Month: September 2021

Tunisian President Kais Saied surprised many Wednesday with his appointment of Najla Bouden Romdhane, a 63-year-old professor at a prestigious engineering school, as the country’s first female prime minister.

The geologist was named prime minister after the office was vacated July 25 when Saied froze parliament and seized executive powers, leaving the country in limbo.

Saied’s office issued a statement ordering Bouden to fill Cabinet positions as soon as possible.

The president’s moves sidelined the Islamist Party that dominated the legislature, prompting critics to denounce his actions as a coup that jeopardizes the country’s young democracy and could threaten democratic gains made after the Tunisia Revolution that helped spark the Arab Spring in the early 2010s.

The Arab Spring was a sequence of armed, anti-government rebellions and other forms of unrest that swept across much of the Arab world in response to corruption and economic woes.

Last week, Saied suspended most of the constitution, contending he could govern by decree during an indefinite “exceptional” period.

In an online video, he said Bouden’s appointment honored Tunisian women and that the transitional government should address corruption and respond to citizen demands of all sorts, including those pertaining to health, education and transportation.

Bouden may have less power than her predecessors had under the 2014 constitution. Saied said last week when announcing the emergency period that the transitional government would be accountable to the president.

Source: Voice of America

The first printing press in East Africa was built at Imkulu, a small town 5 km to the North West of Massawa, in 1879 as a modern infrastructure by the Swedish Evangelical Missionary (SEM). Imkulu is a Tigre word which literally means ‘mother of all.’ It earned the name because Imkulu was receiving people who sought refuge from starvation and local conflicts. In many respects, Imkulu was a center of enlightenment in the region in the late 19th century.

The Swedish missionaries wanted to promote literacy in Eritrea to enable the congregation at their church to understand the gospels in their own mother-tongue. For this purpose they founded several schools, which prior to their establishment were available only in monasteries and madrasas.

The first formal school in Eritrea was founded in Massawa in 1871. Soon other schools were founded, including one in Massawa in1872, a boarding school in Gheleb in 1874, and another school in Imkulu in 1877.

Prior the establishment of the printing press, the station at Imkulu was used as a school and training center for hand craft, carpentry, tailoring and embroidery. It also gave some medical services and served as an asylum for refugees who were displaced due to war and invasions.

As SEM’s educational services spread in different parts of the country the publishing of books became essential, and Imkulu was chosen to serve as the place for the printing press as it had been their biggest mission station. Earlier on the missionaries did spend some time in the western lowlands around Kuluku, Ogana and Tender (Kunama speaking villages) and Gheleb, Anseba region. But when many died due to malaria, the missionaries decided to go back to the coastal areas, where they opened Imkulu Printing Press in 1879, and Eritrea became the first country in East Africa to give printing services. As the missionaries spent time in the highlands and western lowlands, they became familiar with the local people and their languages, which were Tigre, Tigrinya and Kunama.

The printing press engaged in publishing primers for basic education, newsletters as well as tacks of the bible and hymn books in Tigrinya, Tigre and Kunama. In 1890 the New Testament was translated in to Tigre, with the aid of the versions of the bible in Geez, Amharic, Swedish and the original text in Greek. The translation required a systematic study of the Tigre language, its vocabulary and grammatical structure.

Later on, in 1895, the printing press was moved to Asmara, which the Italians chose on 3rd August 1889 as their Eritrean colony’s capital. In 1903, the first magazine in Tigrinya, “Melkti Selam”, was published in Asmara. It represents the oldest publication in Tigrinya language although its contents were limited to spiritual matters. Four years later a book called “Mezmur Selam,” which had some collection of hymns, was also translated from Swedish to Tigrinya. It was translated by several native speakers and Swedish missionaries who knew the Tigrinya language. The book is still serving as a main guide of worship for the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The publication of the bible in Tigrinya bible was completed in 1957 after the translation had been done. At the time of its publication it was the biggest book in the Tigrinya language. The 1957 version of the bible in Tigrinya is still serving as the main reference for Eritrean and Ethiopian speakers of the Tigrinya language.

Notable people who grew up at the Swedish missionary include Woldeab Woldemariam, the patriotic and revolutionary leader, Isaak Teweldemedhin, head of the Eritrean school system from the 1940s to the 1960s, Tedla Bayru, the first leader of the government of Eritrea during the period of federation, Aman Michael Andom, Army General and later in 1975 Head of the Provisional Government of Ethiopia, Prof. Asmerom Legese, a renowned sociologist and Human Anthropologist, researcher and author, and the Rev. Mussa Aron, author of numerous books.

