PBS: Escaping Eritrea … [Read More...] about ካብ ውሽጢ ቤት ማእሰርታት ኤርትራ
UPFRONT
National Service: We were forced to work at Western-run mine, say migrants who fled Eritrea
Allison Martell and Edmund Blair | Sept. 26, 2016 | Reuters A Canadian company operating in one of Africa's poorest countries faces compensation claims from some workers. They say they were military conscripts and suffered harsh conditions. TORONTO/ASMARA – Bemnet Negash never got to say a proper goodbye to his family. In February 2006, government officials arrived at … [Read more...] about National Service: We were forced to work at Western-run mine, say migrants who fled Eritrea
The New Dictators
Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Erica Frantz and Joseph Wright | September 26, 2016 | Foreign Affairs Why Personalism Rules Strongmen are seemingly everywhere. Russian President Vladimir Putin is omnipresent; the media has obsessed over everything from his latest actions in Syria and Ukraine to his sudden and recurring reshuffling of his inner circle in the Kremlin. Meanwhile, … [Read more...] about The New Dictators
Trapped and bereft in the world’s ‘fastest emptying country’
Mark Anderson in Asmara for The Africa Report | Wednesday 28 September 2016 | The Guardian Thousands of people flee Eritrea illegally every month to skip military service, but getting out is too expensive for most Outside a cafe on the crossroads of a busy intersection in Asmara, three 25-year-olds sip macchiatos and catch up on the latest gossip in the … [Read more...] about Trapped and bereft in the world’s ‘fastest emptying country’
Yemen: The Graveyard of the Obama Doctrine
Samuel Oakford and Peter Salisbury | 23 september 2016 | The Atlantic The human costs of facilitating Saudi Arabia’s proxy war This past Tuesday, President Barack Obama delivered his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Though he tried to sound optimistic, he couldn’t help but strike a rueful tone. Gone was the global media darling … [Read more...] about Yemen: The Graveyard of the Obama Doctrine
How vital fish stocks in Africa are being stolen from human mouths to feed pigs and chickens on Western factory farms
Jim Wickens 17 September 2016 | The Independent Exclusive: With soaring meat consumption around the world, vital omega 3-rich fish stocks destined for human mouths in western Africa are being snatched by foreign food companies to feed factory-farmed animals – and ultimately the populations of wealthier countries "We don’t have gold, or petrol or diamonds, the sea is … [Read more...] about How vital fish stocks in Africa are being stolen from human mouths to feed pigs and chickens on Western factory farms
Horn of Africa, pivot of the world
Gérard Prunier | September 2016 | Le Monde diplomarique Djibouti is a base for the world’s armies; Ethiopia and Eritrea are in hostile rivalry; and Somaliland isn’t officially recognised as a state but runs itself competently. Ethiopian army reconnaissance units crossed into the Tsorona region of Eritrea shortly before dawn on 12 June, and encountered Eritrean patrols. … [Read more...] about Horn of Africa, pivot of the world
Eritrea is a prison state – no wonder so many are desperate to escape
Abraham T Zere | Sunday 18 September 2016 | The Guardian Today marks a bleak date in the country’s history, when a paranoid elite began a brutal campaign to cement its grip on power Exactly 15 years ago, Eritrea’s hard-won independence was hijacked by a paranoid political elite who have clung to power ever since. It was on this day in 2001 that President … [Read more...] about Eritrea is a prison state – no wonder so many are desperate to escape
Why Zimbabwe’s Military Sticks With Mugabe
Philip Martin | September 12, 2016 | Foreign Affairs ZANU-PF's Blood Brotherhood Zimbabwe is headed for turbulent waters. Over the last few months, a protest movement has highlighted popular dissatisfaction with what many Zimbabweans see as the economic mismanagement and heavy-handed tactics of the government of President Robert Mugabe. Opposition groups are joining … [Read more...] about Why Zimbabwe’s Military Sticks With Mugabe
The ‘presidents for life’ cabal – how Mugabe and other African leaders stay in power
Liesl Louw-Vaudran | 15 Sep 2016 | Mail & Guardian Leaders like Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe use term-limit changes to extend their reign - but people are protesting, fighting for change. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (92) is famous for quirky responses when asked why he has stayed in power since 1980. Asked whether it isn’t time he said farewell to the … [Read more...] about The ‘presidents for life’ cabal – how Mugabe and other African leaders stay in power
North Korea, Far From Crazy, Is All Too Rational
MAX FISHER | SEPT. 10, 2016 | The New York Times Is North Korea irrational? Or does it just pretend to be? North Korea has given the world ample reason to ask: threats of war, occasional attacks against South Korea, eccentric leaders and wild-eyed propaganda. As its nuclear and missile programs have grown, this past week with a fifth nuclear test, that concern has … [Read more...] about North Korea, Far From Crazy, Is All Too Rational