New Victims of Eritrea’s Spiraling Economy: Foreign Opposition Groups
New Victims of Eritrea’s Spiraling Economy: Foreign Opposition Groups
By awate.com’s Gedab News – Mar 24, 2008
Sudanese, Ethiopian and Somali opposition groups who are based in Eritrea are grumbling because the financially-strapped Eritrean government has taken measures that will limit their impact on the politics of their home countries. A summary of how the opposition groups have been impacted:
Sudan:
The Eritrean government was housing Eastern, Southern and Darfurian rebels in Asmara until recently. Now, all Eastern and Southern Sudanese opposition officials have been asked to leave Eritrea because the government can no longer afford the expenses associated with hosting them in Asmara.
Some elements within the government of Southern Sudan had been arguing for a less- exclusive relationship with the Eritrean government and they have been reaching out to the Ethiopian government, particularly in the area of national development. The government of Eritrea, which used to rely on a wide network of professionals and academics, is experiencing a severe shortage in human resources, particularly managers, since it lost the confidence of the Eritrean intelligentsia who sustained its party-owned business for decades. Ethiopian parastatals and Ethiopian businesses are taking advantage of this weakness and out-competing the Eritrean government’s business interests in Sudan.
Somalia:
Most Somali opposition members and the free parliamentarians, including Mr. Sharif Hassen Sheik Aden, its former speaker who had moved to Asmara, are leaving Eritrea for Dubai , Egypt and Djibouti because the Eritrean government no longer has the funds to support their activities in Asmara.
Ethiopia
The Eritrean government hosts a myriad of Ethiopian opposition groups in Eritrea. One of these organizations is the Tigray People’s Democratic Movement (TPDM).
TPDM, which was operating in the Jebel Hamid area of Gash (bordering Ethiopia), was recently ordered by the Eritrean government to relocate to the Southern Red Sea (Denakil) zone. As a viable threat to Ethiopia, TPDM was seriously damaged when its military commander and chairman, the energetic Mr. Fesseha Haile Mariam, was assassinated in Eritrea in late January. (read Gedab News 02.07.08) A former member of EPRDF’s Internal Security Department, his death was devastating to the movement, particularly given his background within the intelligence of the Ethiopian government.
Another group, the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD), an amalgam of Ethiopian opposition groups, has disintegrated along its ethnic fissures. The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) are at odds with the “Amhara” movements–the Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPPF) and the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD.) Despite repeated efforts to unite them, the Eritrean government seems to have given up and is treating them as three separate entities.
The EPPF is a shadow of its former self: a while ago, it splintered into three groups: one group is under arrest in Eritrea; another group, including its commander, Meskerem Attalay, is in exile; and the third group is working with the Eritrean government. The latter has a tense relationship with the Eritrean government, particularly the Ministry of Information, which dictates all its propaganda efforts.
While shortage of funds has hampered the efforts of the government of Eritrea to create a viable Ethiopian opposition in Eritrea, some are also pointing to the possibility that the Ethiopian government has infiltrated the Ethiopian opposition groups. There were several contributing factors to this suspicion: the disintegration of the EPPF and the CUD into rival groups in 2007; the assassination of EPDM’s Fesseha Haile Mariam in January of this year and the defection of Eri-TV journalist, Ms. Abeba Yosief, earlier this month. Abeba, an Eritrean who grew up in Ethiopia and was deported to Eritrea in 1998, had been assigned to the “external services” arm within Eritrea’s Ministry of Information, providing “news” in Afaan Oromo and Amharic to Eri-TV’s audience. After defecting to Ethiopia, she provided a lengthy expose on the inner workings of Eritrea’s Ministry of Information and the feebleness of the Ethiopian opposition groups in Eritrea.
Last Updated ( Mar 24, 2008 )
— –
??????? – 25 – 3 (????) — ???? ???? ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ???? (????? ?????) ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ????? ????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? (?????) ?????? ??????? ??? ??? 120 ????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ????? 47 ???????? ??? ???? ????? ??????.
???? ???????? ??? ?? ??????? ?????????? ?????????? ???? ?? ?????? (?????) ?????? ????? ?????????? ????????? ???????? ????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ????????.
????? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???? ???????? ??????? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ???? ??????? ?”???? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ??????????”.
?????? ?? ????? ????? ????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ??????? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ??????.
???? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ???????? ?????? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ???????? ??????.
?? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ???????? ???????? ?????? ????????? ???????.
???? ?? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ????????? ??? ?????? ????????? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ????????? ???????? ?? ???? ??????.
?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ???? ????????? ?????? ( ????? ) ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ?????????? ?????????? ?? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????????.
???? ??????? ?????? ???? ???????? ????? ??????? ??? ????? 120 ????? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ?????? ???? ??? ????? 17 ????? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ?????.
????? ??? ?? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ????????? ????????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ????????? ????????? ??? ???? ?? 70 ????? ???? ??? (????????) ????? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ????? 1500 ???? ????? ?25 ??? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?????.
???????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????.
????? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ???? ???? ????????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????????.
???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ????? (?????) ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???????? (????) ?? ????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ????? 6 ??? 7 ?????.