Although the printing press was moved to Asmara in 1895 Imkulu comprehensive training center continued giving its services by giving academic programs, theology and training skills in a variety of fields until it was totally destroyed by an earthquake in the mid first-half of the 20th century.

In 1956, a school was established by the missionaries in Keren to serve exclusively deaf students and became the first school of its kind in East Africa. The objectives of the school were to help the deaf to overcome their barriers and be independent, free from being seen as the burden of their parents and the society. In 1965, two Eritrean teachers joined the school in Keren, and in 1988 a school for the deaf was opened in Asmara.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday he assumes famine has taken hold in Ethiopia’s Tigray where a nearly three-month long “de-facto blockade” has restricted aid deliveries to 10% of what is needed in the war-torn region.

Griffiths told Reuters during an interview that his request was simple: “Get those trucks moving.”

“This is man-made, this can be remedied by the act of government,” he said.

War broke out 10 months ago between Ethiopia’s federal troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls Tigray. Thousands have died and more than two million people have been forced to flee their homes.

“We predicted that there were 400,000 people in famine-like conditions, at risk of famine, and the supposition was that if no aid got to them adequately, they would slip into famine,” said Griffiths, referring to a U.N. assessment in June.

“I have to assume that something like that is happening,” he said, adding that it was difficult to know exactly what the situation was on the ground in Tigray because of a de-facto aid blockade and lack of fuel, cash and trucks.

Ethiopia’s U.N. mission in New York said that “any claim on the existence of blockade is baseless.” It said aid groups “faced shortage in trucks as a result of the non-return of almost all trucks that travelled to Tigray to deliver aid.”

Truck drivers carrying aid into Tigray have been shot at least twice and some Tigrayan drivers have been arrested in the neighboring region of Afar, although they were later released, according to U.N. reports.

Malnutrition

Griffiths said a lot of trucks go into Tigray and don’t come back, compounding the humanitarian problems. He said no fuel trucks had gone into Tigray since late July.

“First of all, they probably don’t have fuel to come out,” he said. “And secondly, they may not wish to, so the consequences for humanitarian operations — whatever the cause — is problematic.”

The United Nations in Ethiopia said on September 16 that only 38 out of 466 trucks that entered Tigray since July 12 had returned. On Tuesday, World Food Program in Ethiopia posted on Twitter that 61 commercial trucks had left Tigray in recent days and they expected more to depart in coming weeks.

“We’ll continue to work with transporters to overcome any logistical issue to ensure trucks are on the road, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid,” WFP Ethiopia said.

In Tigray, the United Nations says 5.2 million people, or 90% of the population, need help.

According to the United Nations, screening of children under age 5 during the first half of September revealed that 22.7% of are malnourished and more than 70% of some 11,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished.

“As a comparison this is about the same levels of malnutrition that we saw in 2011 in Somalia at the onset of the Somali famine,” Griffiths said.

Griffiths said 100 trucks a day of aid needed to get to Tigray, but only 10% had gained access in the past three months.

“We need the Ethiopian government to do what they promised to do which is to facilitate access,” said Griffiths, who met with Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen last week during the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders in New York.

Mekonnen assured him that access is improving, but Griffiths said, “it needs to improve a great deal more.”

Source: Voice of America

ADDRESS BY H.E AMBASSADOR PM KUMSHA ON THE OCCASION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN 27 ANNIVESARY OF FREEDOM DAY CELEBRATION: ASMARA PALACE, ASMARA, ERITREA-24 SEPTEMBER 2021.

Esteemed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea, H.E Mr Osman Saleh,

Esteemed Ministers and members of Government of the State of Eritrea here present,

Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Distinguished guests and friends of South Africa

Ladies and gentlemen

ZEKHABARKININ, ZEKHABARKUMIN UDUMATNA, UNQUA BEDAHAN MATSAKHUM

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I welcome and thank you Minister, in particular, for gracing the auspicious occasion with your presence, which affirms the strong bond of friendship that our two countries and peoples enjoy.

Ladies and gentlemen

27 years ago, a new era was ushered in to the political and social landscape of our country South Africa. It was on the 27th April 1994 when the words of the Dr Martin Luther King Junior, reverberated through the length and breadth of our motherland, as fittingly expressed by our founding father of our Democratic State, President Nelson Mandela as he waved to the crowds, when he said “Free at last”. Today’s celebration of South Africa’s freedom and democracy is a reminder of a shared vision of a free, united, non-racial, non-sexist democratic society founded on the principles of unity in diversity!

