Category: Politics

Throughout history, Eritrean women have been icons of determina¬tion and diligence. From household chores to jobs that highly-skilled people, they have demonstrated their unshakable work spirit.

Meet Second lieutenant Hana Kidane, a 23-year-old Eritrean who has recently graduated from the College of Aviation of Eritrea as a pilot. She has shared her experiences with us in the following inter¬view.

Thank you for your time, Hana. Please introduce yourself.

Thank you for having me. I’m a 2022 graduate of the College of Aviation of Eritrea. I was born in 1998 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and came to Eritrea in 1999. I went to elementary and junior schools in Adi-Guaedad and did high school at Barka Secondary School. Then I joined a technical school and went to Sawa in 2016. I joined Eritrean Air-force in 2017, right after I got back from Sawa.

What was your experience in the college like?

It was amazing. It took us three years to complete the program — two years of theoretical and a year of practical training. The first two years were intense with a lot of exams. We couldn’t get much sleep. But we had a clear goal and we held on to that.

At the beginning I thought it was going to be tough for us girls as it was intense; however, it never felt tough once we got into college. Our fellow boys kept encouraging us and supporting us throughout the college years. Our department mates and instructors were also very supportive, which gave us hope and faith. Our instructors were everything that we could have asked for. They took care of us like brothers and sisters. Of course, we were willing and determined to reach our goals and were finally able to make it.

What were your first time training to fly and your first solo flight like? Please share your experience with us.

I don’t have sufficient words for that. It was all that I wished to experience while we were learning the theoretical part. Being able to maneuver an aircraft in the sky on your own gave me satisfaction and joy. My first solo flight was in Massawa where we flew 1200 feet high and remained airborne for 30 minutes. I was a bit nervous during the first practical training on the sky. I successfully completed my mission, and that was the happiest day of my college life.

What do you think about people in our society who portray women as weak compared to their men counterparts when it comes to doing a job that requires high skills?

Such people should open their eyes and see it isn’t true. We are able to graduate just like our male counterparts. Around 15- 20 females graduated with us in different fields. If a girl is willing to achieve anything, she can and there should be no doubt about that.

As females we should never let things such as age affect our dream journey. Thinking about marriage and having children should never prevent us from having big dreams because it’s all about time management. Manage your time well and you’ll be able to go through the process of life on time. Don’t lose great education and job opportunities for things that you’ll be able to achieve sooner or later. Age shouldn’t be a factor to stop us from doing what we are supposed to do.

Women in our country aren’t very well represented in the job market. What do you think is the problem and how should it be solved?

You are right. But it doesn’t mean that we females are weaker or slower. It’s all about willingness and taking initiatives. We know our mothers and grandmothers fought along with their fellow brothers and fathers for their nation’s freedom. We have what it takes in our heads, so let’s just have a winning mindset. Everything is possible if we just believe that we can do it. Our country is providing us with opportunities that no one would get easily. Why shouldn’t we use it? The next aviation college students must walk through this journey with hope, diligence and determination. And we should always remember that the people and the government are with us and supporting us.

Our mothers were able to leave their marks in our history, working with determination despite the colonization and pressure from the society. With less pressures, there can’t be anything we can’t achieve now in the modern world. We just need to take one step at a time and strive to be where we want to be and who we want to be.

Are there any other remarks you would like to make?

I advise young Eritrean girls to pursue their dreams despite pressures that might possibly come along their ways. We are the products of our magnificent mothers and grandmothers, and so let’s all vow to keep up the hard working spirit that we inherited.

This is just the beginning for those of us who have graduated. Students of the aviation college and also the youth everywhere must strive to do better every single day. We have now got our license as pilots and we’ll continue to get to the top and serve our nation and people. Our aviation college’s first commencement was undeniably successful. I think the aviation college is very crucial for the future of the Eritrean Air force.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

The 34th anniversary of the demise of Nadew Command was observed in Afabet on 19 March with patriotic zeal.

At the observance event in which Government officials, Army Commanders, as well as residents of Afabet town took part, the administrator of Afabet sub-zone, Mr. Mohammed-Nur Rejeb indicated that the operation that demolished the enemy forces in Afabte known as ‘Nadew Command’ had been unique that shifted the balance of power in favor of the Eritrean freedom fighters.

Mr. Mohammed went on to say that the Demise of Nadew Command opened the way for Operation Fenkil and the final operation that heralded the total liberation of the country.

