Author: saay
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Sanctions: Of Course It’s Political
To say the sanctions on Eritrea are “politically motivated” is to state the obvious because all sanctions are politically motivated. The question is: does the Government of Eritrea have the political chops to navigate its way in a political world? The answer, very clearly, is it does not. But the government and its supporters have…
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Why The Eritrean Opposition Is Here To Stay
Years ago, my friend Saleh Gadi Johar, who was trying to explain to a self-described nationalist why Eritrea needs an opposition instead of having people work with the government to correct its mistakes, said “Opposition is natural. Even supernatural: even God has an opposition and they are called atheists.” I remember that statement when the…
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Game Over. Play Again? Game Over. Play Again?
The following was written in reply to an article at awate.com, “The Game Is Over”, by Ismael Ibrahim Mukhtar, where he quotes Isaias Afwerki’s “Game Is Over” and argues that the games that have to be over are games of domination, game of justifying the unjustifiable, and game of “I win, you lose.” All are…
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Eritrea: Betrayals and Pyrrhic Victories
What was the war about? And what is this peace about? And why did peace happen in June 2018 and not, for example, in November 2004? Why was there a “border war” in May 1998 to begin with? What is our peace dividend? It was not about borders or demarcation. If it was, 7 weeks…
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The Perfect Explanation for Eritrea At 27
I am just going to pin this image here, courtesy of @KidaneAida. Anybody researching “what happened to #EritreaAt27” doesn’t need to read books or watch documentaries. This is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. pic.twitter.com/RNFWCqGZjr — saay (@saayounis) May 21, 2018 This says it all. — Asennai :: ው ታንግ ኢዝ ፎር ዘ ችልድረን::…
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Just Another Friday (Comboni, Asmara, 1974)
When I was a young boy and people talked about Tripoli and Trenta Cinque (1935), my eyes glazed over. I am sure you have interesting stories to tell, old man, but it can’t possibly be more interesting than my game, ashekakat Alem*, so buzz off! So now, when GG reminded me about Kagnew Station, I…
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Alamin M Seid PFsplains History Unity & Diversity
In theory, governance in Eritrea is modeled after the Chinese: a political party births the ideas, a government executes them. Thus, in every governmental office–from the nation’s capital down to the sub-zone–there is a party representative. There is a hierarchy in both institutions: in the political party, it is the Secretariat composed of the Secretary…
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Overdue Eritrea Visits ACHPR
“The State of Eritrea presents its initial and combined reports that encompass eight periodic reports overdue since its accession to the Charter.” So begins the first sentence of a 100-page report provided by the State of Eritrea to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR). “Overdue” may be the one word that describes…
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Yamamoto’s Visit To Eritrea
Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto is scheduled to visit Eritrea, as part of his swing in the Horn between April 22nd and April 26. The itinerary, according to a press release from the State Department, is: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto will travel to…
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When Challenged, The Gov of Eritrea’s First Instinct Is To Lie
Almost everything in this article published by State website shabait.com is wrong, misleading or false. This would be beginning with the byline: the ministry it is attributed to, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Everyone knows, or should know, that any statement addressed to foreign governments or agencies is penned by only three people: President Isaias…
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Please Hold While I Transfer Your Call To Nobody
Thanks for calling the hotline. Songs won’t do it. You can go all pop and repeat “And that’s the sound of me not calling you back” and even admit Lizzo is clever, but it is just a song and it will be over in minutes. Nor will Tigrinya music and its earnest sameness do, with…
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Wakanda WithDraws Ambassador To US
Following President Trump’s reference to African countries as “shithole countries”, King T’Challa, the ruler of Wakanda, has recalled the country’s ambassador to the US for “consultations.” The country, which is located in East Africa, “just north of Tanzania,” had a delayed reaction because it could not conceive the meaning of “shithole.” Despite their infinite knowledge,…