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Eritreans in Diaspora commemorate Martyrs Day

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

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Eritrean Martyrs Day Commemorated Throughout United Kingdom

Eritrean Martyrs Day Commemorated Throughout United Kingdom

Eritrean communities in the UK commemorated martyrs day in their respective localities. The official commemoration was broadcasted virtually live from Embassy Media studio on the 19th of June. The event was presided in the presence of the UK organising committee, martyr’s families and representatives of those undertaking sporting activities to mark the remembrance of Eritrean Martyrs.

During the virtual ceremony H.E. Estifanos Habtemariam, the Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to the UK and Ireland gave an opening speech and various other programmes, which reflected the event including interviews, artistic works, poems and songs by children were also presented .

On June 20th communities in 4 different locations of London (East, West, North & South) also commemorated the event. Communities Newcastle, Leicester, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Coventry, Nottingham, Birmingham also commemorated the event.

Communities in Birmingham in particular on the 19th of June also commemorated the event in a unique manner in city centre. Eng Mulugeta Gebreab created lighting design which represents Eritrean Martyrs.

The design was very inspiring and captivating to kids. In what seems to be the first of its kind, they provided gifts to the children attending the event. As all other Eritreans in the UK, the community in Birmingham also commemorated the event on June 20th. In the sphere of sports, a 10k run also aimed at commemorating the event was also conducted by various individuals in London.

Mr Teame Tesfamariam, Mr Goitom Seyoum and others who ran along them today had also previously taken such initiatives in the past during COVID19 lock down. Mr Teame had last year run with his two sons to raise funds for Martyr’s families. Similarly, Mr Goitom also ran throughout the month of February for the Fenkil run challenge to raise funds to the Eritrean National War Disabled Veteran Association.

Similarly, the London cycling team which has been commemorating the event for the past 6 years, has also managed to cover yet again another 100 kms cycling ride to commemorate and raise awareness along their route. They have managed to successfully find many business sponsors and individuals who have contributed for their fundraising initiative. Notably they got a £500 donation form a non-Eritrean friend who had heard of their resourcefulness to raising funds for the cause.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

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Martyrs Day commemorated with patriotic zeal

June 20, Eritrea’s Martyrs Day was commemorated by nationals inside the country and abroad with patriotic zeal.

President Isaias Afwerki laid a wreath at Asmara’s Patriots Cemetery in the early morning hours today in Commemoration of Martyrs Day and in tribute to Eritrea’s best sons and daughters who paid the ultimate price to assert and defend Eritrea’s national independence and sovereignty.

Similarly, Martyrs Day was commemorated in all regions of the country by putting wreaths at their respective Martyrs Cemeteries. The commemoration events were conducted within the confines of COVID-19 Guidelines.

The event was also highlighted by tree-planting popular campaigns as well as cultural performances depicting the glorious legacy of the Martyrs and the steadfastness of the Eritrean people.

Exactly at 1:00 o’clock, a minute of silence in memory of the fallen heroes and heroines was observed by nationals inside the country and abroad in their homes.

On 19 June nationals inside the country and abroad also commemorated Martyrs Day with candle vigil inside their home.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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Tigray Families Displaced by War, Economic and Social Crisis

Hundreds of displaced families trampled down the stairs carrying stained mattresses, logs and kindling for cooking and sacks of clothing and food.

The families, more than 5,000 people in all, had fled battles in the northern Tigray region to Shire, a historical commercial center. Now they were being forced to move again.

When they arrived in Shire after the war broke out last November, schools and universities were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic so it made sense to use the buildings as temporary shelters. But now, the government wants students back in school, and one week ago, Axum University was evacuated.

“Authorities told us a month ago we had to leave,” said Kidan Weldemariam, a 47-year-old mother of eight on the day of the evacuation. “Since then, they have come every few days. The only difference is — now they are using force.”

As families packed, officials from the United Nations also briefly visited the camp. Scores of people crowded around as one official spoke to a soldier in uniform. She said that the new camp is not ready and the move is unjust. But when reminded her office helped coordinate this move, the official quickly conceded and told people to follow the soldiers’ orders.

Outside the building, three-wheeled vehicles known as “Bejajes” in Ethiopia lined up to transport the families to a location where the new camp was being set up. It is the cheapest way to travel in this part of Tigray and young men tied mattresses to the roofs of the blue cabs.

As droves of people continued to hustle up and down the stairs, Haben Tariq, 12, watched the action. “What do I do?” he asked.

Families were leaving as units, but he was alone. Like thousands of other children, he and his parents were separated as they fled the war last year.

“How can I find my mother?” he said. “Maybe if I tell my story she will find me?”

Refugee day

Worldwide, more than 80 million people are living outside their homes, forced to flee war or persecution, according to United Nations statistics. Nearly 60% remain in their home countries, sometimes forced to flee the same conflict over and over.

On June 20, the U.N. recognizes World Refugee Day, but there is not much to celebrate. In the past 10 years, the global population of forcibly displaced people has more than doubled.

In Tigray, many displaced families were split up in the chaos, with about 2 million people fleeing within Ethiopia and more than 60,000 others crossing the border to take refuge in Sudan.

At another camp in Shire, families crowd into tents propped up in the dirt surrounding classrooms, where as many as 35 people sleep in a room. With a newborn baby strapped to her back, Alem Belay, 26, said she hadn’t spoken to many of her family members since the war began last November.

Her family fled to Sudan, but she was pregnant at the time, so she couldn’t go with them. Alem fled to the nearest “safe” town, where her farm animals were confiscated and her husband was arrested.

“They said to him, ‘We know you are a fighter; where is your gun?’” Alem said. “He didn’t have a gun, but they took him, and our cattle.”

Long crisis

War in Tigray first broke out last November after months of heightened tensions.

Then, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front attacked northern federal bases and the Ethiopian National Defense Force swept through the region. Eritrean forces are now fighting alongside the federal government and both the Eritrean and Ethiopian sides have associated militias.

Civilians in Tigray have reported widespread looting, beatings and mass killings. Hundreds of women and girls have reported being raped by soldiers and many more assaults are believed to have gone unreported. The U.N. warns famine is occurring in some places.

And on top of these horrors, the economy has been crushed. Cities are packed with displaced families, while farms go untended and food is not grown.

“I was a farmer with good lands and I grew sorghum,” said Belay Abera, 67, as he packed his few things to move out of an Axum University dorm room. “But I was displaced just before the harvest and arrived here with nothing.”

Source: Voice of America

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3 Students Dead After Nigeria School Kidnapping, Principal Says

Three children have died following a school kidnapping of 94 students and eight staff in northwest Nigeria last week, the establishment’s principal said on Sunday.

The army said in a statement it had rescued three teachers and eight students so far, killing one of the kidnappers.

There has been a series of kidnappings for ransom in northern Nigeria, with a sharp rise in abductions since late 2020 as the government struggles to maintain law and order amid a flagging economy.

Two girls and a boy were found dead, two with gunshot wounds in their legs, said Mustapha Yusuf, principal of the federal government college in the remote town of Birnin Yauri in northwest Nigeria’s Kebbi state.

The kidnappers “have been taking cover under the students … They are in the bush,” he said, adding that bandits had used students’ phones to call parents and demand a 60 million naira ($146,341) ransom.

Source: Voice of America

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Tanzania Authorities Warn of 3rd Wave of COVID-19

Tanzania Authorities Warn of Third Wave of COVID-19 A few days after Tanzania expressed its interest in joining the COVAX global vaccine-sharing facility, the government warned citizens of a third wave of COVID-19 and directed that all precautions to be taken, including the wearing of face masks. Authorities say cases are on the rise in all bordering countries, including Uganda, and that there are indicators the disease may again hit the country.

Speaking with journalists Saturday, the director of prevention from Tanzania’s Heath Ministry, Leonard Subi, insisted citizens take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from infection.

He reminded all citizens not to ignore COVID-19. The ministry has begun to see an indication of the occurrence of the third wave of COVID-19 Subi says. He added this is due to the monitoring reports of the disease being carried out by the ministry and the interaction between Tanzanians and other nations.

In April of last year Tanzania stopped publishing COVID-19 data as the then president, the late John Magufuli, declared God had eliminated the infection.

Soon after Magufuli’s death in March of this year, new president Samia Hassan started a change in handling COVID infections, including admitting its presence. Now the country is waiting for vaccines.

Opposition politicians such as Yerico Nyerere from the Party of Democracy and Development, or CHADEMA, say the government should emphasize controlling movements particularly in the area bordering Uganda, where the virus has hit strongly.

Nyerere says those areas that have interactions with countries such as Uganda, where there is a high wave of the virus, should enforce serious controls, if possible, even closing the border with Uganda. He says Tanzania does not want to enter into the stage that Uganda has reached, lockdown.

Tanzanians see the need for the government to enforce nationwide prevention campaigns that will also reach village people.

Dar es Salaam resident Imani Henrick says she thinks the government should put in place an inclusive strategy, including encouraging people to wear masks and wash their hands. She says and there should be supervision from the government, not just saying people should take precautions. Henrick says there are people in the villages who know nothing about precautions and they can’t even afford face masks. So, Henrick adds, the government should come with a strategic plan, even including distributing free face masks, particularly for those in the villages and those who mostly meet with large numbers of people.

For Ibrahim Chawe, another Dar es Salaam resident, things have changed and he hopes the government will fully implement all the precautions that were recommended by the COVID-19 committee formed by Hassan, including the publication of data.

Chawe says publicizing information about COVID-19 and telling people to take precautions is a big step compared to the previous period. Chawe adds that before, wearing of masks was not approved of, but now there are major changes in how the infections are being handled.

Since Hassan took office in March she has sought to gradually bring Tanzania in line with global public standards for tackling COVID-19.

Source: Voice of America

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Violators to Come Under Scrutiny at UN Human Rights Council

Countries accused of abusing their peoples’ human rights will come under the lens of the U.N. Human Rights Council over the next three weeks. Dozens of thematic issues and country reports on topics including the COVID-19 pandemic will be addressed during the session, which begins Monday.

The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, will present an oral update on the human rights crisis unfolding in Myanmar since the military coup there on February 1. Her report is likely to reflect condemnation of the military leaders’ violent crackdown on the civilian population and, what she sees as a looming threat of civil war in the country.

The council also will hear updates on the human rights situation in other countries, including Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, South Sudan, and Syria. Separately, observers view events in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region as one of the most serious human rights issues around.

The executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, says reports of imminent famine, summary executions, rape and other atrocities perpetrated in Tigray warrant action by the Human Rights Council. He is calling for the adoption of a resolution condemning these practices at this session.

“A resolution should clearly name the governments,” he said. “We know that Ethiopian government forces have been major perpetrators of these crimes along with, as you mentioned, the Eritrean forces. It is important to recognize the Eritrean forces did not invade Tigray. They were invited in by the Ethiopian government.”

Violence erupted in Tigray in November when forces of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation front attacked federal military bases in the region. The Ethiopian government responded with the use of military force.

High Commissioner Bachelet also will present a report on police violence and systemic racism against people of African descent. The death of African American George Floyd while in police custody in the United States last year triggered a special council session one year ago.

Roth says he believes the report should have a strong focus on the United States. He adds, however, that systemic racism is a global problem and should be treated as such.

“Our concern is really that the council creates some kind of mechanism to continue this. It is not just a one-off report, but there is a more systematic effort to address root causes and to push for accountability…I do not say that at all to try to minimize the situation in the U.S. The U.S. should be a critical focus of those efforts,” he said.

The council’s last session in February focused on efforts to combat COVID-19-related violations. Bachelet will present a report on how states are responding to the pandemic. COVID-19 also will feature as a sub-theme into reports and panel discussions this session.

Source: Voice of America