The event has been highlighted with cultural and artistic performances as well as sports competitions.

The British historian and journalist Basil Davidson compared the lightning offensive the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) conducted at the Nakfa Front from 17-19 March in 1988 to demolish the Derg’s powerful Nadew Command with the Vietnamese “Den Bien Fu”.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Political analysts say South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has undercut his own utility as a potential mediator of the war in Ukraine with a controversial suggestion that NATO’s own actions are to blame for Russia’s invasion of its western neighbor.

Ramaphosa has said he prefers negotiations over weapons or economic sanctions, in reference to sanctions piled on Russia by the United States and Western allies in the aftermath of the invasion, now in its fourth week.

“The war could have been avoided if NATO had heeded the warnings from amongst its own leaders and officials over the years that its eastward expansion would lead to greater, not less, instability in the region,” Ramaphosa told parliament last Thursday.

But he added that South Africa “cannot condone the use of force and violation of international law.”

The South African president said South Africa had been asked to mediate in the conflict, but he did not mention who requested the intervention.

University of Western Australia analyst Dr. Muhammad Dan Suleiman told VOA that Ramaphosa’s “outrageous” comment is “more like stoking the fire of conflict (and) projecting a paradigm of war rather than peace.” He said the comment undercuts any possibility for Ramaphosa to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Longtime allies

Africa’s most industrialized nation has long-standing relations with the Kremlin dating back to the 1960s. During South Africa’s apartheid regime, the Soviet Union backed anti-apartheid freedom fighters.

After majority control came to South Africa in 1994, politicians, including those of the ruling African National Congress, maintained ties with Moscow, which observers say makes it no surprise that South Africa has not condemned Russia’s invasion.

Suleiman said there is no historical reason that gratitude for Soviet support during the apartheid era should translate to a defense of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

”For whatever reason, (Ramaphosa) seems to be equating Russia to the Soviet Union. And that is not true, because Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. And so, whatever help the Soviet Union gave to the ANC during apartheid also had the contribution of Ukraine,” Suleiman said.

Prince Mashele, executive director at the Center for Politics and Research in Pretoria, said Ramaphosa’s position doesn’t reflect the current thinking of most South Africans.

”You can’t have a foreign policy that is frozen in the past. Foreign policy has to be dynamic. If (Ramaphosa) had a flexible policy, he would appreciate that the Russia of today is not the Russia of yesteryear.”

Mashele told VOA, “Ramaphosa is trapped by his own political party, the ANC, and so, the position he articulates doesn’t reflect his own personal preference. In the ANC, there are relics of the old world aligned with the Communist Party of South Africa and (are) still active,” Mashele said.

Mashele disagrees with some analysts’ assertions that Black South Africans in 2022 continue to look to Moscow for support.

”I am Black. I come from Black communities. The majority of Black South Africans are actually inspired by the West. Their culture, mannerisms, are an extension of the West, in terms of thinking.”

He added, ”Black South Africans don’t even wish to visit Moscow. They wish to visit New York, or Dubai in the East, or Europe. And so, the position that is articulated by Ramaphosa on behalf of South Africans doesn’t reflect the thinking of Black people. It only represents the thinking of a political clique in the ANC.”

Source: Voice of America

International Day of Down syndrome, 21 March, was observed with the popular campaign at Mai-Diminet areas in the Central Region.

At the event, the chairman of the National Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Col. Berhane Bokretsion said that it will take some time until citizens with Down syndrome and their families are provided proper care and outlook by society and that to happen needs strong effort.

Indicating that Down syndrome is not a disease but an intellectual and developmental disability, Col. Berhane called on society to comprehend the situation of the nationals with the disability and contribute a due part to the effort being exerted to their overall development.

Col. Berhane Gebrehanes, Director General of Social Service at the Central Region, on his part said that Down syndrome is not something that one brings at will and called for sustainable awareness-raising campaigns so the disabled will get proper care by the society.

International Day of Down syndrome is being observed for the 12th time worldwide.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

China’s special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Xue Bing, is touring four countries in the region to market his country’s alternative proposal to end incessant conflicts here.

But the diplomat argues China will not compete with Western powers to arm fighters in the region.

Instead, it intends to send engineers and scientists to help tackle poverty and infrastructure problems that he argues could cement long-term peace.

He spoke to The EastAfrican in Nairobi.

Why is China now more focused on the Horn of Africa?

