AU
By Melake Hadgembes
(Political and Economic Analysis)
What could be the effects of the sanction and who is to be blamed for that? If the government of Eritrea did not fail the African Union and resigned from the IGAD nations, Eritrea would not face the Christmas Eve sanction.
Throughout history, the victims of sanctions in many African countries have been the citizens despite their innocence and very limited non democratic participation and influence in the political sphere of their nation. Sanctions are usually the outcome of a conflict of interests at national and international levels.
Decisions are taken by government officials with uninformed consensus and very limited participation from the public sphere. Hence strong nations at international levels publish resolutions if they think that the decisions taken by government officials are dangerous for their interests in the region without weighing its consequences on the livelihoods of the innocent citizens and especially the poor.
Today’s sanction is the result of the long term effect of the Eritrean government failure to the African Union and IGAD nations. Eritrean government decided to avoid African Union and resign from the IGAD nations since their strategy and policy were in conflict. One may ask if that was the right decision. There could be many important questions to raise here.
How can you avoid yourself from some thing that’s part of you although your strategy and ideology is in conflict? If for instance, you are a member of a chaotic family, and you are a responsible person, you can not avoid your family just for that reason. You have to be part of the family and try to understand what is going wrong. Then, slowly you could start to impose a sound strategy in a way that family members could communicate and understand their failure and come back to the right track.
Similarly, as long as Eritrea is a part of the African continent it can not avoid itself from the AU and IGAD nations. If it does so; it would only have a trickle-down effect which already happened with the present sanction. The voice of Eritrea is not represented and heard for whatever agreement or decision taken at regional and international levels despite its economical, political, social and environmental impact upon Eritrea.
This does not mean that the AU or IGAD has good policies and strategies. Neither does it mean that it is the mandate of the Eritrean government to bring changes on the AU or IGAD strategies.
However, if the discourse of a smaller entity as part of a bigger unit is at odds, it can only affect and create changes merely from within the paradigm of the bigger unit.
Politically, economically, and even scientifically, it is difficult and may not be possible for a country like Eritrea to criticise and bring immediate changes in the strategy and policies of the bigger and relatively stronger units AU or IGAD.
The government of Eritrea should have worked at its best with a long term goal to bring changes in the strategy and policy of the organizations from within their paradigm and struggle to foster cooperation, economic growth and sustainable development at regional and international stages. Besides, it is always effective that a government informs and brings its own people into the processes of discussion and decision making.
Eritrea could potentially be a victim of the sanction; economically, politically and otherwise. Although it is questionable and controversial, one of the significant down effect of the sanction is the future condition of the potential mining activities in Eritrea. Nevsun has been operating in the country for the last ten years as a partner in the development of the Bisha mine and has been actively involved in developing a responsible mining industry in Eritrea.
Nevsun said that it believes “these sanctions should not have any direct impact on the Company or its Bisha project in Eritrea as the Company is focused solely on the development of the Bisha project. It is however uncertain whether these sanctions could indirectly impact the Bisha debt facilities announced in July 2009. The Company is already in discussions with stakeholders to evaluate that possibility and has contemplated alternative finance sources if the sanctions do eventually negatively impact the debt facilities.” Although the company is trying its best to keep the finance in place, the stakeholders may not feel secured enough to keep their stake. For instance, the share price of the company declined from 3.20 to 2.75, a drop by 14% in just three days after the resolution was passed.
Therefore, the sanction today has happened mainly, among others, because of the relations of the Eritrean government with AU and IGAD. If it was not for the AU or IGAD’s strong involvement and endorsement of the sanctions, the UN and the US would not have done any thing on ground regarding the sanctions. Originally, the government of Eritrea should not have resigned itself from the AU and IGAD as it would only erase its voice and representation at regional and international levels.
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Rubbish analysis, this article is full of cowardice, vacillation and hovering on treason ! Shame. Eritrea will survive and it wont really effect the economy you would no this if you had read the details of the sanctions against eritrea properly. Once eritrea has more influence in the horn of Africa and a growing economy it will be in a better position to take sanctions and perhaps follow up sanctions. Hopefully before they pass tougher sanctions there will be (regime change) in Ethiopia, thus providing the Eritrean government the opportunity to deal with a more rational government with peace loving intentions. With a new Ethiopian government in power independent from USA and EU Eritrea would be able to influence the AU more to take a just poisition on Somalia similar to our government, and placing sanctions on Djibouti for waging war on Eritrea in June 2008. Also the AU must insist that the USA camp in Djibouti must be dismantled and the WHOLE AFRICOM must cease to exist, but this can only happen if USA, EU aid agency are removed from Africa for good and IMF and world bank must reformed radically so that USA and European countries will have no dominance at all. I could go on on.
……..to Daniel
You remind me what an idiot is! Go and search your ignorance. You even don’t have what it takes to be here. For your hard-rock head to meditate, heed this advice: there shouldn’t be any justification for the suffering of innocent people.
The sanction heralds the inevitable collapse and failure of the incompetent and anarchist issias. The world is changing in such a way that people like him can’t endure the system it is played with. He is self-destructive and lives in ego-driven fantasy. Starting with his tail, he has been feasting on his own body. I believe the sanction will pave the way for him to eat his last part of his body -head. As the grass-roots of eritreans, especially the young, the time has come for the elite class, particularly lalowot sebesilitan
, to get the taste of the mischievous issias. The pillars has been shattering down and now, more than ever, it has shown,once again, the pity history of Africa: many dictators pass away claiming many innocent lives of women and children, disrupting and twisting the future of many young people. I cry for eritrea and its people.
I doubt if you are using your real name because you wouldn’t post such a nonsense comment unless you are Issaias Afeworki OR you posted your comments under the influnce of alcholethe way your dictator make decisions.When I read your comments,I thought it was about Israel because Eritrea simply doesn’t have the resourses to do all the things you are hallucinating about.We wish we could. I am not here to discuss your embarassing comments in detail but rather to refresh you of what is going on in our country that we all love (I don’t if you really do).
Remember,the Christmas gift that we recieved from Santa is an effect no the cause and our concern shouldn’t be whether the sanction will hurt our people or not which has been a hot issue of discussion for somtime but ratherit should concentrate on the real cause and look for a remedy for once and for all.There has been a self imposed sanction on our people by the demons of our own for years which has brought unprecedented agonies and miseries to our people.So the real cause for all these trauma and suffering that our people are experiancing is the dictatorial regime in our country.It has been a favourite pass time for the regime to mention the long list of enemies,the CIA, US,AU,IGAD,WOYANE, and now Kenya and Uganda are added to the listand using this list to justify its draconian measures at home and its belligerent behaviour in the region. Its true that instead of holding the regime accountable for its actions,we seem to have given the dictator a blank cheque which emboldened him to act with impunityfrom killing our vetsin cold blood in 1994 to igniting unnecessary wars here and there that resulted the death of tens of thousands of our brave men and women and the destruction of incalculable amount of property.Here is the regime that is trying to portrait itself as a champion of justice in the region at the expense of our nation when in reality injustice, arbitrary killings, rape,torture and imprisonment without due process of the law at home is its real trade mark.
Brothres and Sisters, Is this really what we paid a heavy price for? Now its high time that we join hands in the fight to bring an end to injustice and build a nation where justice and democracy prevail.
STAND UP and SAVE OUR NATION from FURTHERE DISASTER.
Izi Wedhankum,
How is the United States or United Nations an organization that has a case of too little too late sanctioning Eritrea. Who give them the mortal authority?! Last time I checked United States advocated sanctions against North Korea and therefore United Nation place sanctions on North Korea, after it exploded its atomic bomb. But United States turned around and give money to Ethiopia to purchase weapons from North Korea, a country that was sanction.
Why doesn’t the United Nation sanction Uganda, a country that sells weapons in the black market to Somali extremists and lets Somali so called terrorists train in its country. Why not sanction the Uganda leader who has been in power for over decade and continues to corrupted the country.
Why not put sanctions on Ethiopia, a country that consistently invades Somalia in the name of peace, but all it does is create Havoc, pillage and rape. Or simply for the fact that it supply arms to Somali factions. Not to mention the Ethiopian president continues to steal elections and committed crimes against opposition leaders. Why not place sanctions on Ethiopia for not respecting the Eritrean border and the peace treaty it signed with Eritrea over the border situation.
Why doesn’t the United States sanction its self for providing over 40 tons of weapons this year alone to the Somali government which in turn were sold in the black market. Or simply sanction it’s self for putting Corrupted warlords in power in Somalia. Maybe it can sanction it’s self for providing money to the Kenyan government to kidnap Somali teenagers from refugee camps to be trained as soldiers for the Somalian government.
The reason those countries mention above are not sanction its because they have economic ties with the U.S and because they are the U.S. Police enforcer in the region. Therefore United States continues to protect them and while they continue to spin the story.
Sanctions are bias and only provide large nations with another method of power while harming small nations.
Sign the petition, if you agree
http://www.change.org/actions/view/stop_scapegoating_eritrea_no_sanctions_based_on_lies
Some articles about USA foreign involvements
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6963512.ece
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/world/08ethiopia.html?ex=1333684800&en=06a910f57a146691&ei=5088&partner
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/22/kenya-stop-recruitment-somalis-refugee-camps
to Yapi Yopi,
You are in the rat-race. Get out of it!
Why i am responding to you is that i refuse to be ideal while distorted information is being posting, like yours. At least not here.
Few questions:
–Have you been in Eritrea?
–Have you been jailed because you forget your “menkesakesi”?
–If you are outside of Eritrea, how did you come out?
–Did you experience what “tahrib” is ?
–Have you seen the Ethiopian refugee camps?
–Have you seen the Sudanese refugee camps?
–Did you travel the sahra?
–Did you taste the salt of Mediterranean sea?
–….
If you have an appeal for improving the suffering of all those people who are victims of the above, i will sign. Yes, i will sign. What is happening in our country is not football game. It is not standing with the team you “like”. You have to look at the reality and the results. The reality is that people are being the victims of unprecedented torture in the history of our country. And the result is that eritrea and its people are in the financial nightmare. Hunger in Eritrea?! I beg you to be free of mental slavery my fellow Eritrean. At least, don’t hurt those innocent and voiceless people through your words. They deserve respect!
Whether you stand for, or against the G.O.E; there should be not ONE Eritrean in favor of this sanction. However this sanction is showing the true colors of certain Eritreans. Our country, OUR country! That was recognized by the world in ‘92 as a sovereign country; has not been at peace. First and foremost, F*ck the A.U. and IGAD! (Excuse my language) but that’s exactly how I feel. Two corrupt institutions that don’t have a plan for neither stability nor independence for their own nations, let alone for the entire continent. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS JUSTICE AND RULE OF LAW WHEN FACING IMPERALISM. You speak of suffering and lawlessness, what do you expect once the US/E.U. finally grab a hold of Eritrea? A better life with this façade you want to call “democracy”? What makes you think another country that displays an insouciant attitude towards its citizens, and imitates democracy, has Eritrea’s’ interest in mind. I’m sorry, but the harsh reality is that freedom was never something easy, it wasn’t easy against Ethiopia and it damn sure won’t be easy against traitors like yourself and the western world. “BUILD WITH SWEAT, NOT DEBT!”
I can understand and relate with the fact that many Eritreans are against the Eritrean government because of it’s domestic policies and it’s overall foreign policy.
But the UN sanctions are not about that. They are specifically about Eritrea supporting islamist rebels in Somalia.
1. The resolution allegedly put forth by Uganda (backed up by the AU and IGAD) does not represent Uganda or the AU, but the western power(s) who really authored and forwarded it. Uganda and the AU were merely used as window-dressing messengers to show that this neocolonialist endeavour…is not neocolonialist at all, but rather endorsed “by the Africans themselves”…
2. Uganda and the AU are hardly in the moral position to call for sanctions against any country for supplying arms to insurgents in another country. If this were a criteria for being sanctioned, Uganda would be sanctioned for supplying (western) arms to Congolese
rebels, most of the AU would be in a similar position as well. Not to mention the western powers themselves:)
3. The Eritrean government keeps insisting that there is no evidence
of Eritrea’s involvement in Somalia, while the western powers keep claiming there is. Neither of these two is particularly trustworthy and both sides have enough motives to tell a lot of lies. Eritrea on the one hand would like to use Somalia to weaken Ethiopia, while the western powers would like to use any excuse to “legitimately” dismantle Eritrea(’s defiant stance towards their neocolonialist policy).
4. Let’s say for arguments sake that the west is right and that Eritrea has been supplying aid to islamist rebels in Somalia in order to weaken Ethiopia. Is Eritrea justified in doing so? Absolutely not. But then again, the west had already invaded Somalia
before that (using Ethiopia and other AU proxies) and overthrown the islamist government there in order to replace it with a government more to their liking. Was that anymore justified? Well obviously not. Neocolonialism is bad:)
So if both sides are/were wrong, what is then right? Of course, this has been lost in the confusion. My opinion on what is right is that Somalis should decide for themselves what type of government they want, however unpopular that government may be with the rest of the world, as long as the government does not commit genocide or any such crime against humanity against portions of its own people. Involvement with Somalia should be limited to standard legitimate International relations (by all parties) and the only time the International Community should step in, in Somalia, is if/when Somalia were to overstep its national boundaries and/or commit crimes against humanity against its own people (such as genocide and ethnic cleansing).
As we all know, Somalia was the one invaded by Ethiopia, with the west’s financial, logistic and material support. Although Eritrea does not share any ideological ties with the islamists other than bitter anti-Ethiopianism, the regime in Asmara may have seen this as a golden opportunity to weaken and distract Ethiopia, by aiding the islamists. We still don’t know.
Obviously, it is unimaginable that the west or their own proxy (Ethiopia) would be sanctioned by any party for illegitimately invading Somalia or any country for that matter:) So they can do what they want. Basically it does not matter what is right, might makes right as far as the west is ooncerned. The best thing for Eritrea to do therefore, is to keep its head down and quietly move on rather than actively antagonize an ironclad world order at the expense of its people’s wellfare. There are several ways of showing defiance and a poor, small nation like Eritrea should do it in as peaceful a way as possible to ensure its people’s wellfare, given the choice of course. Having established the faults, the deception and the ruthless dictatorship of the west, the question remains did Eritrea actively defy and antagonize the western world’s imperial order and get involved in Somalia? Are the accusations true? If so,
Eritrea has strangely enough brought these sanctions on itself by having an unrealistic and self-destructive foreign policy. But if these charges are in fact entirely trumped up and the western imperial world order is simply consolidating its position in the region without giving Eritrea any chance whatsoever to grow quietly
and peacefully as an independent country, then Eritrea is really left with no choice (other than surrender to colonialism of course).
I would like to thank you all for your useful comments and criticisms against the article. The text below represents some common discussion points and suggestions on how we could communicate each other and the later section holds the possible answers to Mr Daniel’s comments.
There is some thing we Eritreans are missing; the open discussion and communication among us, the freedom we would like to have. It is only through participation of all citizens in discussion for the things that matter to us that the voice of every individual can be heard and put into a context for the betterment of our country and people. The text posted in the article mentioned above represents the views and analysis of the writer. We have to understand that there is no perfection in any field. There is always the subjective analysis that leads into bias that can not be avoided. However, it is advisable to back-up our arguments with some degree of ‘’reality’’ so that we do not look naive. The writer’s views might be correct in his eyes but they may not necessarily be acceptable in the eyes of others. Nevertheless, almost every text mentioned in the article holds good argument with evidences and is well backed-up by the writer.
However, in general, we also have to remind ourselves that every individual has the right and freedom to speak freely what is sound in her or his mind. If one insults the other, it would only look as some thing emotional and unprofessional. It is our duty to respect the views and suggestions of every individual. It is only in this way that we can build an informed citizen with a democratic participation in discussions and decision making processes and that is how the collective ideas come into play.
The sanction is explicitly explained and every body knows the details. Mr Daniel said that ‘’once Eritrea has more influence in the horn of Africa and a growing economy it will be in a better position to take sanctions and perhaps follow up sanctions.’’ However, he did not provide the readers with explanations on how Eritrea could influence the horn of Africa and how it could have a growing economy to be in a better position to take up or follow up sanctions. How one could expect Eritrea to be in a better position with sanctions while it has been under inflation during the aftermath of the border conflict? It might be important to understand that Eritrea is a least developed – importing country and not exporting. Hence, the sanction may affect its regional and international relations that could be more harmful for the economy of the nation.
Daniel also puts his hopes on the appearance of a friendly regime in Ethiopia independent from USA and EU so that Eritrea could influence the AU on the case of Somalia and placing sanctions on Djibouti. Throughout history, no regime in Ethiopia has been good to Eritrea and its people. It is a mischief to Eritreans. After all why should we base our predictions upon the ‘’coming’’ Ethiopian regime while we already have learnt enough from history? Furthermore, he stated that ‘’the AU must insist that the USA camp in Djibouti must be dismantled and the WHOLE AFRICOM must cease to exist.’’ However, this is beyond our reach unless Eritrea becomes AU or IGAD member state and tries to influence the occurrence of Daniels’ suggestion as it is mentioned in the article. Eritrea alone can not do this. You brought one strong point regarding the IMF and World Bank and their influences in Africa.
There is usually a conspiracy by certain interest groups behind World Bank, WTO, IMF and other international bodies not only against Africa but against the south in general. This might be explained by the nature of North-South relationships; the core nations as exploiters to the periphery and semi-periphery in the south. Nonetheless, this is a very complicated issue and may be difficult to imagine as long as we are living in a wrong system. This issue touches the whole structure of the world economy and we can only mitigate it’s consequences upon us at present if countries in the south cooperate and work together at national, regional and international levels in all sectors.
my fellow Eritreans,
I admire many of you and your intellect concerning many “institutions”, like AU,….WorldBank. Especially i extend my gratitude to “Melake Hadgembes”. But the question is up-side down. It shouldn’t be about sanction or about these “institutions”. People are dying back home and how can someone dare to speak and complain about sanction which only affect the anarchists.
Yes, these institutions are primarily for the interest of few. Yes this is unfair. But it is the bold written history that nations always fight for the interest of their people no matter. They will always pave and construct a way to ensure their interests. But these goes into the game of the Art of politics. Shaebia is stupid one in this field! And these has become as bright as a noon-sun in the past few days.
If you do not embrace your young ones, how can you think you will end surviving, let alone the growth of a country. If you don’t invite your children to take the “true responsibility”, not just being slaves, how can you say you are working for the people. I just want to underline this: Eritrea is primarily its people, not the soil or the sea! The soil and the sea are We, the people…..
I have noticed one important thing: the people who are standing by the side of the government are mostly those who didn’t experience what is really happening in our country. They are whistling standing from the periphery. They are indulged in the logic of politics, unable to hear the true whisper of the voiceless, who are shaking of fear in Eritrea, melting in Sudan, and emaciating in Ethiopia. But i have one news for them: Start collecting your photos you had with the anarchists, because their time has come; they are going to the abyss of history. They are standing in the verge of a precipice and only waiting for someone to push the last nail. According to the life our nature, what is left is the substitution principle to be fulfilled. Their are waiting to welcome a force, and sadly any force, to replace them.
I only wish it will be Eritrean force!