Something unique about this year’s anniversary of our freedom is that our icon, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of incarceration fighting for this freedom. In essence this means we are celebrating 27 years of our Freedom which is resonant with the 27 years which Madiba spent on Robben Island fighting for the freedom we enjoy today. Similarly, we are celebrating this day, on the 24th of September, which is South African Heritage Day.

Your Excellences, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, this day serves as a humble reminder of the selfless sacrifices that were made to bring about change, and defeat the apartheid system that was so determined to keep the majority of our population forever its chattels.

As we celebrate this day, we salute the Government and the people of the State of Eritrea. We are pleased that the State of Eritrea remains our partner in both bilateral and multilateral efforts of bringing about peace and stability on the African Continent. Our diplomatic relations continue to grow and these extend to people to people. Inspired by their commitment and quest for freedom over the years, and their pursuit for a stable Eritrea that is at peace with itself and its neighbours, we recommit ourselves to walking hand in hand with the leadership and people of Eritrea in search for lasting peace and stability in the Horn of Africa and in the entire African continent and beyond.

Your Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests

Over this past 27 years, our Government has registered achievements unparalleled in the history of our country, in a quest to improve the lives of our people. This ranges from creating an affordable health care system, access to education for all, a rollout of clean water and electricity to the vast rural communities of our country as well as providing social security to the most vulnerable of our society being the elderly, people with disabilities and children respectively. Our push for gender equality in all spheres of our society is a phenomenal achievement we can pride ourselves for. This is clearly demonstrated by the meaningful gender representation in all spheres of State and Government, in parliament, in the Judiciary, in the corporate sector as well as all our sporting codes.

Your Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen

South Africa’s foreign policy is premised on the consolidation of the African Agenda which entails; Security, peace and stability, post conflict reconstruction and development. Accordingly, we acknowledge and support the nexus between peace, security and development as underpinned by AU’s Agenda 2063 which finds expression in the UN Agenda 2030 developmental approach. In addition, Agenda 2063 promotes a shared strategic framework for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

It is for this reason that South Africa takes keen interest in the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement which serves as a cornerstone in the elimination of trade barriers. This is also expected to enhance competitiveness to stimulate investment, innovation as well as economic growth on the African Continent.

As part of South Africa’s foreign policy imperatives, we stand firm in our support for Africa’s integration to the global economy and its participation in global governance and decision-making. It is for this reason that we will continue to collaborate with the members of the global community for multilateralism towards creating a just, humane and equitable world and a rules-based international system of global governance.

Consistent with the commitment to South-South relations, South Africa’s membership of BRICS continues to champion Africa’s interests by ensuring that the New Development Bank of BRICS plays an active role in addressing the infrastructure development on the African continent. We are pleased that the recently concluded BRICS Summit reiterated its resolve to addressing challenges facing our Continent.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests

The Covid-19 pandemic has ravaged and brought about untold devastation and pain to billions of people around the world, every family has a painful story to tell about this pandemic. It is in this context that South Africa commends the the 76th Session of United Nations General Assembly’s theme on COVID 19, given that all countries are grappling with this deadly pandemic. This comes at a time when the global solidarity on the Post-Covid Recovery Plan is gaining momentum. As an active member of the global community, South Africa reaffirms its commitment to the principle of multilateralism as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. In this regard, we join a call by the nations of the world to rebuild a sustained and inclusive global economic growth.

Our roadmap to recovery must include the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this context the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development is guiding star for eradicating poverty, and in ensuring a better life for the world’s population.

Your Excellences, distinguished guests, brothers and sisters, Dear friends

As I stand before this august gathering, on behalf of my President, His Excellency Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, my Government and the people of South Africa, it behoves me to extend a word of unqualified gratitude to the African continent, the international community at large, for the role they played in support of our struggle for political and economic emancipation. In this context, our success belongs to us as much as it belongs to the peoples of the world. This view is best expressed in our values of Ubuntu, inclusiveness and human solidarity. This is further underpinned by our commitment to strive for a better world, a world order that is responsive to the needs of its population.

In conclusion, please allow me to summon from the grave, the wise words of South Africa’s first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela during his inauguration when he said “ Never, Never, and Never again, shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another, and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement! Let there be justice for all, let there be peace for all! Let there be bread, water and salt for all! God Bless Africa”.

Distinguished guests,

Allow me to propose a toast to the 27th birthday of South Africa as a free and democratic nation, to the prosperity of the Government and people of South Africa, the State of Eritrea, and to an even stronger friendship between our countries and peoples.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea