Vol 22. No 103 Saturday, 27 February, 2016 Pages 8, Price 2.00 NFA

Eritrea’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Osman Saleh, delivered President Isaias Afwerki’s message to President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir

Asmara, 26 February 2016- The Central region’s Ministry of Health branch is exerting commendable effort to ensure the health of mothers and children through expanding health service provision institutions and controlling the prevalence of different communicable diseases. This was disclosed at an assessment meeting conducted on 24 February.

The head of the branch office, Dr. Tesfai Solomon, indicated that the incidence of malaria is on the verge of eradication and

The Independence Torch, currently touring the country in connection with the Silver Jubilee Independence Day, concluded its tour of the Southern Red Sea region and was handed over to the Southern region on 22 February.

The handing over ceremony, which took place in Demhina, was attended by Mr. Efrem Gebrekrstos, the Governor of the Southern Region, Army Commanders, and other government officials.

During the occasion, Mr. Efrem

of the Republic of Sudan on the 24TH of February 2016.

The message focuses on the strengthening of bilateral relations and partnerships, as well as regional and international developments of interest to both countries.

The Eritrean delegation, which also includes Mr. Yemane Gebreab, Head of PFDJ Political Affairs, also met and held talks with Gen. Bakri Hassan Saleh, First Vice-President, focusing on enhancing bilateral ties.

Foreign Minister delivers President’s Message to sudanese President

that the prevalence of other major communicable diseases has been significantly reduced.

He further said that the active participation of the public in environmental sanitation campaigns has greatly contributed to the achievements. According to Dr. Tesfai, 92% of the residents in the region have become beneficiaries of latrines, which will significantly reduce the prevalence of communicable diseases.

Maj. Gen. Romodan Awoliai, administrator of the region,

CoMMendable eFForts to ensure Mother and Child health

stressed the importance of popular initiatives to ensure the health of society and called on the public to sustainably work to that end.

The Minister of Health, Ms. Amina Nurhusein, said that community participation is vital for the success of the efforts being conducted by the ministry, and that strong efforts would be conducted in cooperation with partners.

The Central region has a total of 82 health facilities, including 4 hospitals, 8 health centers, 25 health stations, and 45 clinics.

said that the, beyond signifying the sacrifices made to bring about independence, is a reminder to renew commitments to earnestly work for the success of national development programs.

Upon arriving in Adi-Keyih, the torch was warmly welcomed by residents and featured within a military parade.

The Independence Torch has so far travelled 1355 kilometers across the Northern and Southern Red Sea regions.

indePendenCe torCh ConCludes tour oF srs region

A total of 482 patients have undergone eye surgery for trachoma at Adi-Keyih Hospital. The patients are from the sub-zones of Mai Aini, Tsorona, Dekemhare, Senafe and AdiKeyih.The Head of the national program in the Health Ministry on combating blindness, Mr. Alem Zekarias, explained

that the task is in line with ongoing endeavors to prevent blindness nationwide.

According to reports, more than 500 citizens successfully underwent similar eye surgery at AdiKeih Hospital nine months ago.

The Eritrean Ambassador to Qatar, Mr. Ali Ibrahim, held talks with the Qatari Minister of Transport and Communication. Mr. Jassim Seif Al-Suleiti, on enhancing bilateral cooperation.

The Qatari official expressed Qatar’s readiness to further strengthen relations between the two countries, including ties of cooperation.

In another report, the Eritrean Ambassador to Egypt, Mr. Fassil Gebreselasie, has participated in the African Investment Conference held on 20 to 21 February in the resort city of Sharm Al-Sheikh, Egypt.

A meeting was held in the sub-zone of Agordat to establish an association for war disabled patriots.The meeting aimed to create an opportunity for disabled patriots to become beneficiaries of support given by

the society and the government. The head of the association, Mr. Shishay Estifanos, emphasized that the disabled nationals should reaffirm their commitment to the association with the aim of receiving needed assistance.

Participants confirmed that they will pay their share dues to the association to benefit themselves. There are 116 war disabled citizens, 11 of which are women, within Agordat and its 14 administrative sub-zones.

The Ministry of Agriculture is extending training to 100 women to use Adhanet ovens, a type of smokeless oven, in the subzone of Godayf, Central Region.

The distribution of the smokeless ovens is making significant contributions in improving their livelihoods.Since traditional ovens cause serious health problems and are cost prohibitive, the program’s participants

stressed the need to distribute the Adhanet ovens to wider areas.

Prior to distributing the ovens, the head of NUEW in the administrative area, Ms. Nebyat Ghebrezgabhier, said that the training programs is aimed at proper handling of the smokeless oven and supporting positive outcomes.

news brieFadiKeyih hosPital: traChoMa surgery Carried out on

482nationals

Meeting oF eritrean Patriots’ war disabled assoCiation in agordat

aMbassador ali ibrahiM holds talKs with Qatari Minister

training For woMen in Central region

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Azmera BerhaneSara Alem

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, 27 February, 2016 Vol 22. No 103 2

Background

Locusts are an age-old problem that have plagued humans for thousands of years. A small swarm can wreak havoc and completely destroy a farmer’s entire livelihood during a single morning, while larger swarm invasions can damage and reduce a country or region’s food security for years to come. In many countries, it is not uncommon for households to fall into debt during plagues, subsequently causing them to pull their children from school in order to help cope with the increased burden. The desert locust is considered to be the most dangerous of all migratory pests in the world.

Eritrea is located in areas where disease and outbreak related to locusts and pests are common. Specifically, the country is a breeding area for the desert locust, army worm, and qualea qualea (grain eating bird). Crop and pasture loss caused by these pests pose considerable consequences, including suffering, food shortages, and malnutrition. Accordingly, the Eritrean government has prioritized controlling pest diseases and outbreaks. With pests also not recognizing borders, the country has also attempted to eliminate their regional spread.

Importantly, Eritrea is a member of the Commission for Controlling

Desert Locust Preventive Management Strategies in Eritrea

the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC), joining in 2006, as well as the Desert Locust Control Organization for East Africa (DLCO-EA). Currently boasting 16 members, the CRC was established in 1967 with 13 countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen), which were later joined by Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The DLCO-EA consists of nine member countries: Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Djibouti, Uganda and Somalia.

Requiring information, intelligence, and rapid decisions, combatting locusts has frequently been likened to a small war. The Eritrean approach, however, is largely based on prevention, involving, inter alia, advanced planning, surveillance, immediate intervention, and the provision of staff training. Simply, the aim of the programme is minimizing the risk that desert locust plagues pose for national food security.

Surveillance

The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) attentiveness has been a key facet of the country’s successful desert locust control strategies. Of note, the MoA has employed intensive and frequent surveys, implemented pragmatic actions, and developed solid and efficient contingency plans.

Regular surveys are conducted across the country according to season. In the winter breeding season (September-March),

surveys are conducted within the Coastal Red Sea area (Eastern Lowlands), and in the summer (June-September), they are conducted along the western regions, from Kerkebet and Asmat in the northwest to Omhajer/Tesseney and other areas in the southwest. Tasked with a variety of responsibilities, survey teams (consisting of experts and scout farmers) are equipped with several vehicles, GPS systems, and special eLocust3 devices.

New technologies have considerably enhanced the ability of teams to monitor habitat conditions and detect the first signs of locusts, thus improving response times and decreasing risks of plagues.

The Migratory Pest and Desert Locust control Unit of the MOA has been employing the eLocust3 devices, which are connected to a vehicle antenna that transmits field data (e.g. locust situation, stage and behavior, vegetation density and types, rainfall and soil humidity etc) instantly.

According to a recent country report on desert locusts, Mr. Keith Cressman, Senior Desert Locust Information and Forecasting Officer (DLIS) at the FAO-HQ in Rome, said that, “The effective management and use of the eLocust3 devices correctly by Eritrea was commendable and should be an example for other countries to follow.” He added, “This is really a tremendous achievement for Eritrea and leads to good monitoring and early warning not only for the country

but also for the region.”

Mr. Tedros Sium, Head of Migratory Pests and Desert Locust Control Unit, further reiterated that the successful use of the eLocust3 devices and cost-effective data collection procedures were the result of training and technical support for survey teams. Mr. Tedros added that in addition to being cost-effective, the devices allowed supervision and support from MoA headquarters to guide the survey teams during data collection.

Desert Locust Forecasting and Information

The Migratory Pests and Desert Locust Unit has a forecasting and information office that is responsible for forecasting and providing early warnings. The officers collect and analyze a wide array of information, including climate, ecological situation, and habitat conditions within the summer and winter locust breeding areas.

Information is gathered daily and a forecast, based on the information, is made. Sources of information include: field reports from desert locust officers through the eLocust3 and scouts’ reports; satellites that provide weather (e.g. rainfall) information of locust breeding area; FAO monthly updates and locust bulletins; historical data and information of the locust breeding

area; information and reports from the local administration, farmers, pastoralists, military personnel and others within the locust breeding area.

Information and reports are analyzed using GIS database RAMSES software. Notably, Eritrea was the first country in the region to adopt the software (in 1996), being shortly followed by others.

Desert locust officers utilize computers with GIS database RAMSES software to analyze the desert locust situation, provide forecasts, and prioritize areas for survey and control operations. The locust survey data (brief field report and RAMSES) are immediately forwarded to partner organizations and neighboring countries, while a national desert locust bulletin is published monthly by desert locust officers.

Importantly, the Desert Locust Information and Forecasting Services (DLIS), located at the FAO-HQ in Rome, provides technical support, a monthly locust bulletin based on information collected from various countries, and updates and alerts to individual countries. The DLIS bulletins are vital since the early warnings they provide – to Eritrea and other threatened by desert locusts – can help safeguard livelihoods and national food security.

Desert Locust Control UnitMoA

Dr. Theodore J.Papeenfuss, Research Scientist at the University of California

Editor’s note: Dr. Papeenfuss has been a research scientist at the University of California since 1980. He specializes in the study of reptiles and amphibians, and is especially interested in biodiversity and the conservation of these animals. He recently visited Eritrea on a working trip, and he provides a brief, yet detailed, account of his time in the country.

I have now been in Eritrea for almost three weeks. The scientific results of my visit to study species and amphibians and reptiles that occur in Eritrea has been extremely successful and in addition, I now know that most of the information that I saw in the internet while I was in California was not true. The people I have met are very happy. Before coming to Eritrea I had read on the internet that there were restrictions on international news, this is not true. My hotel in Asmara, many businesses and homes have satellite television. News services such as BBC and CNN news are available. The same is true in other hotels and homes according to the information from Mr. Futsum Hagos, Head of Wildlife conservation in the Ministry of Agriculture.

My hotel, the Sunshine Hotel, has BBC 24-hours news both in the room and lobby. The hotel continues to fill up every evening with happy and friendly Eritreans who come in to enjoy coffee or cold drinks and listen to live music. The Sunshine has excellent facilities of an international standard with modern rooms, a restaurant with an extensive menu, and 24-hours power along with a friendly and helpful staff. This is a great place to enjoy the famous beer. This beer is even found in Eritrean restaurants in California.

English is spoken by everyone who has been to high school or college; even in villages away from Asmara the people I met are very happy, friendly, and proud of their country. At every place I have been welcome.

The field of study of amphibians and reptiles is going very well. The Ministry of Agriculture

My Impression in Eritrea arranged the logistics for my travel to different areas where species that I am interested in are found. The staff of wildlife conservation team traveled with me and arranged local guides from offices of Ministry of Agriculture in each town. After receiving approval for my study together with local experts, field visits were started in the Central Zone on Tuesday, January 26. With the permit that was arranged by Ministry of Agriculture, I have traveled to all the sites that were of interest. Before I started my field work, I met with both the Minister of Agriculture and the General Manager of Forestry and Wildlife. Both people were interested in my plans to conduct research on amphibians and reptiles in Eritrea. They made arrangement with the staff of Ministry of Agriculture to assist me in each Zoba (region) that I planned to visit.

We went to village Shunjubluk on Tuesday, village Dembe Zawl on Wednesday and village Geshnashim on Thursday. At each places we ask local villagers to take us to places where frogs, toads, and lizards were found. Our local guides were very helpful and we found a number of important species including some that had not been found since their discovery over 100 years ago. On Friday, January 29, we went to Dekemhare within the highlands of the Central Zone about 40 kilometers south to Asmara. This town is in an important agriculture region noted for fruit and vegetables.

The Wildlife department had contacted the Dekemhare Ministry of Agriculture office before we arrived. We were assigned one of the local employees who took us to rocky areas near the town where lizards were very common. The next morning we drove on to Segeneiti about 20 kilometers south to Dekemhare. Again, the wildlife department had contacted the agriculture office in advance and a person very familiar with the reptiles and amphibians was waiting to show us good places to fine these animals.

The head of the Segeneiti office phoned one of his assistant who has a small farm near the town. He waited for us at his farm and he showed us a pond on his farm where there was a large

number of Eritrean clawed frogs (venous clevis). We found four tropo baitod with sardines and two hours were trapped many of these frogs. These species were first described scientifically from Segeneiti in 1904 by an Italian biologist. At the time Eritrea was an Italian colony.