The Horn of Africa is a group of eight countries, all of which are true friends of China. We have very strategic partners with whom we enjoy long-term exchanges – political, economic, cultural, people-to-people exchanges – and for a long time, China has done a lot to improve the development and people’s living standards and put a lot of effort into improving these relations.

On the other hand, this region also has a lot of issues that cause a lot of conflicts, be it border issues, ethnic conflicts or religious conflicts. We think that these issues have to be resolved, otherwise you cannot have proper development. That is why China has put forward the Outlook for Peace and Development. Peace and security are preconditions for development while development is a basis for peace and security.

China wants to play a role in this area to promote security, development and governance in this region. I have come here to seek views from regional leaders about China’s peace proposal, and I will also make use of this trip to encourage regional countries to hold the first peace conference in the first quarter of this year.

Besides your visit, what will be your responsibilities in this new role?

Apart from the task of this visit, I will keep close communication with regional countries, including their representatives in Beijing. As a matter of fact, I already met with heads of missions in Beijing. Before coming here, I visited Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, and from the look of things, the initial response to the Chinese proposal is very positive.

How does China intend to use its experience back home to bring lasting peace and security in the Horn?

In the past 70 years or so since its founding, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party, the People’s Republic of China has enjoyed a long time of development. We achieved two miracles: one was the development of the economy where we became the second-largest economy in the world more than 10 years ago and we have kept up the momentum. The second miracle is long-term social stability.

Since regional countries in the Horn are true friends of China, sometimes we are very sad to see conflict still raging here and causing a lot of misery. We want to share our Chinese way and contribute to regional peace and security by utilising Chinese wisdom. That is why we put forward this proposal, whose essence is to get rid of external intervention. We respect and support regional countries to settle their differences independently. It is a Chinese proposal but the regional countries will play a leading role and be the main actors.

How does the Outlook on Peace and Development specifically address long-term peace and security in the Horn?

There are three aspects of this proposal. The first is the security pillar, to promote regional contacts to overcome challenges of peace and security. By implementing this, we proposed to hold the first regional peace conference where people can come together and discuss the problems. We want to provide that platform for everybody to come together to settle their differences without external intervention and to settle their differences through peaceful negotiations.

The second aspect is development. To improve people’s lives, there are a lot of projects supported by the Chinese in this region. The most important, for example, are the two railway lines: Nairobi to Mombasa, and Addis Ababa to Djibouti city. The other area of development is the two coasts –the coast around the Red Sea and the one around the East African region. We want to help our friends here to build an industrial park, part of the Belt and Road Initiative to realise long-term prosperity of this area.

The third area is governance. Good governance will provide a better environment for development. China has enjoyed long-term continuous development and we want to share our experience. The Chinese way is very different from that of Western countries. Sometimes Western countries regard themselves as lords and want to lord it over and preach their style. China also wants to share their experience but we don’t impose our views on regional countries. We encourage regional countries to develop a path which is suitable for their national conditions.

It looks like you are just countering the West in the region. What is your view about that?

Western media tend to see the issue in the Horn from the perspective of geopolitics, as (competition between two powers). China never does that. From the past, you could see what we have done here. China will send out engineers and students. We don’t send out weapons. We don’t impose our views on others in the name of democracy or human rights. Our real purpose is to achieve common development and prosperity. We want to see our friends here enjoy the same living standards, the same happy life. It has nothing to do with geopolitics or competition with major powers.

So what sort of good governance will you encourage the Horn to follow?

Every country has its own national conditions. In China, the leadership of the Communist Party is paramount. In the just concluded sixth plenary session of the party congress, the biggest achievement was two establishments. The first is the establishment of President Xi Jinping as the core of the party and as the core of the Central Committee of the party. The second is the establishment of the Xi Jinping Thought on Social Development with Chinese characteristics as the guideline of the whole country on the path of development.

These two establishments are important to China to ensure good governance for the whole party and development with socialist characteristics. This type of development is more suitable to China and we think it is good governance and we want to share it with our friends here. It is up to our friends to see which system is good and which systems, Western or Chinese, you could learn from. We don’t impose.

The conflicts in the region have also worsened the humanitarian situation. How does China come in on the short-term solutions?

China supports regional countries to fight famine and resolve the humanitarian crisis. During my trip, China provided emergency food aid to four countries – Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia. That is about RMB40 million ($6.29 million). We always support Kenya as well against hunger and Covid-19.

What are your priorities in the Horn and do you have timelines for them?

Coming back to the Outlook, one of the aspects is development. The two railway lines could be extended or could be merged and could be built into an extension of the Belt and Road (initiative). We need further discussion, of course, with the regional countries to come up with a proper plan for these two lines and two coasts.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Cameroon’s government says calm is gradually returning to several towns in its English-speaking western regions after the military launched raids on separatist strongholds during the past month.

The military said troops carried out operations in many western towns and villages including Kumbo, Ndop, Wum, Bafut and Kom, with at least 20 separatist fighters were killed but no government troops were wounded.

General Valere Nka, the commander of Cameroonian troops fighting separatists in the English-speaking North-West region, said several hundred fighters escaped to villages along Cameroon’s western border with Nigeria. He said troops have been deployed to stop fighters from stealing goods and money from merchants and cattle from ranchers in border localities.

“The president of the republic, President Paul Biya, commander in chief of the armed forces has sent the defense and security forces to protect you, not to kill you,” Nka said during a visit to several border villages this week. “We need your total collaboration to better secure you.”

The military did not say how many troops have been deployed or how long the troops are expected to stay along the border with Nigeria.

Nelson Bwei, a spokesperson for the Abba Village Development Committee, said a military post is needed in the village, which is on the border with Nigeria, to protect civilians from separatist fighters. He said hundreds of the fighters are hiding in the bush along the border, especially in Fungong district.

“Our children are facing harassment,” he said. “Lower Fungong has no security post. The people there are exposed to insecurity. We plead to the general to create military units because we believe that if there is that military unit, it will beef up the security of the subdivision.”

Bwei said the separatists have seized at least 90 cows from ranchers within three weeks. He said fighters have abducted at least 13 civilians for ransom, especially merchants doing business between Cameroon and Nigeria.

On social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, the separatists have denied the loss of 20 fighters. The separatists say their presence in border localities is a tactical withdrawal to prepare and face government troops. The fighters deny they are harassing civilians as the government claims and insist that they are out to protect English-speakers from Cameroon military brutality.

Cameroon’s military has always denied it abuses civilian’s rights.

Separatists have been fighting since 2017 to carve out an independent English-speaking state in majority French-speaking Cameroon. The crisis started when English-speaking teachers and lawyers protested the dominance of French in official government business and education. The government responded with a crackdown and separatists took up weapons.

The United Nations says at least 3,300 people have been killed with 750,000 internally displaced.

Source: Voice of America

• Thank you for your time Ambassador Sophia, What is the general overview of Eritrea’s Mission in the United Nations?

First of all thank you for having me here. Eritrea’s mission to the UN is Eritrea’s entry to the world. It is a platform where we get to engage with 193 countries and many other UN agencies at the same time. Of course, we have different sections: the General Assembly (GA), the Security Council (UNSC) and different UN funds and programs. But it is a place where Eritrea can engage one on one on bilateral issues. It’s also one way to engage multilaterally on issue that are of global concern like the Covid-19 that we have been discussing for the last couple of years. And today, the Ukraine issue, the Cuban embargo are some of the latest issues. So, there are many issues that come up at the UN that we get to have a platform and have a forum where we can express ourselves, have our say and make a modest contribution to the discussion that are happening there. So in that sense, the Eritrean mission to the UN is a gateway of Eritrea to the world.

• Over the past two years you have been in office as Eritrea’s Ambassador to the UN, can you share your experiences, both the negative and positive?

I haven’t had any negative experience. Very different experiences is what I have had. One of the advantages of being a woman Permanent Representative (PR) is that you have a separate forum for women at the UN. We are very few, not sure what the numbers are with the changes that are going on in the sections, but having a woman forum to discuss issues off the platform where the men are, gives you one separate advantage. And for me, as a diaspora and someone that has shared, like all Eritreans, an image of what the UN is, it was a very awakening moment for me to arrive at the UN and see the UN through a different lens. I went there to change the narrative on Eritrea and I found myself trying to change how we view the UN and its utility; what we can do and what its advantages and limitation are.

In our engagement, we have also been able to solidify some good relationship with certain groups within the UN system; the African group, the Non-Aligned Members (NAM), the G77 and really make Eritrea more visible in terms of the statements we are producing there, the issues we are addressing, the positions we are taking on issues that come to the GA. As a woman and a representative of Eritrea, it’s always an opportunity to tell Eritrea’s story at many levels; development issues, social issues, political issues and women issues. That’s how I would describe my two years. It’s still too early. Of course Covid-19 took away two years and most of the stuff was done virtually and now we are getting back to do things in person and we intend to do more when I go back.

