Category: saay on:
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For Eritreans, Every Day Is Half-Mast Day
The media has reported. The human rights groups are outraged. The pope has prayed. But everywhere else, but especially in the State media, it is radio silence. One hundred fifty individuals, mostly Africans, mostly female and underaged, most of the most being Eritreans, drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. These Eritreans, like the ones before them,…
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The End of The Shitara Code
Of late, the government of President Isaias Afwerki has been issuing a series of Red Sea Doctrine papers. These are supposed to outline the government’s assessment of how Eritrea, other Red Sea states and their neighbors can optimize its use to maximize trade and security while maintaining paramount autonomy and sovereignty. “Surely,” will say some…
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Enough To the Politics of Pacification (ፖለቲካ ቺቸቶ)
If you thought Eritrea joining the Human Rights Council would improve its government’s ability to package its lies better–never mind to stop lying, never mind to eliminate the reasons for its lies–you will be sorely disappointed. It is determined to pursue the path of giving political pacifiers (ፖለቲካ ቺቸቶ) to its own people and bald-faced…
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Slouching Towards Asmara
Yes, Isaias is to blame. Probably. Once upon a time–actually, April 1, 2018–a bold man arrived in the horizons of the Horn of Africa. And almost immediately–actually immediately–he began clearing the debris of a century–actually, longer–of misrule in his country. Jails were opened and prisoners were freed. Enemies were forgiven and exiles returned. The disenfranchised…
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Eritrea’s Gov-People Dialogue
Nobody will ever accuse the PFDJ of being an overachiever, but few will describe it as a learning organization. The brief feud with Yemen (Dec 1995 – Feb 1996) bled to a one month feud with Djibouti (April 1996), which led to two year plus epic battle with Ethiopia (May 1998 – Dec 2000), which…
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The Slick & The Shell-shocked
Psychologists say that human emotions can be reduced to only four: sorrow, happiness, fear and anger. And of the four, the only one that is socially acceptable for men (in most societies) is anger. A man will brag about his capacity for anger (“dont make me angry; you wouldn’t like me when I am angry”,…
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“What Is Free Press?” Ask Those You Disappeared
Eritrea is now a member of Human Rights Council (HRC) and submitted its report as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle. It was challenged on its human rights record by many countries: freedom of expression, worship, assembly, lack of constitution, lack of independent jurors, indefinite national service, etc. This video (Chapter 1) focuses…
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The Torment of Our Liberators
In this edition, Yemane Gebreab is suckered by a German reporter to give a long propaganda piece and, near the end of the interview, asks him about the G-15 and the independent journalists who have been languishing in the remote prison of Eira Eiro, where an escaped prison guard already told us of their harrowing…
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Betrayal And Loyalty
One man, who happens to be head of state, told another man, who happens to be head of a foreign government, that effective immediately he has given him full authority to represent his country on all matters. There is a videotape of him saying that. And lest you think he was just being polite or…
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Part 2 of 2: 2018: A Year of Dazzling Reforms & Stifling Standstill
For Part 1, items 1-65 of this 2018 retrospective, please refer here: 66. Gender Equality, Ethiopian Edition, BAA (Before Abiy Ahmed): Before PM Abiy rammed-through his gender-equality reform in Ethiopia over the heads of the stodgy EPRDF, Ethiopian economists (all 5 men) met with Chinese economists (4 women, 1 man.) 67: Eritrea’s Endorsement of Russian…
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2018: A Year of Dazzling Reforms & Stifling Standstill
In other words, this is a retrospective of the Horn of Africa. Mostly. Very subjective of course: 130 things. Warning: it is so long (you are welcome), it had to be divided into two halves: 1-65 and 66-130. By the time you are done reading both halves, we will need a new one for 2019. When we started the…
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Time for Militia Taff To Join The Eritrean Government
If your issue with the Government of Eritrea was the price of commodities in Eritrea, I have great news for you. A quintal of taff which used to sell for 12,000 now goes for 1,200. Bleached flour (Fino) declined from 1,200 to 600. A kilo of sugar? From 60 to 35; tomatoes from 40 (per…