean Mission to
could enhance cooperation at the AU& ECA
comings of the Union.
regional level, we could have managed
Before we talk about the impending many of our challenges. The assessment @EritreaAU
restructuring of the AU, we need to ex- so far is that Africa is in a dire situation.
amine the overall international context.
Contd. on page 2

Vol 4. Issue 73, 04 November 2017

Page 2 Eri-News

Regional Cooperation not a Matter of Choice but Necessity... Contd. from page 1
A conducive environment should be created for Different studies indicate that Africa possesses 60% of
concerted action and for common benefits. We can- the worlds resources. And the question is why is it
not forever live on managing crises and problems. that a continent that possesses so much resources
We cannot be spectators only and expect solutions remains marginalized in the 21st century? Africa has
from others. We should do our homework. the potential to help others instead of depending on
When many African countries gained their independ- external assistance. There is China-Africa Coopera-
ence in the 20th century, there was an African eupho- tion, Japan-Africa Cooperation, India- Africa Coop-
ria and profound aspirations. These were embodied in eration, etc. Various forums have also been convened
the initiative of the Founding Fathers. As a result, under different themes and labels; but they have
Pan Africanism was enunciated and later the Organi- generally failed to produce meaningful and tangible
zation of African Unity established. But the OAU did results. Maintenance of neo-colonial ties under differ-
not live up to the expectations. Africa was in fact ent labels, such as Anglophone, Francophone and
others, is only meant to exploit the resources of the
sliding back to neo-colonialism.
continent. The migration of African youth to Europe
We were convinced from the outset that the OAU and to other countries emanates from this state of
should be reformed to be a better organization. The affairs.
restructuring initiative was led by the then Libyan
President, Muammar Qaddafi. Unfortunately, the We cannot forever live on managing crises
approach taken to restructure the OAU was not and problems. We cannot be spectators only
appropriate. Qaddafi had his own vested interest and and expect solutions from others. We should
ambitions. The thinking was that if there is a Euro- do our homework.
pean Commission, why not an African Commission?
He wanted the AU to be a carbon copy of the EU. In
reality that was not viable. The comparison was not African Union Summits are convened regularly and
they adopt numerous resolutions. But who are the
realistic or practical.
architects, masterminds of these resolutions? Security
What should be the role and place of Africa? We agencies from Europe and the US often meddle in
should first and foremost profoundly understand the these internal continental affairs. This cannot be
unfolding world order; the economic, social, cultural beneficial to Africa.
and infrastructural transformations. Then we can
The corruption that permeates the system is unimagin-
identify the goals we want to achieve.
able. Instead of Africans exploiting their own
Africa should be transformed. We should develop our resources, others are taking advantage of it. Hence
industries and export processed items instead of raw Africa can only extricate itself from these trends that
materials. We should introduce technology; and are fraught with breeding neo-colonial realities if the
develop our human resources, education, and health African Union and other regional institutions on the
facilities. These should be the main goals that we continent assume appropriate structures and mandates
need to achieve. that promote the real aspirations of the African
There were counterarguments that focused on short population.
cuts as this process would take a long time. The We cannot, however, blame the external forces for the
transformation of the OAU to the African Union was malaise that is besetting the continent. The problems
indeed heavily influenced by these considerations. are solely ours and we are responsible for solving
This approach in turn entailed enormous problems in them. This will transpire when we conduct a thorough
terms of budget allocations, the charting out develop- assessment and map out tangible and viable programs.
ment programs, and financial management. This is not emotional or floated for PR consumption.
Contd. on page 3

Vol 4. Issue 73, 04 November 2017

Page 3 Eri-News

Regional Cooperation not a Matter of Choice but Necessity... Contd. from page 2
The challenges are not, of course, easy. When IGAD President Isaias Afwerki: Without going far, had we
was reformed, these issues were raised and established strong cooperation in our neighborhood -
thoroughly discussed. We proposed developing with Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya,
cooperation at the regional level. What happened to Somalia, and Djibouti - the negative developments
IGAD? IGAD which initially gave us a sense of hope that have transpired in these past years could have
for robust regional cooperation became counterpro- been avoided. We could have developed common
ductive; inciting conflict and misunderstanding programs in different sectors for the common benefit
among Member States. It became an instrument for to our peoples. Above all we could have secured peace
advancing the sinister agenda of foreign forces. and tranquility in the entire region.
We are interested in policy harmonization with our
Africa has the potential to help others neighbors. If the policies of individual countries are
instead of depending on external assistance. not in harmony with others in the neighborhood, we
will not realize the cooperation we aspire for. In the
past 25 years, the opportunity lost due to unnecessary
Still, we cannot live in isolation; we have to make conflicts is immeasurable.
our modest contribution for stability and peace in our In this 21st century, no one can claim to have a strong
neighborhood. We need to demonstrate active economy while living in isolation. This applies equally
engagement. to developed nations too. We need to create a condu-
Question: How do you think Eritrea benefits from cive environment for mutual economic cooperation.
the AU restructuring? And that is not an option but a necessity.

President Isaias Afwerki Sent Message of Condolence to Somali President

President Isaias Afwerki sent a message of condo-
lence and solidarity to the President of Somalia, H.E.
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, following the terror-
ist attack in Mogadishu on 14 October 2017 which
claimed the lives of hundreds of people. The full text
of the message is as follows:
Asmara, 17 October 2017
H.E. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
President of the Federal Republic of Somalia
Mogadiscio
Dear Mr. President,
behalf of the Government and people of Eritrea and
on my own behalf our heartfelt condolences to the
Government and people of Somalia.
In these trying times, we are confident that the
people of Somalia will summon the necessary resolve
and strength to vanquish the cowardly forces of
darkness and mayhem.
The Government and people of Eritrea stand firmly
on the side of the Somali Government as it strives to
restore, under Your Excellencys steadfast leader-
ship, enduring peace and normalcy to the country by
defeating Al Shebaab and all forms and manifesta-
tions of terrorism.

In these harrowing days where the people of Soma- Sincerely

lia have yet again suffered a pernicious terrorist
attack of huge proportions, allow me to extend on Isaias Afwerki

Vol 4. Issue 73, 04 November 2017

Page 4
The Politics of Religion
The scourge of terrorism perpetrated under the
mantle of religion; the upheavals, huge loss of life
and destruction of property that it entails are not,
indeed, new in the annals of the political history of
mankind. But it has assumed new dimensions in this
century. As such, it is breeding instability in various
parts of our world; posing as it does a serious threat
to international peace and security and causing
increasing consternation among powerful and weak
nations alike. The phenomenon accordingly warrants
a profound appraisal and serious approach that is
commensurate to its gravity.
Christianity was introduced in Eritrea (the Land of
Habesha then), in 329 A.D. Islam also came to this
land while Prophet Mohammed was still alive
(between 570-632 A.D); when his followers, the
Sahaba, sought sanctuary in the Land of Habesha
from persecution in their homeland. The Bahre
Negestat at the time refused to repatriate the Sahab
to whom they had given refuge when they were
expressly requested to do so. From that time
onwards, the Christian and Islamic faiths in the
county have co-existed in harmony and unity. The
overarching lesson of the story is not the historical
details (indeed as this is claimed by those who
really own the history and others who pretend to); but
the value-system that it projects. This value-system
has ever since become woven into the socio-econom-
Vol 4. Issue 73, 04 November 2017
Eri-News
ic and cultural lifestyle of the society; and constitutes
the distinct heritage of the civilization of the subse-
quent generations. The people of Eritrea are fortunate
and proud to be the inheritors of this value-system.
Even during the second half of the 19th Century,
during the expansion of colonialism, the entrenched
faiths and value-systems could not be indented in spite
of strenuous external efforts to introduce new faiths.
The religious ploy that was invoked to weaken and
polarize Eritreas national political movement was
likewise thwarted in the 1940s after the end of the
Second World War. The story was the same during the
national liberation struggle. Nothing
new can emerge now; in this post-
independence phase of nation build-
ing. The unflinching resistance of
the Eritrean people, before and
shortly after independence, when
Bin Laden was frantically working
to wreck havoc in the region by
using the Sudan as a springboard and
by recruiting, organizing and arm-
ing Jihadists in Afghanistan, is
indeed well known to merit elabora-
tion here.
The value-system of the Eritrean
people remains intact in these times
in which mercenaries hired by intelligence agencies or
deluded elements are resorting to similar ploys to fo-
ment chaos and advance their selfish interests. Their
varied and deceitful approaches that include: we have
a new bible We wish to preach to you the Words
of God , We can purify you , We can give you a
ticket to Heaven Mahdi will be coming soon; so
we have to prepare the ground etc continue to be seen
and rejected, as ever, as alien and subversive agendas.
Indeed, any activity that aims to foment turmoil and
terrorism, through overt or covert subversion in the
name of religion whether in its Christian or Islamic
variant; fundamentalist or moderate faade, is not
tolerated by the Eritrean people as it constitutes a
serious matter of national security.
Page 5 Eri-News

Mainstream Media on Eritrea, a Tireless Storyteller that Continues to Go Astray

Written by Mella Ghebremedhin (Reporting live Ironically, as more time passed by, the more twisted
from Asmara, Eritrea) the reports became. By Wednesday, the story was
Mass protest. Mass rally. Indiscriminate gunshots. completely distorted. The Washington Post and with
Mass casualties and death. These are some of the an extensive history of reports on Eritrea that later
sensationalist words and phrases used by most media ended up being debunked dutifully recycled a spuri-
outlets to create buzz and portray events as simply ous story filed by the Associated Press stating that 100
black and white. They are often also used without were injured and 28 killed, despite the fact that there
were no casualties and no one was injured. It was con-
nuance or context.
veniently overlooked that the source for this fabricated
Earlier this week, Eritrea made the headlines after a story was the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organisation
group of teenagers walked down the streets of (RSADO), an internationally recognized terrorist
Asmara to voice their discontent against normative group based in Ethiopia, while the AP stringer/ jour-
administrative measures - in practice all over the nalist was a TPLF cadre with a hostile agenda against
country since 1995 - that the Ministry of Education Eritrea.
instructed the strident school principals to observe.
Shouting Allahu Akbar, the boys, mostly aged
around 14- 15, were walking from their neighbor-
hood, Akria, towards the Ministry of Education.
Many Eritreans on the sidewalks, in shops and
restaurants, and otherwise within the city center
looked on in confusion, particularly with the chants
of God is Great in Arabic. Generally, such loud,
public proclamations are rare in a society long known
for its sense of collective tolerance and respect. After
some members of the group threw stones at several
policemen, authorities dispersed the crowd and fired
warning shots into the air. In total, the entire incident Expectedly, news outlets jumped on the new fact of
lasted several minutes, with no casualties or injuries. multiple deaths and the story quickly began trending
However, almost instantly, reports of the incident on Twitter. Repeated efforts at clarifying and provid-
were twisted, mashed, mixed and remade by several ing an accurate account of the event were made by
foreign media outlets to provide an account that was Eritreans, located both on the ground in Asmara and
quite far from the reality. Lately, it seems that any- the Diaspora, but they were largely ignored. Instead,
thing negative is a treasure these entities. Al Jazeera self-titled experts on Eritrea and notorious quislings
was in the lead; Associate Press, reporting from and their foreign handlers fueled the fire, and spread
Ethiopia, the BBC, and others followed not too long inaccurate, false accounts. Others would continue the
after. A hasty statement by the US Embassy in lies by shifting the source of the youths discontent,
Eritrea, warning its citizens from going to the city and also claiming that the Internet, telephone lines,
centre, was also somewhat ironic considering that and power in the capital were cut despite things
people in the streets of Asmara are far safer than proceeding as normal in the city. Soon afterwards,
those in the US, who must regularly confront police almost as expected, the AJStream started sending
brutality and killings, stop and frisk campaigns, private messages to many on Twitter, inviting them on
regular mass shootings, and general violence. their show. Obvious, right?
Contd. on page 6

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Page 6
Mainstream Media on Eritrea, a Tireless Storyteller that Continues to Go Astray
It is hard to understand how, instead of pursuing the
truth or trying to provide an objective, balanced
account, mainstream media rejected information or
views of people tweeting from on the ground in
Asmara, dismissing them as regime sympathizers.
What mainstream media failed to understand, how-
ever, is that the great majority of Eritreans regard-
less of gender, class, or faith were disappointed and
angry towards the youngsters. Eritrea is not a country
divided along religious or ethnic lines.
Shortly after the brief, small incident things returned
back to normal. Some men ordinary civilians did
stay out during the night, but only to ensure that there
would be no more incidents. Notably, no militia or
army personnel were called in to stand guard; in
Eritrea, the people themselves have a sense of owner-
ship and civil responsibility, and the prevalent
attitude was that no such incidents should happen
again. Women even brought them food and drinks,
and it was quite telling that both Muslims and
Christians were standing together in solidarity and
community, side by side. However, on the other side
of the world, the media and the Internet were abuzz
with fake news and false accounts.
It should be noted that, by law, Eritrea follows a
secular system where religious schools and national
curriculum of education are separate. The administra-
tive measures that the Ministry of Education imple-
mented were not new but remedial action for what
Vol 4. Issue 73, 04 November 2017
Eri-News
Contd. from page 5
had gone astray in this particular school. It was not
also unique in that similar remedial action was taken
in the recent past on both the Cathedrale (Catholic)
and St. Marys (Orthodox) schools.
According to Eritreas National Charter of 1994, the
diverse cultures of Eritrea are indeed a source of
power and unity. The national educational system
should be secular, separate from religion, yet re-
spectful of the equality of religions (Macro Policy/
EPLF Charter). This vision was also cultivated and
practiced during the long, bitter armed struggle where
people from all layers of Eritrean society regardless
of religious background came together to win the
countrys independence.
In todays Eritrea, implementing a secular system has
helped ensure peace and tolerance in a region known
more for its ethno-religious volatility, violence, and
tensions. What mainstream media and individuals
looking for storm and chaos in a general sea of calm
totally fail to understand is that Eritreans have a long
history of struggle. Eritreans paid a heavy price for
independence and sovereignty, and the people
condemn any signs of conflicts, violence, discrimina-
tion, or division. Thus, despite the continuous efforts
to disturb this harmony, the country remains united
and will continue to work toward a society based on
peace, love, tolerance, and mutual respect.