• UN reform? How many UN members support the idea of UN reform?

When we talk about UN reforms, we talk about the UN living up to the peoples’ expectations and its fundamental principles. What it was created for in 1948; to bring peace, security and development to the world and stop the surge of war as they say. But has the UN really been able to do that? And there are many reasons why the UN has been unable to fulfil the needs of the world populations or even live up to the mandates that it had. But 75 years later, I think on the 75th anniversary, a lot of countries were expressing their views on why the UN hasn’t been able to do the things that it was set up to do. There are many reasons; of course financial issues will always come up and they raised a bunch of the big issues. But the political space that people and member states had is not the same as it is today.

75 years ago, many African states were just coming out of colonization; they were just establishing their systems of governance and a lot of the rules and regulations and the movers and the shakers at the UN were not the member states that are present today. And the member states today are demanding that the UN live up to the expectations that it was established for. And I think, in that sense, UNSC reforms is a big issue that comes up year after year at the UN and when I went there I was surprised because they said it took 20 years. They have been discussing UNSC reform for 20 years. And until today, we don’t have a consensus of what that reform of the UNSC would look like. If we move on certain clusters in one meeting, it is number of permanent seats versus the Veto versus how many member states there should be on the Council as a whole. In addition, regional configuration, how many from each region is also a big question. But as soon as you resolve one issue, another issue is raise by the other side. The balance between countries in the west and the number of seats that they have in the UNSC versus Africa which has zero seats is a critical factor. Africa has zero permanent seats and as a continent with billions of people and 54 member states, it is something, historical injustice as what they call it, which has to be amended. But how do you do that? The mechanics has not been worked out as yet. It remains work in progress.

And we do have the representatives of the C10; a group of countries that are responsible for UNSC reform mandated by the African Union (AU). So, we usually follow the African Group (AG) position on issues of UNSC reform.

On UN reform, beginning with the UN secretary General, all the way down to the last civil servant, everybody talks about reforming UN in terms of employment, racial issues that they have to tackle and number of women that need to be in the UN system. The UN Secretary General has been trying to balance his Secretariat at 50/50 and get the women representation at optimum level. But it is not just about women faces: you also want the quality, the caliber, the geographical representation of women in the UN. Since the UN is supposed to be a global organization, we would like to see more Africans in executive positions, in higher level positions in agencies. You know almost all agencies are western run and we have very few Africans that are in really high level UN position. So, a lot of work needs to be done. Indeed, a lot is being done; at least the discussions are going on earnestly and I think the voices are louder now. And people are demanding that some changes happen. We have been able to at least get the office of the Special Advisor on Africa to have a more prominent role for us as Africans in the UN to help us in the work that we do. We expect to cement our ideas and our issues and make priorities for some of the African issues that need attention in terms of development. This is all for us to be able to have a balanced UN that addresses many issues on multiple levels; not just issues that are of concern to Western or European or some other powerful countries but also for Africa.

• What can you tell us about the Africa Group and its influence in the UN General Assembly, or the Security Council?

The Africa Group at the UN is a very prominent group. With the 54 memberships that we have, I think we meet frequently, almost weekly with the African Group and we address issues that are common to us. We address issues of candidacy, issues of UNSC reforms, and in the UNSC if there are issues relating to Africa. Unfortunately, almost 100% of the files in the UNSC are African issues although we don’t have permanent representatives. We have neither permanent seats nor veto power in the UNSC.

Nevertheless, we want less interference in the internal affairs of our States because sometimes, the UNSC ends up raising issues that are bilateral matters in the name of normalization of relations. That shouldn’t be within the purview of the UNSC. It should be something that the two relevant countries are able to work on; unless it is critical to the peace and security of the countries or the region. So, on these issues, the Africans are more engaged and discussions on issues like Ethiopia have been on the African Group agenda to explain developments and trends of the conflict and to get support and understanding from other African countries. It has been working to address how the operations were in Tigray and some of the humanitarian issues and the concerns of the UNSC. In that sense, the AG was a good base for us to start changing some of the narratives regarding our region. And in the GA, the AG usually makes group statements if there is consensus on a lot of issues and if we agree that the group speaks on behalf of us on issues of the NAM, G77, Presidency of the UNSC, and on any issue that arise. In that case, we opt for the AG to speak on our stead if we agree on what to say.

So, the group gives us two platforms; it helps us to have bilateral relationship with the African States and on the other hand, it serves as our own group that represents us in the UNSC. It’s a sizeable group that permitsus a platform in terms of vote and bringing our issues to the floor in the GA. AG is an effective group that needs to be strengthened and it is our group. However, there is also the AU, the observer mission, much stronger than the AG with more resources. So, the AG needs to have an empowered AU representation at the UN. Our group does a lot within itself and the reform of the AG, to see where the AG is poised to be most effective in the UN. And as far as the UNSC is concerned, we try to push on the common African position that we have. We do it through committees, experts, bilateral engagements that we do on multiple levels. So, the AG is not just prominent but also active and Eritrea plays its role.

At the G77, there are also second committee officers that engage in multilateral forum but they also engage bilaterally with their counterparts and get our stands forward. So, it is an active and good platform for us and it’s the easiest entry for us since we are Africans.

• A group of UN regional Directors in Africa have conducted a visit to Eritrea last month and held meetings with different government officials on different topics including the strategic framework 2022-2026. What is your view of the visit?

The visit and the launch were successful in the sense that it gave 25 regional directors a chance to watch Eritrea up close and on a personal level. Hearing about Eritrea from the outside and coming here and actually seeing it and speaking to officials and stakeholders; finding out on your own is totally different. It was good to have them here. For me, they are future ambassadors of Eritrea; wherever they are, they can speak on Eritrean issues with full understanding of what Eritrea wants and its priorities. I think the Resident Coordinator here, Ms. Amakobe Sande has done her homework. She brought together very prominent regional directors to showcase Eritrea and let them see Eritrea for what it is and what it is trying to do. And even if Eritrea has some grievances, these are legitimate grievances. We are not complaining over nothing; it is about stuff that has happened in the past. In any case, this launch and what we did in Asmara will give us a chance to renew the relationship and work better in the five years ahead. And I think we can check each other to see where we are periodically to see if we are implementing some of the things that we want and utilize what the framework offers for Eritrea, in terms of capacity building. This includes all the resources that can come to Eritrea to help some of the projects that we intend to do here, duplicate and scale up some projects like the Areza-Maidma Solar Project.

And I think if we start working earnestly, we will find a way to make the UN more useful in Eritrea and find ourselves utilizing some of the many capacities that are available to us at the UN; technical support, IT, support on many areas such as education, health and other resources that we can use. One of the good things about this framework is that if midway, we decide our priorities have changed and that they need to be elsewhere, there is the capacity to change and modify what we have done. It was a good launch and thanks to the Ministry of Development and Finance which a lot more work awaits for, it was a success.

• You are a woman that is representing one of Eritrea’s most important missions and we have celebrated International Women’s Day last week. What can you say regarding that?

International women’s day in Eritrea for me was very special. I went to visit the women in the Denden Association of Disabled women. What I saw there was hope and indomitable spirit. A group of women who are physically challenged in different areas and intensities; and yet these women felt like there was a reason to celebrate not just womanhood but celebrate Eritrea and where we are today. When you sit there with a group of women like that, you come out thinking “what else is there that I can do”? It really made me feel small. The position and the work that we do at the UN at the end of the day is very small compared to what these women have done and continue to do. And the spirit that they bring to this country is priceless. It’s a small group of people and I think they are much unknown people. I wouldn’t have known about them unless I went there yesterday. I am sure that many of our diaspora would love to know them and what they bring to this country while they are still here and sharing their story and their experiences. In the end, they personify this resilience that we talk about in Eritrea. They are just the perfect example of what resilience looks like. Happy women’s day to all the women of Eritrea. Yesterday, I was blessed to have spent a few hours with the most remarkable group of Eritrean women and I hope that I can share many moments with them in the future now that I have known them. And would like to see what we can do to support them in the work that they are doing. They are not just supporting themselves, they are also supporting women like them that are not part of the association but in its extension. Kudos to the women in Denden and to the NUEW and all the women of Eritrea and the things that we bring to the table. The challenges are huge but Eritrean women can survive them. If anybody else can, they can. That was my impression of the International Women’s Day 2022 and I am glad I spent it here and not in the diaspora where it would be more of a fanfare, music and dance. But yesterday was more holistic for me and it was a good moment.

• Thank you again Ambassador Sophia.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea