unsc action that undermines its own legal authority eritrean...

Vol 22. No. 68 Saturday, 24 October, 2015 Pages 8, Price 2.00 NFA

Press release

UNsC aCtioN that UNdermiNes its owN legal aUthority

In a resolution adopted today, the UN Security Council has sadly decided to maintain yet for another year the unwarranted sanctions that were originally imposed against Eritrea on the Christmas eve of December 2009 and its follow-up resolution that was adopted in December 2011.

At the time, Eritrea was falsely accused of dispatching 2000 troops to Somalia in support of Al-Shebaab. The pattern of unsubstantiated allegations was repeated in 2011 when Eritrea was wrongly accused - just one month prior to the adoption of Resolution 2023 - of sending three plane loads of arms to Al-Shebaab through the airport of Baidowa.

All these allegations were patently false. But trumped up charges were vital for the architects of the sanctions resolutions against Eritrea who used their diplomatic clout to ram through the unjust measures against Eritrea in a largely pliant Security Council.

Six years on, all Security Council Members and the international community as a whole, are fully aware of the false testimonies that were concocted against Eritrea to serve some political ends.

Indeed, the UN report this year – as it was also the case last year – states categorically that the “Monitoring Group” has found no evidence of Eritrean support to Al-Shebaab.

Under normal circumstances, the UNSC should drop its case against Eritrea and rescind the sanctions resolutions which were unjust in the first place. But these are not normal times. And, instead of redressing these injustices – and making due reparations to Eritrea - the UN Security Council, despite the reservations and objections of several of its members, has opted to dwell on its misguided course under the heavy-handed prodding of the US and its usual allies. As it happens, the UN Security Council is invoking non-existent facts and potential “threats to regional peace and security” in its dogged desire to harass Eritrea.

There is one unfathomable fact that the UN Security Council cannot gloss over as it unfairly victimizes Eritrea. Ethiopia continues to occupy sovereign Eritrean territories, including the town of Badme, in flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations. Ethiopia’s acts also violate the Algiers Peace Agreement – guaranteed by the UN Security Council – and the final and binding arbitral decision. This must surely be an affront to the UN Security Council in as much as it wishes to hide it.

The UN Security Council is mandated by Articles 39-41of the UN Charter to take appropriate measures against Ethiopia. But the UNSC cannot contemplate this action as Ethiopia enjoys the full protection and tutelage of the United States. But in submitting to US political wishes and preferences, the UNSC is compromising and undermining its own legal mandate and authority. Eritrea and the region will suffer the consequences of unwarranted UN action in the short-term. But in the long term, the real causality is international law as well as the corrosion of the UNSC’s legal authority in the maintenance of international peace and security.

Ministry of Foreign AffairsAsmara

23 October 2015

The annual three-day festival of the Eritrean Community in Jeddah city and its environs was convened on Wednesday 21st October this week.

Brigader General Abraha Kas-sa, Head of the National Security

Agency, delivered the keynote ad-dress to festival participants.

Brig. General Abraha elaborated in detail the major development programmes underway in the coun-try. The building of strategic dams

eritreaN Festival iN Jeddahto lay the infrastructural foun-dations for long-term irrigation schemes on a considerable scale as well as intensified focus on social services projects and programmes constitute high priorities in the na-tion-building process, the Head of the NSA underlined. Brig. General Abraha pointed out that the active participation of Eritreans residing abroad in a variety of ways will always boost the internal endeav-ours.

Eritrea’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Mohammed Omar Mahmud, remarked that govern-ment priorities, especially the focus on ensuring food security, illustrated the GOE’s policy com-mitments to improve the quality of life for the majority of citizens. The Ambassador also spoke on rel-evant investment opportunities.

The discussions that followed in the interactive seminar focused on the need to expedite land alloca-tion; increased availability of sea freight; enhancement of efficient consular services as well as the im-portance of frequent public meet-ings in order to keep abreast with developments back home.

The Governor of Gash-Barka Re-gion, Mr. Fisehaye Haile, has urged for more effective co-ordination by all stakeholders to enhance the ef-fective implementation of ongoing development programs.

The Governor made the state-

ment at an appraisal meeting of civil servants and representatives of the general public to review progress of activities charted out over the past nine months.

Mr. Fisehaye underlined the need for exerting more efforts in soil and

gash-Barka: goverNor Calls For Co-ordiNated eFForts

Eritrea’s Ambassador to Qatar, Mr. Ali Ibrahim, held talks with Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, the Qatari Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, on enhancement of bilateral relations.

In the meeting, the Qatari Min-ister expressed satisfaction at the

warm ties of friendship that ex-ist between the two countries and expressed his country’s readiness to enhance cooperation in culture and arts. Dr. Hamid Bin Abdulaziz stated that he intends to cultivate ties with the Eritrean Commission of Culture and Sports to advance this objective.

amBassador ali iBrahim holds talks with Qatari oFFiCial

water conservation and in combat-ing deforestation.

He also emphasized the need to adhere to existing regulations in re-gard to construction of houses and other administrative modalities in regard to rural communities.

Published Every Saturday & WednesdayManaging Director Azzazi Zeremariam

Acting EditorAmanuel [email protected]

P.O.Box: 247Tel: 11-41-14Fax: 12-77-49

E-mail:profile@ zena.gov.er

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azieb habtemariam

Eritrea Profile, Saturday 24 October, 2015 2

Kesete Ghebrehiwet

Any success in Eritrea’s educa-tional sector is mainly a result of a sound policy, which gives an easy access to every national willing to get educated and thereby reach a higher realm of excellence pro-vided that a student meets the qualification standards set by the institutions of higher education.

Hence, besides a sound policy, individual efforts of students cou-pled with guidelines of competent instructors are requisites for cur-rent as well as upcoming success stories.

Even if the journey towards bet-ter educational excellence is still at its initial stage, what has been accomplished so far is truly en-couraging.

It needs to be reiterated that in-adequacy in the number of tertia-ry education instructors has been a challenge. But in hireling expia-tor instructors is not an easy task. It is unquestionable that the better cultural likeliness exists between an instructor and students, the better share of information would take place.

Hence, instructors from neigh-boring countries would have a positive impact in smooth transfer of experience.

Recently around 35 Kenyan in-structors arrived in Eritrea and are now part of the academic faculty in different institutions of higher education.

“The cultural closeness have driven us to hire Kenyan instruc-tors”, said Professor Tadesse Me-hari while he explained about the reason behind employing instruc-tors from the African country.

Indian instructors were domi-nant in number almost in all in-stitutions of higher education. It is worth noting that besides the efforts being exported to train as much Eritreans, exclusive domi-nation of Eritrean instructors or expatriates from any given nation is not ideal.

Thus, Professor Tadesse shares the idea that making the compo-sition of instructors to be inclu-sive of multinationals has its own benefit in the exchange of experi-ence.

Reinforcement of post-gradu-ate educational programs, which started at local level in Hamel-malo Agricultural College and Eritrea Institute of Technology (EIT), are expected to be expand-ed to other colleges.

In regards to professionals from the Eritrean Diaspora, Professor Tadesse explained the commend-

able progress in the last three years, which is another strategy aiming at strengthening the facul-ties of higher education.

Eritrean Commission for High-er Education is very aware of the need to enhance the competences and education of junior faculty members serving in different in-stitutions while also not overlook-ing the need in granting scholar-ship offers to those working in different Government bodies.

Most importantly, making wise department choice on the part of

Eritrea’s Institutions of Higher Education: Ongoing Efforts towards Educational Excellence

Part II

an individual student is very de-cisive in the overall success of an educational career.

What is the opinion of Professor Tadesse concerning the balance between availability of vacancies and that of a student’s individual choice of study? Professor Ta-desse puts his remark as follows:

“Orientation is given about the colleges of higher education. Ear-lier this was not the case. Students used to join institutions of tertiary education without having a slight-est clue.

Whereas now, there is a major improvement and students are aware of the colleges and what is expected of them. Accordingly, a one-year common course is of-fered.

Students can only choose the department after the completion of their first year of study. How-ever, they have to meet GPA re-quirements. Finally, they can make a choice based on subject of inclination and academic perfor-mance they demonstrated during their first year of study.

This is by far implemented based on the availability of va-cancies in which students are re-quired to fill a form as first, sec-ond and third choice.”

It is quite important to note that every student has an equal oppor-tunity in choosing his/her field of study he/she wants to join based on the mark obtained. Conversely, students with higher excellence are more likely to join a depart-ment of their first choice due to limited availability of vacancies.

Most of the time, Professor Ta-desse said, about 85 to 90 percent of students join the program they are willing to study.

Sophia Tesfamariam

There were a couple of news items that got my attention this week. The first is, “The Song lines of Eritrea Adrift on the Sea of Exile”, authored by Arjun Claire who is said to be “a humanitarian aid worker, currently based in Ge-neva”. A quick check shows that he has worked for the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department and Médecins Sans Frontières in South Asia.

The other article, “African Dic-tatorship Fuels Migrant Crisis”, written by Mathis Stevis, a re-porter for the Wall Street Journal. Both seem to harp on Eritrea’s Na-tional Service Program amongst other things. It gets old after a while to read the “cut and paste” narratives on Eritrea regurgitated by the “network”-which includes NGOs, media, academics and of course the Eritrean quislings.

Arjun Claire ignores the effects of the 15-year long Ethiopian oc-cupation and 6-year long sanc-tions imposed on Eritrea in his piece. Completely missing the fact that the National Service Pro-gram gives Eritrea’s youth chance for better economic opportunities through education and training, Claire writes:

“…Forced military service and few economic opportunities have impelled Eritreans to seek a better life elsewhere. Many steal their way to Sudan and Ethiopia, from where they plot their journey onwards to Libya, and with luck, wash up at the shores of Europe – or drown in the Mediterranean…”

Such callousness…especially coming from a “humanitarian worker”!

But his fellow journalist Mathis Stevis is no different. She writes:

“…Teenagers are inducted at the Sawa military base, get four months of training, then take an exam that determines whether they are put in active service or allowed to continue their educa-tion as reservists. Around two-thirds are immediately mobi-lized as soldiers. But all remain conscripts, often for decades. They are locked in a system that pays a monthly stipend of 500

nakfa, about $10 on the black market, and forbidden to leave the country…”

Decades? Stevis makes no ef-fort to substantiate her errone-ous statement. If this is what we can expect from a journalist that had access to officials in Eritrea and one who was given free reign to do her “research”, then we shouldn’t be surprised by what the others who have never been to Eritrea say. It may just be better to keep them all out…and let the thousands of Eritreans who flock to Eritrea every year tell their own story.

Eritrea’s National Service Pro-gram has garnered the attention of Eritrea’s political foes as they see it as a threat to their well-con-structed narrative on Eritrea. Not only is the Program advancing the social development of Eritrea’s youth. It is also contributing to Eritrea’s peace, stability and se-curity that its enemies have been actively working to undermine.

The 15 year long campaign to arrest Eritrea’s economy by with-holding development aid, sabo-taging its infrastructures and the 6 years old illegal US-Ethiopia en-gineered sanctions did not bring the “collapse” in Eritrea’s econo-my, and the government with it, as Eritrea’s distracters wished and predicted.

So it comes as no surprise to see the 20 year old program being misrepresented and maligned, as it is evident to all that the program is behind the development mira-cles witnessed in Eritrea.

It is ironic that the very folks who burned the midnight oil try-ing to undermine Eritrea diplo-matically, economically, politi-cally and militarily would today feign concern about Eritrea and its people, especially the youth, when they have been instrumen-tal in luring the youth out of Eri-trea with false promises. As the evidence shows, even children…minors…have not been spared… they have become pawns in a fatal political game without the benefit of calling the moves.

From radio programs and robot calls into the country by groups and individuals financed by west-ern governments, kidnapping and

trafficking of Eritrea’s youth, to ir-regular adoption of Eritrea’s chil-dren from refugee camps in Ethi-opia, an intense campaign to lure the youth out of Eritrea was put in place. UNHCR and Ethiopian of-ficials opened camps in Ethiopia and facilitated the transfer of Eri-treans to third countries. The very same individuals and groups also established “refugee” agencies in western capitals to handle the “in-flux”. In the meantime, Eritrea is labeled the country that produces the most “refugees”.

Stevis claimed that it was dif-ficult to document the “forces be-hind the exodus”, because there are no “foreign correspondents” in Eritrea-as if they are the only ones that can do such work. Ste-vis should follow the money trail. For instance, a quick look at the National Endowment for Democ-racy (NED) and its partners in Europe and the funding provided to anti-Eritrea groups will provide a glimpse into the “forces behind the exodus”.

The Eritrean government has repeatedly called on the United Nations to conduct an indepen-dent investigation into the traf-ficking of Eritrea’s youth, report-ers like Stevis should call on the UN to address Eritrea’s request, if she is truly interested in stopping the crimes.

The number of youth leaving Eritrea in large numbers coin-cides with the aggressive cam-paigns conducted by western NGOs working in tandem with the western media and quislings who served as the “Eritrean Faces”.

Whilst it is understandable for some who have had to serve for many years to choose to leave in search of greater economic op-portunities, how do children and minors fit in this picture unless they are being deliberately traf-ficked across the border? For this jaded author, it is the silence of the international community, the various human rights groups, the ICRC, UNCEF and other UN agencies, especially the UNHCR, on the plight of Eritrea’s “unac-companied children” in Ethiopian camps that remains an issue of greater concern.

The fact that western journalists make fleeting mentions of them in their articles without ever ques-tioning the real reasons behind their presence in Ethiopian camps in such large numbers, implies a sinister agenda in the making…and their part in it.

Far-fetched? Some naïve and gullible indi-

viduals may not understand how it is done, but in the interest of time, suffice it to mention a few exam-ples from recent history as docu-mented by Yvonne M. Conde, an unaccompanied minor sent to the US in the early 60s. She writes:

“…In 1937, parents hast-•ily evacuated more than 20,000 Basque children, who came to be dubbed the “Guernica Generation,” after the name of a Basque town that was destroyed by bombing the same year. The children found safe haven in Mexico and several countries in Europe, including Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, and the Soviet Union, where as many as 4,000 children

are reported to have gone…”

“…During World War II, •the Jewish Refugee Committee set up a movement called Kinder transport, Children’s Transport, which from December 1938 to August 19392 carried 10,000 Jewish children from the grow-ing danger in Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland to sanctuary in England. Although saved from the Holocaust, tragi-cally 9,000 of these children never saw their parents again…”

“…During the Greek •Civil War of 1944-1949, Communist forces fought Monarchist forces, more than 28,000 Greek children were for-cibly taken away from their par-ents to live in camps through-out the Communist bloc…”

“…The political exodus •of 14,048 Cuban children to the United States in the early 1960s was not an organized mass de-parture and more covert than the European exoduses, the children’s departures were a cautious trick-ling out of Cuba-with the help of the US State Department. It was called Operation Pedro Pan…”

Eritrea’s children, unaccompa-nied minors, trickling out of Eri-trea, are pawns,political props,in the anti-Eritrea political agendas and propaganda.

They are paraded for emotive effect. The minors mentioned in the various reports seem to be re-gurgitating rehearsed lines about “National Service” and having

ERITREA: National Service Does not Kill


continued on page 8


“In the last edition of the culture and arts section in Eritrean profile Nehemiah Kebreab talked about the equality between men and women. In doing so he said that women are trying to be better than men. But women have always been superior to men. In passing, also, I would like to say that the first time Adam had a chance he laid the blame on woman.”

Women have struggled for a very long time just to be treated as equal human beings to men. I grew up thinking men were some wonder-ful reward holding themselves back till women did something to de-serve them. In these modern times though, I don’t think there is one woman who thinks so. I feel that Nehemiah’s article describes men perfectly: first they assumed we women were inferior to them and now they fear that“women have be-come frighteningly powerful”.

Louisa May Alcott, American novelist and writer of the famous book entitled Little Women onc-esaid: “When women are the ad-visers, the lords of creation [men] don't take the advice till they have persuaded themselves that it is just what they intended to do; then they act upon it, and if it succeeds, they give the weaker vessel half the credit of it; if it fails, they generously give her the whole.” (In addressing the issue of the struggle for women’s rights, Nehemiah overlooked the fact that men were the cause for the struggle).

Feminism is the movement com-mitted to securing and defending rights and opportunities for women that are equal to those of men. It is the belief in the need to or the com-mitment to securing those rights and opportunities. (Feminism doesn’t have an antonym in the dictionary because men never struggled to get

their rights, therefore they will nev-er know what it means to fight and to protect one’sown rights).

Every woman should be proud to be a woman. Man made it feel like being a woman was a defect (or if not a defect than at least a peculiar-ity) for so long that the woman was ashamed of being so. Woman was taught to depend on the protection of man, to depend on the love and care of the man. To accept that it was the man’s role to accumulate money and the woman’s to accept whatever was given to her by the man.“For so long it was the man’s place to rule, and a woman’s to yield. He was to be held up as the head of the house, and it was her duty to bend so un-murmuringly to his wishes,that the rest of the house hold were to fol-low her example, and treat him with the due respect his sex demands.”─ Sarah Ann Sewell.

Luckily it isn’t so anymore. Thanks to the efforts of women like Gloria Steinem, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and so many more, women have established their rights as be-ing equal to those of men.

Men may not agree but women have always been their superior, they just didn’t have the opportu-nity to show their supremacy. Now however, there is no debate.

It is true that man’s pride and his ego denyhim a clear vision; there-fore no man agrees women are su-perior to men. They compromise like Nehemiah, saying that we are equal. But ladies c’mon.

Imagine a world governed by women. There would be no wars, no nuclear weapons, no commu-nism, no silly fights between na-tions, there would be a better world economy, and basically every di-

sastrous thing that has taken place in the world would have never hap-pened. (Just think of theworld wars, Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, and so on). Groucho Marx the American comedian and film actor once said: “only one man in a thousand is a leader of men ─ the other 999 fol-low women.”

I think women as a group are better team members than men. We communicate better and are more compatible. We’re also more perfectionist and take instruction better. Thanks to the progress of science we now know that women are more intelligent and much more mature than men. Men come of age a sixty, women at fifteen. Not only that, but women are much better at multitasking and at feeling empa-thy and respect towardseach other. Just look at women like Oprah Winfrey and what they have been able to achieve. Initially she was demoted from her job as a news anchor because she…”Wasn’t fit for television.” Yet she was able to get successful and wealthy, and help millions of people around the world.

Even in our God blessed coun-try Eritrea, women were always thought of being inferior to men. Our culture didn’t help in that area either. I know Nehemiah said that our country has achieved equality, but I think it still has a long way to go. (“It would be futile to attempt to fit women into masculine pattern

of attitudes, skills, and abilities and disastrous to force them to suppress their specifically female character-istics …by keeping up the pretense that there are no differences between the sexes”─ Arianna Huffington).

Sure we have progressed a lot in the last twenty years or so: a lot more women have a driving li-cense, 30% seats of the parliament is occupied by women and the jobs stereotyped to belong to man and only to man are now starting to be available for women (you see a lot of women in the public transporta-tion sector now than was the case a decade ago.) From being the fot-torinothe woman is now the driver. However the ideology of undermin-ing women is still heavily present. “The most mediocre of males feels himself a demigod as compared with women”─ Simone de Beau-voir.

Society, being codified by man, decrees that woman is inferior; she can do away with this inferiority only by destroying the male’s supe-riority.

Therefore I say to every woman reading this article to know that we outshine man in every way. Just be-cause we were silent and held our head down for a long time doesn’t mean we don’t have a voice. It just shows how patient we are and how clever as well to have gone through a bloodless struggle to achieve our goals.

Leading women around the world, whether they’re actors, ar-chitects, writers or doctors, have shown us that the time is now for women. They continue to pave the road to success and supremacy for women all around the world. Take a look at ladies like Angelina Jo-lie, Beyoncé, Sydney Sheldon and so many others who have inspired women all around the world. The stereotype that a beautiful or an at-tractive woman can’t be intelligent; that Beauty and Brains just can’t be entertained; if there is talent as well it is overshadowed, thankfully has no meaning anymore.

It can easily be used against us though if we behave exactly like men picture as to. If any woman out there thinks that because of her beauty, she may not have to work hard, that she can rely on her good looks, she is playing exactly into the hands of men. The battle was won many years ago but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t remember how hard we fought.

Every Eritrean woman should thus aim to achieve the unachiev-able, to reach for the stars, to know that she can be anything she wants to be, and that her sex is of no consequence, that instead her sex means that she is worthy and influ-ential and independent of man in every manner.

Judith Tekle

There is no debate: Women are superior to Men


by Samuel Mahaffy., PhD.

Story robbers are worse than grave robbers. Grave robbers disrespect the remains of those who have passed. Story robbers desecrate the living narrative of a people.

Every person, every tribe, ev-ery nation has its own story. Eri-trea is no exception. The ancient story of Eritrea encompasses legendary chapters such as the account of the Aksumite Civi-lization. The modern story of Eritrea is written in the lives of those who struggle today to cre-ate prosperity, opportunity and education for a people, instead of wealth for a ruling class.

The recent story of Eritrea is written in the blood of the mar-tyrs who sacrificed everything so their country could be free and independent.

So who are those faceless few who seek to corrupt the narrative of Eritrea? I wonder how narra-tives that misrepresent Eritrea can gain so much traction in the Western media. How the organic and lived narratives of a people are deliberately misconstrued and misrepresented?

The question intrigues me as one who cares about Eritrea and the right of every people to have their story respected, honored and accurately recounted.

My background as a social sci-entist with experience in narra-tive and linguistic analysis, leads me to this investigation. What structural differences will I find when I compare misrepresenta-tive narratives about Eritrea or other peoples and cultures with accurate ones?

For my investigation I com-pare the language and structure of two narratives. One is Andre Vltchek’s account of his visit to Eritrea. The other is what is represented to be a “news” story about Eritrea published in The Guardian. Even a brief contrast of the two articles shows very different slants. Andre Vltchek is a respected international writ-er who has visited Eritrea and writes about that experience re-flectively and passionately. The

Guardian article reflects an equal passion for Eritrea bashing.

I study the Guardian narrative to understand the constructs of a deliberately inaccurate and dis-ruptive narrative. I contrast this article with Vltchek’s account of Eritrea. The Guardian article uses inflammatory and unaccredited references to Eritrea that reveal clear bias. The Guardian head-lines Eritrea as “Africa’s North Korea.” The ignorance of the comparison is clear to anyone with even an elemental knowl-edge of the history, politics and cultures of the two countries.

The reference is not attributed. Clearly, it originated from a de-liberate misinformation cam-paign against Eritrea perpetrated by outside interests. It sets the tone that the Guardian reporting will be clearly of the nature of propaganda, rather than seeking of accurate information.

The Guardian narrative relies on a UN report, with the sug-gestion that it is credible, but the caution that “it had been written without access to the country.” Disruptive and inaccurate narra-tives, like those of the Guardian, always speak from outside the lived narrative of the Eritrean people.

The account of Vltchek stands in sharp contrast. Vltchek’s is a story from on the ground in Eritrea. His account of Eritrea grows from long days and nights spent talking to the Eritrean peo-ple. Vltchek notes that his inter-action with the people of Eritrea is “totally interactive…nothing is staged, everything spontane-ous.”

The Guardian’s narrative on Eritrea confines itself to a very limited time sequence. The Guardian report rips the nar-rative of Eritrea outside of its historical context. It covers the narrow time frame of recent im-migration from Eritrea and the EU’s response to that exodus. There is no reference to the fuller chapters of the Eritrean narrative or the larger context that would lend understanding to the com-plex causes and circumstances that lead people to leave Eritrea for the European Union (EU).

The Vltchek article stands in sharp contrast. It includes descriptions of pre and post-liberation Eritrea. It references the larger context of China’s involvement in Africa and the western agenda of develop-ment on the African continent. It refers to what is happening in “other governments in Af-rica.” It notes Eritrea’s progress toward the Millennium Devel-opment Goals. All together, Vltchek’s writing gives us a rich context for understanding what is happening in Eritrea today. It shares a picture of Eritrea from the lives of the Eritrean people. The Guardian writing on Eritrea provides no historical context. In fact, the Guardian must radically decontextualize the story of Eri-trea to promote their bias in de-scribing Eritrea.

Analysis of the Guardian ‘jour-nalism’ on Eritrea is informative for understanding how the living and organic story of a people can be deliberately misrepresented. What are the tools of these story robbers? How are deliberately misleading stories constructed? How can we as readers, recog-nize the signs of a narrative that is being deliberately distorted?

First, story robbers must de-contextualize the narrative. Sec-ondly, their ‘reporting’ is from an outside perspective rather than the rich narrative of those who are actually living the story. Thirdly, story robbers use un-substantiated, unattributed and inflammatory descriptors.

The Guardian writing on Eri-trea exemplifies each of these tactics. Their reporting on Eritrea is de-contextualized. It does not contrast pre-independence and post-independence Eritrea. Nor does it find meaning in compar-ing what is happening in Eritrea with events in neighboring coun-tries. The descriptors of Eritrea as “Africa’s North Korea” are unattributed and unexplained. Similarly inflammatory, is their description of the Eritrean gov-ernment as the “repressive and murderous regime of President Isaias Afwerki.”

The reference to Eritrea as “Africa’s North Korea” is partic-

ularly inflammatory and outside the province of anything that would look like responsible jour-nalism. One might well accuse the Guardian of “North Korea-like journalism” in its reporting on Eritrea. Just as North Korea carefully scripts and controls ac-counts of events in its own coun-try for its political purposes, the Guardian carefully scripts its re-porting on Eritrea to promote its own biased lens.

The writing of the Guardian about Eritrea is better charac-terized as propaganda rather than news. Even a cursory read-ing of Guardian reporting on Eritrea, suggests that their ac-counts of Eritrea can simply not be trusted. Intelligent read-ers of distorted stories, such as those published in the Guardian, will ask these sort of questions: • What is the larger social and economic context of people leaving Eritrea for the EU? How does the situation of Eri-trean’s leaving their country dif-fer from the situation of those leaving neighboring countries?

• What have been the impacts of sanctions against Eritrea? Have sanctions created hard-ships that have aggravated the situation of Eritreans leaving their country for better econom-ic opportunities? Where does the inflammatory language that compares Eritrea to North Ko-rea come from? In what ways–if any– is Eritrea similar to North Korea? In what ways is Eritrea different from North Korea?

• Has the reporter on Eritrea ever visited the country? Have they had real conversations that ex-tend ‘long into the night’ with the people of Eritrea?

• What is the perspective of the Eritrean people on condi-tions within their own country? • How trustworthy are reports on Eritrea that have been “written without access to the country”? Was access denied or did the re-porters simply choose not to gain first-hand perspective?

Reporting on Eritrea that is de-liberately misleading and inflam-matory relies on the ignorance of readers about the country and the region. The Guardian, in their

‘reporting’ on Eritrea, underesti-mate the intelligence of its read-ers and their ability to ask criti-cal questions. It is incumbent on those who represent themselves to be journalists to maintain some semblance of accuracy in their reporting.

It is also incumbent on us as readers to discern the difference between accurate reporting and deliberately misrepresenting ac-counts. When we step into the lived story of a people with in-tegrity, the outcome will always be a multi-voiced and richly tex-tured narrative.

Accurate narratives present different perspectives based on interrogation of the present situ-ation and the historical context. Such narratives are often full of paradoxes and complexities that are not easily explained. Our true narratives are as complex as the lives we live. Deliberately distorted narratives simply seek to sweep aside such complexity in the interest of supporting an agenda.The Guardian steps into the story of Eritrea with a clear bias toward an unstated agenda. The Guardian reporting lacks the eyes, ears, heart and integ-rity to listen to the rich stories of the Eritrean people. The loss is theirs and ours. The Guardians simplistic and inaccurate report-ing on Eritrea diminishes the complexities of the lives of both Eritreans living in the country and those who have left.

The deliberate distorting of the story of a people–such as the people of Eritrea–is unconscio-nable. The robbers of the story of a people are indeed worse than grave robbers.

The story of a people should never be co-opted. The story of Eritrea will be written by the Eritrean people and not outsiders with a subversive agenda. The story of Eritrea is an enduring and rich story. It is a story still being written. It will surely be a story full of achievements and setbacks and both joys and hardships. The effort to rob the living story of Eritrea of its complexity, dyna-mism, and historical context, must never be allowed to suc-ceed.

Story Robbers: The Distorters of the Eritrea Narrative

Disclamer: articles published in this column do not reflect the stance or opinion of Eritrea Profile

6Eritrea Profile, Saturday 24 October, 2015 ADS

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given to the public that AGMAIT PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY has been incorporated with the following particulars.

The Office of the Company is in Asmara. 1. The Capital of the Company is 500.000.00 Nfa 2.

The Shareholding is: Name Nationality Address Shares Values in Nfa.Bereket Ghebretinsae Ghilaghaber Eritrean Asmara 800 400,000.00Hiwet Ghebretinsae Belai Eritrean Asmara 200 100,000.00 Total 1,000 500,000.00

The business objectives of the company are: 3. To provide Computer based solutions and services; a. To act as representative of Communication Equipment Computer Software and Hardware b.

Manufactures; To provide Training as well as Hardware and Software services and Applications; c. To sell ICT equipment. and d. To engage in legally permissible activities related to these lines of business.e.

BEREKET GHEBRETINSAE GHILAGHABER4. has been appointed General Manager of the

Company for unlimited time AGMAIT PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY

STATE OF ERITREA NATIONAL AGRICULTURE

PROGRAMME (NAP) RETENDER

INVITATION FOR bID(IFb) TENDER: No.06.2/02/FP/NCB/NAP/IFAD/GRANT/

DSF-8107-ER/AED/YT/2015The State of Eritrea SOE has received a Loan and a Grant from 1.

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) towards the cost of National Agricultural Project (NAP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds towards payment under the contract for the supply of :-HYBRID MAIZE Varieties 1.Bio 22027 2.PEHM-2 3.XINYU No. 36Eligible Bidders should bid for complete Varieties.

A complete set of Bidding documents may be be purchased by 2. any interested bidder upon payment of non-refundable fee of 200 NKF local currency or equivalent in foreign currency (USD) from the address below:- Procurement and Supplies Management Unit ,Sawa Street P.O.Box:1048, Tel:00291-1-181076/7, Fax:00291-1-181415

Bid shall be valid for a period of 90 days after bid opening, and 3. must be accompanied by Bid Security of 2% of the total bid price, and shall be delivered to Procurement and Supplies Management Unit on or before 13 October ,2015 hours 14:30 pm and will be opened on the same date at hours 15:00 pm in the presence of the Bidders who wish to attend.

The Ministry of Agriculture reserves the right to accept or to reject this Bid fully or in part if it finds any option better than this IFB without needing to justify the grounds for its doing so and without any compensation which the bidder may incurred in preparing its bid.

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

7Eritrea Profile, Saturday 24 October, 2015

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

# 15/VN/02The Representation Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) invites qualified Eritrean Applicants for the following position based at the Representative Office in Asmara, Eritrea.

Title of Post Assistant Program Officer Grade NOA/P1

Post Number 10004076 Date of Issue 25 Spt 2015

Location Representation Office, Asmara

Closing Date 11 Oct 2015

Operational Context

Under the direct supervision of the Associate Admin/ Programme Officer, the incumbent of the position will handle complex UNHCR Program Management issues that will include the planning and implementation of UNHCR Eritrea Refugee program initiative’s in close collaboration with the sole Implementing Partner in the country, the Office of Refugee Affairs (governmental), under the Department of National Immigration.

A great detail of the program will cover programmatic issues related to the Umkulu (Somali) Refugee Camp, located close to Massawa city in the Northern Red Sea Region.

Incumbent in the tasks associated with the position will be the ability to develop project proposals and budgets; represent UNHCR at different fora involving various stakeholders and, streamline assistance programmes to the beneficiaries in the country.

In addition, the applicant is required to have already had extensive proven experience in managing different organization programmes at a managerial level and the ability to guide the implementation of projects, in line with donor requirements and demands, as well as the ability to follow through the organization mandate.

The applicant would also need to have a basic conceptual knowledge of the operational environment in Eritrea, be dynamic and, able to take higher responsibilities progressively. The applicant will be required to supervise one Programme Assistant staff in the unit and any national program consultant that may be hired temporarily.

External contacts are predominantly with persons on subject matters of importance to Organization’s programme (e.g. counterparts in other organizations or at working level in national Governments).

Accountability (key results that will be achieved)- The needs of persons of concern in the country are assessed and analyzed in a participatory manner and using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective to form a firm basis for planning.

- IP agreements are established in a timely manner, regularly monitored and reported on in compliance with established guidelines and procedures.

Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results)

- Through a consultative process within the country and field visits, stay involved in the development of the strategies, methodologies, contingency plans that respond to new and emerging operational challenges for the country.

- Provide inputs for developing the country operations plan for overall compliance with global strategic priorities and regional priorities as well as with annual programming/planning instructions.

- Assist in organizing a consultative process to ensure a consistent application of the organization’s criteria and policies for the selection of implementing and operational partners.

- Assist in managing the development of a broad network of partners, good coordination practices and the development of partner capacities.

- Undertake proper collection, monitoring and use of baselines, standards and indicators needed to measure and analyze UNHCR’s performance, trends and target interventions.

- Undertake field visits to evaluate and improve the planning, programming, implementation and monitoring of assistance projects.

- Assist in implementing the establishment of sound monitoring processes, in reviewing final reports and on progress in order to advise on any corrective actions required or the need for additional resources to reach planned target levels.

- Apply UNHCR’s corporate tools (e.g. Global Focus, Focus Client) to record data and assess the technical soundness of the operation and generate data for evidence -based decisions at the country level.

- Assist in keeping donor representatives briefed on developments and assist in the development of funding submissions, appeals and reports.

- Assist in monitoring compliance to the organization’s resource allocation framework, providing support and taking corrective action where required.- Assist in ensuring compliance in issuance of audit certificates for Implementing Partners.- Monitor the implementation of IP Risk Management techniques and tools.- Performs other duties as required.

Authority (decisions made in executing responsibilities and to achieve results)- Provide inputs for the country operations plan (including budgets, staffing levels and structures) as well as prepare inputs for funding submissions, appeals and reports.

- Enforce compliance with UNHCR’s global strategies, protocols and guidelines.Essential Minimum Qualifications and Experience

- University degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Law, Economics, Social Science or related field

- Previous job experience: 2 years of previous job experience relevant to the function. In an international. Capacity: 1 year.

- Excellent knowledge of English and working knowledge of another UN language.

Desirable Qualifications & Competencies

- Completion of specific training relevant to functions of the position- Knowledge of UNHCR financial rules, procedures and processes- Knowledge of another relevant UN language- Knowledge of UNHCR specific programmes (MSRP, Focus, etc.) - Computer skills (in MS office)

Submission of Applications

- This vacancy is open for qualified Eritreans ONLY.

- National Service: Candidates should provide certificate of completion/exemption from National Service.

- Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

- Staff members who wish to be considered for this position should send their application letter to: The Human Resources Section, UNHCR Asmara and attach Personal History Form (P.11). Please quote Reference # 15/VN/02

Late applications will not be considered.

Please remember to submit photocopy/scanned copies of all supporting documents. Documents submitted shall not be returned to the applicants. Due to the volume of applications only short listed candidates will be invited for interview.

EXTERNAL CANDIDATES

Candidates should also complete a Personal History form (P.11) available on the following link -http://www.unon.org/docs/P11.doc and attach it to their application for the position.

Applications should be sent to postal address, [UNHCR Office, Meteten St.1A754 House 35; P.O Box 1995, Asmara, Eritrea] or hand delivered to UNHCR Branch Office.Please quote Reference: IVN/EVN/KEN/DDB/15/019.

Candidates should also submit copies of academic Certificates from the relevant institutions.

Refugees – who cares? We Do!UNHCR

ADS


What could you tell us about yourself?

I was born in Asmara in 1975, it comes as a surprise to many, but I majored in pure sciences and dedi-cated my school life studying chem-istry.

So how did you end up getting into film making?

Probably since I started speaking I loved telling stories. My current profession was an internal call that has been inside me for a long time. Something like you can’t t sleep at night, so you have to wake up to write down your inner thoughts.

Unfortunately, back when I was a student there were no courses on film making or anything else of such nature, so I pursuedd my studies in sciences. Yet again, I did almost ev-erything to keep in touch with my desire of writing and making future movies.

Until one day, in 2001 to be spe-cific. I visited the Ministry of Health with a proposal for the finished script for my movie “Hidget” –Forgive-ness–; the story was about people

that had to deal with HIV and had to forgive each other and themselves to overcome the ordeal.

After a month I received a call from the authorities; they liked the story line, the scene break downs and everything that I had proposed, frankly for a beginner I did fairly good. I had handled everything professionally and that impressed them even more. That is how I got my first sponsorship and published the film in 2004; furthermore it was translated into English and Arabic, and also broadcasted on the Eritrean television.

So my debut was glorious and it inspired me to dedicate more time and energy in the profession that I love and respect.

How did you acquire your profi-ciency in film making?

There are no schools in film mak-ing in Eritrea. Not just me, but al-most each person within the movie making industry in the country got a hold of our skills trough self-learn-ing.

Given that we have lots to tell, and

have an immense passion for movie making and we do our best within our limitations.

Sometimes the Cultural Affairs organizes short-intensive courses by inviting professionals from abroad and there we get the opportunity in looking at how things are done from versatile prospectives. For example in 2005, there was a three months-long training, were we had tons of practical training while working on short films.

As for me I read and read and re-searched and researched over and over again!

You also engaged in some theat-rical works…

Yes I did, few times. My favorite was the one about the life of late art-ist Teberih Tesfahuney and her im-portance in the Eritrean history of art. It was originally an idea of my colleague novelist Mr. Tsegebirhan Goitom and we showcased it at the

opening of the 2010’s Eritrea Festi-val.

It gave me the opportunity to work with a wide age of profession-als, from the seniors to the youngest professionals, it was an experience that I enjoyed so much and hold very dear; I am even certain that the audience enjoyed it as much.

Why just a ‘few times’?

Theatre is sacred, well, at least for me. We have a lot of technical flaws so I don’t want to go there, just not yet.

What are your thoughts upon the Eritrean film making?

Our resources are very limited; es-pecially in regards to our inadequacy in technical aspects puts us in rather difficult position.

Nevertheless when it comes to our story lines, the story telling methods, plotting and the quality of our sto-

“We have outstandingly valuable History that Inspires Eritrean Artists”

Female film maker and director, Mrs. Rahel Tewelde is our guest today.

With eminent film directed in her records since 2004 until today, a very successful parade of her movie “Shikorinatat” –The Beautiful Ones– at the Cannes Film festival in 2008, a number of short dramas, several translated movies, a renowned carrier as an artistic supervisor, as a movie director, dubbing director, along with her most recent comedy feature film “Guelai”; Rahel Tewelde, at present, stands as one of the well-established and well-received female film makers of Eritrea.

billion Temesghen

ries are beyond comparison. Often, even a lot better than western mov-ies, you know. Mainly because we are a small and new nation, Eritrean art is almost always 100% Eritrean. We tell our story, we put across mes-sages that are functional and we are extremely good at it.

I just wish we could work, on big scale, on our technical shortcom-ings.

Anything you want to say at the end?

I believe we have tons of outstand-ingly valuable history to narrate and so many events that can inspire us to generate great artistic works, but there is so much that is bringing us to a standstill. Government offices, the PFDJ, civil society groups, our soci-ety should be able to come together in an unitary understanding and join hands in assembling a strong, firm, incessant film industry.

Thank you for your time.

“no future in Eritrea”. Many of these unsuspecting minors have become victims of human traffick-ing and many are sold in shoddy adoption schemes, torn from their societies forever. This campaign to weaken Eritrea economically and politically continues unabat-ed, but the worst crimes against the people of Eritrea is the assault on Eritrea’s young.

Considering the thousands who have perished in the Mediterra-nean trying to reach Europe, the xenophobia and hate crimes that they are exposed to on arrival, the high incidence of sexual and physical abuse encountered, many commit suicide,many are unable

to cope with the loneliness and cultural shock that greets them on arrival in these foreign lands whose glitter and luster remain just on television…the 64 million dollar question is…were the risks worth it?

Some self-serving individuals and groups, political beneficia-ries of the bloodshed and carnage, may say yes, but the vast major-ity answer in the negative. An Eritrean refugee in Ethiopia put it this way:

“…You know what? ...Noth-ing matters anymore. The mo-ment you leave your country you lose your respectability, your humanity, your honor as a human being. It no longer mat-ters where you are. The only

place where a person can live with honor is in his own coun-try. What does the specific point on the globe where we are mat-ter if we are human dust any-way?...”

For the government and people of Eritrea, it does matter…every Eritrean life is precious.

Contrary to what these para-chute journalists say about Eri-trea’s National Service Program, it instills discipline, a culture of work, development, security, dig-nity and pride.

For all that has been written and said about the National Ser-vice Program in Eritrea-none can claim that it kills…

ERITREA: National Service...

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