“Sefera” on the Air

Assenna.com reported this week(Feb 23) that residents of Segeneiti are officially informed that they will be reallocated to Barka. Assenna compared this with sefera campaign of the Derge regime. This is a disturbing news….and I just hoped the news is false! But Hadas Ertra confirmed the news(albet, in its second page and not reported in shabait.com). In today’s edition (Feb 27), the paper reported “Residents of Zban Soyra (Senafe sub zone) have expressed their readiness to reallocate to a more fertile and productive areas of eastern and western lowland”. Check page 2 of the paper here …..Even though the residents reported in Hadas Eritra are different from those reported in assenna.com, the disturbing fact remains that the government may have plan to reallocate people from selected areas of highland to lowland. This could have a damaging long term effect on the country. How will the lowlanders react to the new comers? The following carton from awate.com can give what the reaction would be……





Source: Awate.com cartons

Funny Commedian

EU Plans to Give €122 Million in Development Aid to Eritrea

The European Commission is planning to give €122 million in development aid to ER. The news has created a mixed response from ERNs. Opponents of the government are crying that the aid will send a wrong message to DIA. EU’s plan to provide the money despite the grave human right records of the government is what makes it controversial. EU says engagement with the government is the best way to improve Human Right situation in ER. The aid plan will be reviewed by the advisory committee of the European Development Fund before it gets released. Comments from both supporters and opponents of PIA are flooding the website in an effort to influence the commissions’ decision. Check the comments here.

Eritrea: Least Appealing Country for Investors

A recent index about investment prospects in Africa puts ER as one of the least appealing countries in Africa...just a head of Somalia and chad. However this is not a surprising news to any ERN who follows the government's practice and attitude towards business. Almost all ERN business men are now outside the country operating in other African countrone, as so many restrictions by the government wouldn't allow them to work in their country.

Assenna Radio Went on Air

The Assenna Team have upgraded their radio program from online to on air starting this week. This means their program will directly broadcast to Eritrea, to those who have no access to internet and computer. It will add momentum to their struggle against DIA. If there is real movement in the army, as is reported in Assenna.com, this radio program will give them a means to bring their message directly to the people and the army. The program airs three days a week for half an hour a day. The program also broadcast in Tigrigna and Arabic. check their website here.

An ERN Mother is Blessed with Four Babies

The news that dominated the U.S. media for the last two week or so was the the octuplet mom story...the mother who delivered 8 babies at one time. But that was a medically implanted embryos. How about natural? An Eritrean mother has delivered 4 identical boys Yesterday! The mother, Ms. Saedia Mohammednur, was her self a twin and had already seven children before. May God help her in raising them. Read more.........

Can Gadafi Help Settle the EThio-Eritrea Stand Off?

Gadafi assumed the AU chairmanship for next year in the AU conference held in Addiss last week. Immediately after his election to the chairmanship, he flew to Massawa to visit PIA. After the visit, Ghadafi told reporters in Massawa that he has discussed the issue with both Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and President Iseyas Afewerki (PIA) and vowed to settle the long stand off. Can he do it?
I am very optimistic! Gadafi is a very ambitious and egotist leader. Currently he is working hard to transfer the AU into the United States of Africa and has resistance from other skeptic leaders who doesn’t like his ambition. There is a good incentive for him to try to solve the Ethio-Eritrea stand off. The Ethio-Eritrea stand off is one of the most difficult problems in Africa and it will be a great diplomatic victory to add to his resume, if he can do it. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes this as one of his top priority in his chairmanship.
He has also the leverage and timing on his side. The main problem on this issue is Ethiopia’s insistence on dialogue before implementing the court decision and Eritrea’s rejection of any dialogue regarding implementing the court issue. So, by definition, if Gadafi started to negotiate between the two countries, there is no problem for Ethiopia (of course, Ethiopia may prefer another negotiator for sure, but they know they will not get it- he is their best shot). Also, Ethiopia doesn’t seem to have the same degree of backing from Washington as it did under Bush. The problem will be for PIA, who refused any sort of dialogue on the issue. At the same time, it will be difficult for PIA to say “NO” to Gadafi – who has been his best friend and ally for the last 11 years. Another last point is that people in both countries are sick and tired off this conflict and the leaders know it. They may bend they stand and reach some compromise! May God solve this problem for our people!

Update: Gadafi made the interview in Massawa. I have looked the government media out let for the last two days and they have escaped that part of the report. This is a good indication of the government's satnd on the issue. .....no dialogue

PIA and Muammer Al-Gadafi on Hunting Trip

photo: courtesy of shabait.com

Photo: courtesy of shabait.com

The Competition b/n Awate.com and Assenna.com

Starting from the end of 2008, assenna.com has appeared as the main source of news for those looking a change in ER. The news reported are daily and one wonders the reliability of their reports. Most of the news reported is also big events that most readers found hard to believe, giving the political reality in ER. Nevertheless, they have managed to attract the attention of the public. Unfortunately, this seems to have created unexpected reaction from a would-be-friend of assenna.com
In a series of news/articles, awate.com has reported to the effect of “These news in assenna.com are false.” Check the following two news reports by awate.com and a third article from one of their regular contributors.
1. The Case Of The Commando Units In Segeneity
2. The Iranian-Eritrean Relations
3. When The Hand Stretches, The Back Bends
The two news are not actually news….they seem an implicit effort to disprove assenna.com. The article, whose author claims to be inside ER, explicitly warns us not to believe the news and asks those who are reporting such news (assenna.com) to stop from fooling the public.
When I read these articles in awate.com, I wondered why awate.com went all the way to question assena.com? I am not saying the reports in assenna.com are true. Frankly, I don’t believe them. But, what I am questioning is why is awate.com doing this? Are they really trying to save us from fabricated drams? If so, they haven’t done it before for other websites. Asmarino.com used to report sometimes false news, but I haven’t seen awate.com stretching their hand to disprove it. In fact, after reading their continuous effort to disprove assenna.com, my impression was that awate.com felt treated by the attention assenna.com is getting or may be awate.com were looking for the change to come from different direction than those implied by assenna.com. Well, anyways, that is my weired way of questioning though!!

Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe

As the economic tragedy of Zimbabwe continues with Mogabe's refusal to step down, the country's hyperiflation is now breaking all records. The inflation rate as of last july was 231 million percent. Or a better figure may be that one U.S. dollar is trading above 300 trillion Zimbabwe dollars. If you want to understand what that means, write the zeros on paper and think what it means. Because of this high iflation, the value of the currency have literally become useless.The highest bill they have so far is 100 trillion dollars and is not enough to buy a loaf of bread! To read more about the story check here.

Solomon Abera is Back to Radio

The former sport news reporter for Dimtsi Hafash and later for ERI-TV is now with an opposition online radio assenna.com. Solomon was also the director of radio Zara, the FM radio of the MOI, before he left Asmara. Solomon brings experience and familiarity to the new radio. He has also excellent narrating ability. Both Solomon and Amanuel, founder of assenna, were working for the Ministry of Information. Assenna.com is a new online news service creating a lot of buzz with controversial news which yet has to be proved. They seem also likely to go on air from online. Check their radio here.