BACK2KCAB: The President and Eritrean Refugees

Asmara, 08 November 2016 –  Drawing attention to the vexing issues and plight of refugees and migrants, President Isaias Afwerki has urged for concerted international efforts to bring about a durable and effective solution to the malaise.  President Isaias underlined the imperative for  urgent and meaningful action to combat this scourge in a letter that he sent this week to various Heads of State and Government.

The President noted that migration and influx of refugees has become rampant globally.  This was particularly exacerbated in those regions of the world that have been plunged into interminable crises primarily due to misguided policies and interventions by certain powers.  In the event, the underlying causes and driving factors need to be addressed fully and comprehensively, President Isaias noted.  A sober diagnosis of the underlying causes that is not shrouded by willful propaganda is vital so as to fully identify the intertwined dimensions of the problem and find effective solutions.  This will require serious and concerted action, President Isaias emphasized.

The President’s letter also elucidates in greater detail the genesis, ramifications, and principal actors behind the international crime of human trafficking as well as the vilification and demonization campaigns that are routinely conducted by the international crime syndicate on those who raise their moral voice against these despicable acts.

President Isaias further underlined in his letter the moral obligation of all those concerned to exert unreserved efforts for an expedited solution to promote justice by stemming this international crime that may be termed as “the globalized slavery” of the 21st century.

As it may be recalled, the Government of Eritrea has made repeated calls in previous years for robust action to stop human trafficking.  President Isaias had indeed written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in February 2013 to launch a legal, independent and transparent investigation of human trafficking that has victimized Eritrea.  This request was also repeated on various occasions subsequently.  Unfortunately, these appeals have not, as yet, been heeded.

Take 2: ‘I Don’t Point My Finger at Me!’ Why should you Mr. President?

Teweldeberhan Gebre | 10 November 2016 | erigazette.org

“I am not sure about the timing of the letter and its messages, but on 8 November 2016, shabait.com has posted a dictum of a letter on the plights of refugees and migrants by our President who is always devoted to blaming others for his own domestic problems instead of taking steps to fix them. According to Sabait.com the letter by our respected President was addressed to anonymous world head of states and governments and urges them “for concerted international efforts to bring about a durable and effective solution to the malaise.” In his ‘message’ to the anonymous head of states and governments, the President “…underlined the imperative for  urgent and meaningful action to combat” the globally rampant influx of refugees and migrants.”

Out of genuine concern, I have posted two articles in respect to the mass exodus our country is facing today which can be accessed at How do you like that? and ‘No Forced Returns’ of Migrants. In the second article, I discussed the “no peace, no war” situation that has been set by the inept regime in Ethiopia and its sponsors adding fuels to the mistaken policies of the Eritrean government for the mass exodus of our young people. I also discussed that many Eritreans “have perished in the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in a bid to cross into Europe, and many became victims of human traffickers all over the world.” Irrespective of the President’s messages to world leaders on the issues of refugees and migrants, the truth is that Eritreans are leaving their homeland mainly due to the ‘push’ factors although I do not deny the pull factors instigated by ill-wishers. I explained this in my article Eritrea: ‘No Forced Returns’ of Migrants. The ‘push’ factors for the mass migration of Eritreans among others include economic hardships, indefinite national service, and human rights violations such as freedom of movements and lack of occupational choices among the youth. In the last 15 years, no major policy changes have been tried by the government of Eritrea to reverse the situation except tightening the border which was not delivered enough and was not an accurate response to the real issues at home.

I am not sure about the timing of the letter and its messages, but on 8 November 2016, shabait.com has posted a dictum of a letter on the plights of refugees and migrants by our President who is always devoted to blaming others for his own domestic problems instead of taking steps to fix them. According to shabait.com the letter by our cherished President was addressed to anonymous world head of states and governments and he urges them “for concerted international efforts to bring about a durable and effective solution to the malaise.” In his ‘messages’ to the anonymous head of states and governments, the President “…underlined the imperative for  urgent and meaningful action to combat” the globally rampant influx of refugees and migrants.

As always, the President is devoted discussing regional and global issues in lieu of domestic issues and problems. In his letter to the anonymous world leaders, he was not short of replicating his domestic problems to the global world. He never missed accusing others of their “misguided policies and interventions” for all crises including in his own country. He urges others to address “the underlying causes and driving factors need to be addressed fully and comprehensively” while he himself doing nothing at all. Not only that but also he calls to the anonymous world leaders for “ [a] sober diagnosis of the underlying causes that is not shrouded by willful propaganda…so as to fully identify the intertwined dimensions of the problem and find effective solutions”  that according to him requires “serious and concerted action”.

In my humble view, our President is completely lost from the planet earth. In his letter to the nameless world leaders, he kept explaining the details and origins of migration problems, and the actors behind the crimes of the international human trafficking implying that they must be brought to trial. I am not sure to which court of law these gross allegations are admissible given his evidence but the President apparently compared the issues of the current migration trend as a new wave of ‘slavery’ and urges for a “…unreserved efforts for an expedited solution to promote justice by stemming this international crime…”.

Nonetheless, the President’s messages sharply contrast with the statement of his Advisor, Mr. Yemane Ghebreab addressed to the High-Level Meeting on Large Movement of Migrants and Refugees held on the 19^thof September 2016 in New York. In the event. the Advisor actually advocated for equal treatments of the movement of goods, finance, and migrants. The Advisor didn’t stop advocating for unrestricted movements of migrants the same way goods and finance do. Maybe because he treats people as commodities in the home country. More interestingly, he didn’t want to leave the gathering without telling the participants of the high-level meeting that they should tell their governments to provide migrants landed in their territories with protections, education, skills and jobs so that they can lead dignified life. Maybe the President was not in contact with his Advisor since September or the Advisor has failed or wanted to cheat his boss.

Although I have a big question on the genuineness and authenticity of the above-mentioned letter, particularly the timing of the letter, I still have a genuine question to the respected President. Why should the President be concerned about global migrations while he has countless internal problems and fixing them appropriately not less his own people’s mass exodus due to his decades-long mistaken and draconian domestic policies?

Worth paying attention to is, the writer asks his readers to find out the genuineness and authenticity of the letter to the nameless head of states and governments for themselves!

God bless Eritrea and its people!!