Category: Politics

Eritrean nationals in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Norway, Kenya, and South Sudan as well as in Austria commemorated 20 June, Martyrs Day with patriotic zeal.

At the event conducted at the Eritrean Embassy in Riyadh with limited participation in which many virtually followed the program, the nationals contributed 137,734 Riyals to augment the Martyrs Trust Fund and assumed to support 24 families of martyrs.

Indicating that since 2003 nationals in Riyadh and its environs have contributed over 9 million Riyals in support of families of martyrs, Ms. Weini Gerezgiher, Charge d’Affairs at the Eritrean Embassy in Saudi Arabia, expressed appreciation for the support the nationals extended.

At the event certificate of recognition was handed over to 30 nationals that were supporting up to 8 families of martyrs.

In related news, members of the National Union of Eritrean Women in Dammam contributed 2,760 Riyals in support of families of martyrs.

In the same vein, nationals in Khartoum commemorated 20 June, Martyrs Day at the premises of the Eritrean Embassy in Khartoum featuring various programs depicting the day.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, head of Political Affairs at the Embassy, said that Martyrs Day is a day in which nationals renew their pledge to live up to the expectations of the martyrs.

At the event, the nationals contributed over 500 thousand Sudanese Pound and 100 Dollars to augment Martyrs Trust Fund.

The Eritrean community in Nairobi and Mombasa also commemorated Martyrs Day with candle vigil.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Beyene Russom, Eritrean Ambassador in Kenya, indicating the deep meaning of Martyrs Day to the Eritrean people, called for strengthening contribution and participation in the implementation of national development programs.

Similarly, nationals in Juba commemorated Martyrs Day with patriotic zeal featuring various cultural and artistic programs.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Yohannes Teklemicael, Eritrean Ambassador to South Sudan, said that Martyrs Day is a day in which Eritreans renew their pledge to live up to the expectations of martyrs that have paid their dear lives so that the Eritrean people live in peace and harmony.

The South Sudan Deputy Foreign Minister and International Cooperation, Mr. Deng Dau Deng, who attended the commemoration event expressed appreciation for the respect and honor the Eritrean people have towards their martyrs.

Eritrean nationals in Vienna, Austria, commemorated 20 June, Martyrs Day featuring various programs.

According to reports, Eritrean nationals residing in Ethiopia and Qatar commemorated 20 June, Martyrs Day with candle vigil.

The commemoration event held at the Eritrean Embassy in Ethiopia and which staff members of the Eritrean Embassy and as well as Permanent representative at the African Union Economic Commission took part was highlighted with various cultural and artistic performances.

Indicating that the Martyrs Day commemoration event is being held at the time in which the Eritrean people emerged victorious foiling various external conspiracies and hostilities, Mr. Semere Russom, Eritrean Ambassador in Ethiopia, called for reinforced participation in the national affairs.

Nationals in Qatar as well as in Dubai and North Emirates commemorated 20 June, Martyrs Day featuring various programs.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

When the polls were supposed to close Monday in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, election workers said turnout was better than expected, and voting had been conducted safely. 

But crowds of people still queued, and closing time was extended for hours. Election organizers said logistical problems such as missing poll workers or ballots and bad weather were to blame.

Many people waited all day to cast their ballot in Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s first electoral contest. The vote is widely expected to solidify his rule, despite the beleaguered Tigray region’s nonparticipation and the postponement of several other regions’ votes for security reasons.

“This is, maybe not the last, but a very important chance to transform to democracy,” said Yeshiwas Assefa, chair of Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice, the main opposition party.

The ruling Prosperity Party is widely expected to win the election, but Assefa said the new parliament could be the most diverse in Ethiopian history, with opposition candidates expected to win some seats.

But his office counted more than 200 election irregularity complaints Monday, ranging from missing ballots to observers being intimidated at the polls.

Eden Hagos, a 27-year-old receptionist, arrived at the polls at 3 a.m. to line up to vote. By 6 p.m., she was exhausted and hungry, and unsure how much longer she could wait.

“It was supposed to be my first time voting, and I was so excited,” she said, in a crowded, wet garden where hundreds of people still queued Monday evening. “But now, I’m angry.”

Ruling party support

As the sun went down, some other voters said they would wait as long as it took.

Ayalew Gebremichael, a 43-year-old fitness instructor, said in previous elections, opposition parties were repressed, and voters were pressured.

“This is different,” he said as the line snaked around a building. “It is more free and fair than the others.”

Up a small hill and closer to the ballot boxes, Masho Ayele, 27, and a mother of two, wore a black coronavirus face mask and a pink knit hat. She had been at the polls since 6 a.m. to vote but said she planned to wait all night if necessary.

“In my opinion,” she said, “this election is going to change my life.”

Ayele said she supports the prime minister and believes the country is already getting stronger under his rule. The election itself, she said, is evidence the country is growing more free, with poll workers telling voters to choose as they wish.

“In the past elections, they told me who to vote for, and I was scared,” she explained. “I did what they said.”

Conflict in Tigray

But there will be no voting at all in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, which has been at war with the federal government for more than seven months.

The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced roughly 2 million. Civilians across the region have reported human rights abuses, like mass killings and rapes. The United Nations says 350,000 people are in danger of starving in a famine that is already under way.

At a traditional coffee shop in Addis Ababa, Habenyom Mekonen, a businessman from Tigray, said as a long-term resident, he can vote in the capital, but he refused to register.

“There is no party that represents us,” he explained.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) won local elections in Tigray last year in a ballot the federal government said was illegal. Then, after tensions deepened and war broke out, the government declared the TPLF a terrorist organization, making members ineligible to run, even if there was an election in Tigray.

Several other areas are postponing their votes until September, also because of conflicts, and in some cases, missing ballots.

Also missing are European Union observers who declined to attend after being denied permits to use their equipment in Ethiopia.

Analysts say if this election does, in fact, produce a more diverse government, achieving an enduring pluralistic democracy will take time.

“There are politicians who really believe in the electoral process,” said Kiya Tsegaye, a lawyer and political analyst. “There are also politicians who believe they can cling to power through shortcuts.”

Source: Voice of America

The United Nations is urging reforms that make it easier for migrants to send money back to their home countries, as it observes its annual International Day of Family Remittances.

“Migrants have shown their continued commitment to their families and communities during the pandemic with more remittances transfers made digitally than ever before,” Gilbert Houngbo, president of the U.N.’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, families in rural and remote areas — where remittances are a true lifeline — battle to access cash outlets or even more convenient alternatives such as mobile money accounts. Governments and the private sector need to urgently invest in rural digital infrastructure to address this.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used his own statement to call for remittance fees to be set “as close to zero as possible,” and for those in the industry to “foster the financial inclusion of migrants and their families.”

“Looking forward, we must continue efforts to support and protect migrants, who — as the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear — play such an important role in keeping essential services and the economy at large running in many parts of the world,” Guterres said.

Data from the World Bank showed remittances to low- and middle-income countries hit $540 billion in 2020, a decline of 1.6% from the previous year. It said last month it expects the amount of money sent to those countries to increase by 2.6% this year and 2.2% in 2022.

Latin America and the Caribbean saw an increase of 6.5% in remittances received last year, according to the World Bank, followed by 5.2% in South Asia and 2.3% percent in the Middle East and North Africa.

Remittances declined 7.9% to East Asia and the Pacific, and 9.7% to Europe and Central Asia. Remittances to sub-Saharan Africa rose 2.3%, not counting Nigeria, which saw the amount of money sent there by migrants plummet 28%.

India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, Egypt and Pakistan were the top destinations for migrants to send money in 2020.

Migrants working in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Germany sent the most money home, according to the World Bank.

Worldwide, the U.N. says there are 200 million migrant workers who send money to support more than 800 million family members, and that in 2020, 75% of that money was spent on “immediate needs.”

The United Nations has set a target for those facilitating remittances to charge no more than a 3% fee. But the World Bank said that at the end of last year, the global average fee to send home $200 was 6.5%.

Source: Voice of America

Khartoum, June 16(SUNA)-The President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council(TSC), Gen. Abbdul-Fattah Al Burhan received Tuesday at the Republican Palace credentials of Issa Ahmed Issa as Ambassador of Eritrea to Sudan resident in Khartoum and credentials of the new Kenyan Ambassador resident in Khartoum.

The Eritrean Ambassador expressed in a press statement following the hand-over ceremonies his pleasure to work in Sudan, pointing out that his mission comes at time the region is experiencing delicate developments .

He said would exert his utmost efforts on cooperation with the concerned bodies in Sudan to develop and cement relations between the two countries as ewll as consolidating ties of friendship and common understanding

While the Kenyan ambassador said that he would work with the relevant circles in Sudan to explore ways and means that link the two brotherly countries.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Zimbabwean prison authorities released New York Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo on Wednesday, one day after the High Court in Bulawayo granted him bail.

Police arrested the 37-year-old in May, alleging he helped two of the U.S. newspaper’s journalists illegally enter Zimbabwe.

Moyo’s attorney, Doug Coltart, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer, said Moyo should have been released a day earlier, but prison officials noted a problem with the warrant of liberation.

Speaking from Bulawayo via a messaging app, Coltart voiced anger about his client being detained an extra day.

“It’s a typical tactic which is used to extend the detention of prisoners after they have been granted bail, which is why the legal team specially requested to see the warrant of liberation before leaving the Magistrates Court,” Coltart said. “That request was denied, which is why when prison officials started claiming that there was an error on it late in the evening last night (Tuesday) again, the legal team requested to see the warrant of liberation. That request was again denied.”

Government officials were not immediately available to comment on Moyo’s case.

Moyo was arrested on May 26, along with a Zimbabwe Media Commission official, Thabang Manhika, for allegedly processing fake accreditations for two South Africa-based Times journalists who entered Zimbabwe last month and have since been deported.

Western diplomats and international press freedom groups voiced concerns about the arrests.

A lower court had denied Moyo and Manhika bail, saying they were a danger to national security because they helped U.S. journalists interview Zimbabweans without the government’s permission.

“The state papers on appeal essentially admit that the grounds they advanced for opposing (Moyo’s) bail in the magistrates court were baseless and frivolous and essentially they do not have any case against and that he is not a national security threat as they alleged,” Coltart said.

The government has dismissed accusations that Zimbabwe is disregarding media freedom.

On social media, The Information Ministry secretary, Ndabaningi Mangwana, said Moyo and Manhika had been arrested for breaking immigration laws.

Tabani Moyo of the Media Institute of Southern Africa — who is no relation to Jeffrey Moyo — said he welcomed Jeffrey Moyo’s release and was looking forward to the trial.

“Trial of Jeffrey Moyo is a trial on fairness in that you are only guilty when proven such,” he said. “Fairness is a key element in discharge of our judiciary services. So we are saying it’s fairness on trial that he is out on bail. It is the first step in that process. And we hope that to the conclusion of the case, fairness will be at the center of the trial as it should be to every Zimbabwean.”

No trial dates have been set for Manhika and Moyo. The two men face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Source: Voice of America

Over 150 youth in Adi-Keih and students of the Adi-Keih College of Business and Social Science conducted a visit to historical areas in the sub-zone in connection with 20 June, Martyrs Day.

The visit that was conducted on foot on 12 June included the tranches in Adi-Wegera and Aba-Selama areas and were provided briefings by the combatants of the EPLF that were stationed there from 1977 to 1978 on the heroic feat demonstrated by the liberation fighters in the struggle for liberation.

The participants indicating that such a tour will have a significant contribution in developing the understanding of the youth about the history of the country and the human and material sacrifice paid in the struggle for independence called for organizing similar tours to other areas of history and heroism.

They also expressed conviction to live up to the expectation of Eritrea’s martyrs.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Ambassador Isa Ahmed Isa presented credentials to Gen. Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, as Ambassador of Eritrea to the Republic of Sudan.

At the ceremony held at the National Palace, Ambassador Isa delivered a message of goodwill from President Isaias Afwerki and expressed that he will work in cooperation with the relevant bodies of Sudan to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador Isa Ahmed Isa has previously presented a copy of his credentials to the Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea