AN URGENT NEED FOR A CONCERTED GLOBAL RESPONSE AGAINST THE BELLICOSE REGIME IN ASMARA!

Tsehaye Debalkew, Washington DC, May 27, 2011-It could be arguably and vehemently declared that the single most, cardinal issue that has captured unanimity in its entirety that has brought Africa together and indeed the world, a rare commodity in the global political and diplomatic market; is its concerted voice of concern and worry against the broad daylight acts of brigandage by the Eritrean regime. The wicked measure of vandalism as corroborated by its actions of commission and omission has been the unabashedly shameful and perfidious act of destabilization in the horn region and beyond, decidedly and flagrantly championed by the hooligan Eritrean leadership in Asmara.

It is an open secret that the despicable and notorious thugs at the helm of the political power in the tiny nation of Eritrea, have brazenly and consistently exhibited hostile posture by confronting militarily all the neighboring countries in a futile bid to demonstrate their macho and military prowess to the demise and ultimate disaster of their miniscule nation.

In the aftermath of twenty years in power to-day, as a consequence of its self-delusionary military adventure, the military junta in Asmara has amassed close to half a million conscripts in the hills and valleys of Eritrea out of a population of roughly five million Eritreans under the guise of defending the sovereignty of Eritrea, ranking the country, the second militarized nation on the planet with a ratio of one armed soldier against ten unarmed civilians. This stance enlists Eritrea next to the nuclear armed recluse regime of North Korea.

Unable to cope up with and shoulder the harsh repression and draconian rule unleashed by the regime of Asmara, braving mines, electric barbed-wires and “shoot-to-kill- on-the-spot” orders by the country’s Gestapo, Eritreans of all walks of life in their thousands are flocking to neighboring Sudan and Ethiopia crossing the borders and risking their dear lives. They even try to traverse across the vast terrain of the North African desert and the red sea by succumbing to perilous sea voyages often culminating in cap-sizing boats much to the delight and cocktail party of sea-borne wild animals that feast on the poor Eritrean live human blood, bone and flesh.

It is an open secret that, Africa after having patiently tried all diplomatic and peaceful means to advise Eritrea to stop its unwarranted meddling, intervention, provocation, open hostilities, arrogance and out-right contempt to international, continental and regional organizations and respected leaders, finally passed a series of resolutions to the effect that the destabilizing acts of Eritrea should be halted and all necessary measures be effected to deter such manifestations prompting the UN Security Council to react accordingly in the not too distant past.

It is against this stark backdrop that the Ethiopian government has recently designed a new Eritrean policy to effectively thwart all acts aimed at destabilization and other related terrorist moves against its people and the current multi-faceted development ventures disdainfully perpetrated by the rogue regime of that country.

For practical purposes and intents it is plausible to argue that Eritrea, ranked as the second militarized nation on earth, has literally halted all and sundry attempts to consign any budget towards the much needed alleviation of the dire economic prerequisites that it badly craves for. Whatever development aid it acquires and money it purportedly gets through illegal laundering and black market is channeled towards bolstering and beefing up its singular military muscle with the express and clear mandate of maintaining the status quo and keeping in power perpetually, the police state of president Issayas Afewerki and his orchestra.

The world is adequately aware and sufficiently informed that the miniscule Horn of Africa nation of Eritrea is the only country with no constitution, zero independent press and Zilch independent judiciary. It is doubly aware that it is infested with unspeakable dictatorship, corruption, bigotry, nepotism and anarcho-syndicalism in the day to day affairs of governance and administration; in short it is in a despicable state of despotism! Eritrea has earned the pinnacle of notoriety for its human rights track record, abuse, and persecution of all sorts of religious, congregations, crackdowns upon dissent and complete absence of political pluralism.

The world and indeed the UN has long deliberated that it is an exercise in futility to delve into a carrot and stick policy as pertains Eritrea. That is why, the East African group of countries and the AU in league with the UN Security Council are ardently wielding the stick to send the message that Eritrea needs to desist and refrain from its evil acts of destabilizing the region by abetting, supporting and harboring international terrorists and recalcitrant regional extremist cohorts and fringe Diaspora extremist elements. Thus the correct policy that Ethiopia is pursuing at this juncture in contradistinction to Eritrea is a testimony to the coherent attitude that the world community has come to forge against Eritrea to demonstrate to its people in no uncertain words that the nefarious regime in Asmara should heed to the concerted voice of the globe by halting the flagrant violation of the sacred notion of the respect for human rights, the Freedom of Conscience and the right to expression and political organization. However since this strange concepts are conspicuously absent both in the Eritrean lexicography and landscape and contemporary political culture, the logical anti-thesis to this phenomenon, remains to be seen, that it faces the ultimate wrath of the community of nations as could be currently witnessed and evidenced as meted out against such regimes, who have eroded the confidence of their people and are seen as international pariah.

If sanity were to prevail and a considered and cool appreciation of the current situation that obtains in Eritrea does concur, even the remotely benign nation should unconditionally castigate and abhor with the strongest terms possible, the perpetrators of evil that assiduously conspire, by all counts, against democracy, respect for human rights, political pluralism, constitution, the rule and due process of law which are the landmark yardstick of democracy. I believe the timely and correct policy stand adopted by the Ethiopian government in league with the rallying impact it entails as augmented by the world community of nations shall salvage Eritrea from descending into the abyss and reverse and eventually halt the ever deteriorating specter of lawlessness and dictatorship.