Press Release Eritrea Focus v United Kingdom: Eritrean Road Project Legal Challenge

With utmost trepidation, I can’t help having the urge to ask simple questions
Wouldn’t the admirable effort of ERITREA FOCUS be focused on the immediate,, basic, problem of Eritrea? Shouldn’t we concentrate on the removal of the obstacle and indeed on the daily destroyer of Eritrea and Eritreans? Shouldn’t that be the the URGENT and PRIMARY CONCERN of Eritreans?

WE all know that Eritrea is being DESTROYED by the DAY; and Eritreans are vacating their beloved and beautiful birthplace, with tears and grieves, in search for peace and opportunity to LIVE as Human Beings Shouldn’t Eritreans concentrate on LIBERATING ERITREA from its GLARING ENEMY? Didn’t Eritreans sacrifice their LIFE– in 30-year war — to secure freedom, dignity and democratic way of Life? Is there a SINGLE alternative of Action that the attainment LIBERTY??
A cardinal question gnaws at us every second of time even though we deeply know the reason for our procrastinate from taking action to arrive a what we tooted every day!!!!!. I must STOP here, lest I slip onto our hidden parochial characteristic for the procrastination to get together and be FREE. THE END

Dear brother Rezen,

As a joint author of the Press Release, I want to say I concur with every word you write – indeed I feel a little emotional reading it. I exactly understand where you are coming from and fully accept a legal action in London is not going to solve our problem in Eritrea. But every little helps. We simply cannot sit down and do nothing when our people are humiliated, oppressed, enslaved, tortured and even killed day in and day out.

What I am sure of is that if we all do our little bits, we will solve our problem. Remember our martyrs did not liberate our country from Ethiopian oppression overnight – it sadly took a long and bloody 30 years. May they rest in peace..

Selamat Eritrean Focus,
I appreciate your initiative to fight the defunct regime through all means possible. Before I give my opinion on this regard, let me confess two things; first I haven’t read the full text of your appeal because I couldn’t access it in my phone; second, I am not from the legal profession so whatever I am trying to convey may not be legally correct or sufficient cause for rebuttal. All the same, I am leaving the decision for your discretion.
The main thrust of your appeal is rightly based on conscription from the national service. That is sufficient enough to demand stopping the fund. I strongly believe, however, there is sinister political motive that need to be interrogated in your appeal/ challenge.
Is this road rehabilitation/ construction really intended for the benefit of the Eritrean people? Does it have any economic or social justification or is it a political action intended to subjugate the Eritrean people? What is the impact ofthe road to the socio- economic well being of the people?Is this project a continuation of the decades- long suffocating the people to submission?
From the outset, it may appear that the project would create the necessary link with the Ethiopian market and bring about economic benefits to both countries. But, it is vital to genuinely interrogate the facts on the ground.
– just one month after the signing of the 2018 Eth-Eritrea agreement, the borders of the two countries was unilaterally closed by the Eritrean defunct regime and remains closed to- date. This is a stark contradiction that reveals the true motives of the project.
– The intended road rehabilitation project is not from Asmara ( the economic and political hub of the country) to Ethiopia, but from the port city of Massawa to Ethiopia. It thus caters Ethiopian interest not Eritrea’ s. Which genuine government on earth embarks on a huge loan to pursue other country’ s interest more than its own? ( motive?)
– On the other hand, the Assab- Addis road, which caters over 90% of Ethiopia’s import and export, unlike the Massawa-Mekele road which serves less than 10% of Ethiopia’ s needs, still remains idle and close? Why? What is the rational for such contradiction?
– The shortest road distance from Eritrea to Mekele is through Adikuala rather than Senaefe. And typographically, the road to the latter is quite mountainous and very expensive to build. Moreover, economically and population wise the former impacts massively to the local economy. Hence, the project is not based on its economic and social benefit but political expediency. ( motive)
– Since 2001, the defunct regime has been systematically destroying all physical and human infrastructure of the country and continues to do so. Is this project really a priority rather than rehabilitation and rebuilding the nation from poverty and gross mismanagement of the economy? ( motive)
– The legitimacy and legality of the government to undertake such a huge loan in the name of the Eritrean people should be properly interrogated?
These are my general views. If it has any legal relevance,your legal experts could do more elaboration and legal tuning.

What a timing. What can I say simply shocking! A contempt on the innocent. This project help Eritrea not the club in power.
Alamz

Dear Almaz.: In what .way does this project .that legitimise slave labour.help the people of Eritrea. .
The road is to connect the Ethio-Eritrean border so Ethiopia can use the port of Massawa. This is supposed to be in support of the peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. For heaven’s sake dear Almaz there is no peace dividend for the people of Eritrea. Repression continued unabated. Even the hope to end indefinite national service that destroyed the future of the Eritrean youth is not ended. The EU unashamedly has become a complicit by funding the construction which uses slaver labour. These peace is between two leaders Abiy and Isaias for them the life of the people of Eritrea does not matter. Let them die in the Mediterranean Sea, get tortured in Libya and turned into beggars in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has changed policy not to accept refugees from Eritrea. To sue the EU and the British Government part of the contributor before the Brexit is legitimate. It is a bold move with an impact you may not be aware of. It is a stepping stone to more action oriented “Advocacy Campaign” to exposed the repressive regime.. For those who are saying Eritrea Focus must do more.. It will with your support. It is even better to do more in collaboration with other Eritrean organisations particularly the Yiakle movement.

Dear Petros,
Call me a pan-African, for me if my Ethiopian brothers/sisters benefit all benefit. My stand on the “slave labor” is different from how you perceive or ponder. Sure, I like to see the government (I would say more the people down chain of leadership) halt abusing the National service participants or those who are not a member of the service but are call regular by the local chiefs to the so-called work. When it comes to this, local chiefs and local military commanders are a blemish to HGDEF. As what the Eritrean benefit from the peace, sorry for those expecting tangible evidence. For me, there is a lot. I can give you one tiny example I fly Ethiopian to Addis [stop-by visit friends and family] one benefit fly to Asmara to visit my mother. This is because cancer who do not like Eritrean is exhumed and dump to scrapyard (Mekele.) These are the people who abused and deported ME-MYSELF-ME and my family. I was born and live my adult life in Addis. I thanks the TPLF is for letting me know my country; that is it. You might ask how I end up in West; thanks for the scenario created I was able to leave Asmara almost right away. One thing for sure, regardless of European money, the road is going to be complete, my understanding is already more than 60% is completed.