It is a bad day for PFDJ which almost always means it is a good day for the Eritrean people.
The Isaias Afwerki regime appears to have calculated that if it makes peace with Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti, why, then, there is no reason for the United States not to normalize its relations and, more importantly, suspend its opposition to the UN lifting the UN sanctions.
ፍርፍር ኢላ ልበይ
After all, according to PFDJ’s self-deceiving narrative, it did nothing wrong to get itself sanctioned: it was all the Obama Administration and the Meles Zenawi Government colluding to punish it for its “independent political stand.” Thus, when it invited Somali president Mohammed Abdulahi Formajio and got him to write a statement saying sanctions should be lifted, it was so sure it would be, it was already lecturing the UN that they should not have been imposed to begin with. Since then, it calculated that Djibouti is the last hold out and it started doing what it could have done 10 years ago: acknowledge it has a problem with the country and seek expedited mediation. Similarly, of course, it could have saved the Eritrean people 12 years of agony if it had recognized the system that ended up giving Somalia President Mohammed Formajio. But back then, it was lecturing the world on the importance of bringing Al-Shabab to be part of the government. But now, we are good neighbors, so lift the sanctions already!
The United States is not buying it. The US House Foreign Committee has a subcommittee named Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. This is the same subcommittee that sanctioned Ethiopia for its gross human rights violations when it was governed by #Gameover TPLF-core EPRDF. Its chairman, the Honorable Chris Smith, recently headed a delegation that just returned from a fact-finding mission to Ethiopia. After rightfully chronicling all the positive changes initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, he turned his attention to the “repressive” state of Eritrea” and has this to say:
In short, the issues we have with Eritrea remain: it is still holding US Embassy employees prisoners; it still won’t account for US citizens including Ciham Ali, and it is reputed to have 10,000 prisoners. We hope to see the same reforms conducted in Ethiopia over at Eritrea.
Subsequently, Ambassador Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, was invited to testify. In response to a direct question by Ranking Member of the subcommittee, Karen Bass as to whether he thinks Eritrea will reform the National Service, he had this to say about what he called a “fortress state”: that it is “critically important for Eritrea to do domestically what it is doing internationally” and “….that goes, for example, to the sanctions regime. Eritrea cannot assume, by saying wonderful things and opening good relations with the neighbors, that it will automatically lead to sanctions relief. There has to be concrete actions taken. And we, of course, will remain engaged that say things that will not be popular. But they have to be said.”
In summary, the United States, both at the legislature (congress) and the executive (State Department) is showing moral clarity: that a government which runs a repressive state, a “heinous” indefinite conscription and a “fortress state”, should not expect to be rewarded even if it has taken positive steps and reversed its destructive posture. Thank God Herman Cohen is not at the State Department. Here’s hoping, but not expecting, the European politicians to take note.
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you write as if the sanctions were imposed because of internal Eritrean affairs. NICE TRY.
Of course, you will jump onto another useless topic once the sanctions are lifted (with all the pointless reasons you mentioned still unaddressed). You know why? Because you write for the heck of it! Be honest with yourself.
I am not a good dancer
After the ceremony to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and in the presence of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the signing of peace between the Eritrean and Ethiopian leaders, Isias will announce the general amnesty of prisoners and opposition abroad. You have to prepare for what is coming.
التعليق:
بعد الحفل الذي سيقام في جدة السعودية وبحضور السكرتير العام للأمم المتحدة بخصوص التوقيع للسلام بين الزعمين الإرتري والإثيوبي، سيُعلن إسياس العفو العام للسجناء والمعارضة في الخارج. عليكم بالإسعداد لما هو قادم.
t.me/jaberti
ፍርፍር ኢላ ልበይ or ዝዩህዝቢማለት!?
Dear saay, I think the problem with Afewerki is that he just sat there for far too long and watched in utter contempt ( you know – we made you, boys! attitude) as the bloody woyanes barked left and right, calling up the big hyenas that almost devoured him alive in slow motion!
I do believe that the fury drove him mad so much that when he finally got himself into the barking game as a desperate act of self-preservation, he overcorrected and oversold himself until there was almost nothing left of him to preserve. I really think that we need to appreciate his fury if we are to successfully understand and influence his behavior. I have heard of Eritrean soldiers fighting with the Sunnis in Yemen, but couldn’t bring myself to believe it. But once I saw the state of Eritrea officially insulting the Canadians in support of the erratic actions of the reckless and inexperienced Saudi prince, I was simply shocked. If Eritrea would shamelessly prostitute its sovereignty so quickly over such silly matters, imagine what it would do when the arabs came ” lobbying” it more forcefully?
It’s too bad for us all that the bloody TPLF mafia have stolen too much to leave our Habesha world alone to focus on its complex problems. It seems now Afewerki knows that the mafia is just holed up in Mekelle, far from dead, and still pose a significant threat to his regime.
Now, what is it that Afewerki needs the most to defend against the TPLF mafia’s attempt to buy a disgruntled Eritrean military officer? Why, he needs arab money to buy these military officers for himself! I am afraid, therefore, that Dufland Rump or Canada or Europe are not as important to Afwerki as the arabs are and he is not afraid to show it.
So, our common enemy is the TPLF mafia! I really don’t think Afewerki wants to remain close friends with the arabs long term. He just wants to use them eradicate the mafia.
The real question for our Eritrean brothers and sisters is who wins Abiy’s Ethiopia while this battle rages on or after it’s over one way or another? Saay, you clearly have a long term advantage, but are you willing to dance for Eth.? :))))))))) Can you outdance Afewerki? … more like outlove Afewerki to win Eth.? :)))))))))) I ask you this because, until you do so, I am afraid, Eth. would continue to yawn (as a matter of self-preservation) just like the way it used to yawn when our Oromos were being brutalized by the TPLF mafia.