The man who owned the farm wanted no money for working with us. He told me that I was his guest and as a guest I was a welcome visitor. When we left to return to Asmara late in the afternoon, he gave us four large cabbages as a gift. This is another example of the hospitality and kindness of the Eritrean to me as guest in their country.

Our next field trip was to Ghinda in the Northern Red Sea Zone. This is the area where the Eritrean side-necked turtle was first described in 1827. We stopped at a village near Ghinda and local farmer directed us to a stream where he had seen turtles. Within a short time two young men from the village found two turtles for us. We stayed at a small hotel in town and ate dinner at a local restaurant where I ate Injera for the first time. This is a delicious food that I recommend to all visitors of Eritrea. I will certainly ask for it when I visit an Eritrean restaurant in California.

My final trip was to Massawa. Here we found the gecko lizard were common at night around the lights of hotels and restaurants. The gecko species is of interest to me because it was also first described in 1872 by the same person who described the fresh water turtle species that we found at Ghindae.

We had an interesting visit to Green Island during our stay in Massawa. We were given general information about the marine resources of the red sea, by the Senior Marine Experts and Head of Marine Research, Mr. John. I was so interested to learn that the Red Sea of Eritrea has over 1000 species of fishes. Furthermore the Red Sea has a good population of dugong. On Green Island we found an interesting species of tiny gecko lizard. This may the first record of small geckos from the island. We saw interesting birds including the greater flamingo. I talked to three collage students from Asmara who were

also visiting Green Island. They were very interested in our researches and were well aware of conserving wildlife in Eritrea. With the great understanding the young of Eritrea have and the commitment of government on conservation, the wildlife species of Eritrea are likely to have a bright future.

Before leaving Massawa, I had a chance to meet members of the local government of the Northern Red Sea Zone. They were interested in learning that the gecko lizards in Massawa were described scientifically from Eritrea 189 years ago. Our final stop in Massawa was at the museum where there is a display about Eritrea from the prehistoric time to the present. I was most impressed by the room that documents the liberation of Massawa during Operation Fenkel that took place 25 years ago this month.

One of the highlights of my trip was the field of a large male and female Eritrean Toad near Asmara. This toad has the scientific name of Sclerophrys Asmarae, named after Asmara. This beautiful animal was first discovered in Asmara in 1982. Eritrea should regard this animal as a national treasure because it is named after the capital city of Eritrea.

Small animals like frogs, toads, and lizards are an important part of the biodiversity and these animals should be respected and protected. The wildlife conservation staff of the state of Eritrea will soon prepare a list of these species. At least 10 were first described from Eritrea and are found no other place in the world.

When I leave Asmara on February 12, I will go with these favorable impressions of Eritrea. A country of citizens that I have met who have all shown me hospitality.

A secure country where I can walk around day or night in Asmara, and all the other towns that I have visited, knowing that I am completely safe.

Aware that there are no mass media restrictions. In every small town and village there are satellite dishes with more than 100 channels.

I had an extraordinary experience in the Expo compound, particularly at Hidmo Night Club. I really enjoyed the traditional dance and local drinks, Suwa and Mies. A woman put a bottle on her head and danced comfortable. I was really impressed.

People need to “come and see for yourself” before making impressions about Eritrea.

Certainly when I go back home, I will explain to my colleagues that Eritrea is an excellent country for biodiversity research. Lastly but not least I am extremely grateful with the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture who welcomed me warmly in the different towns. The effort of the wildlife conservation team made a great contribution for the success of my study and I owe them my appreciation. I hope we will work together in the future and make more findings. Eritrea is the core of the Horn Africa biodiversity hot spot area and beyond any doubt Eritrea will remain a center of attraction for researchers and tourists.

Dr. Papeenfuss and Mr. Futsum on a filed trip

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, 27 February, 2016 Vol 22. No 103 3

Vol 22. No 103

Natnael Yebio W.

Thirty days hath September, April, June and November;

All the rest have thirty-oneSave February, she alone, Hath

eight days and a score;Till leap year gives her one.

We have Feb. 29th — otherwise known as Leap Day — every four years to make up for the fact that the Earth doesn’t circle the sun in exactly 365 days. Without that occasional extra day thrown in, our entire calendar and its corresponding seasons would eventually be way off and we’d be celebrating Christmas during shorts and shirt weather in the summer. Now that would be absolutely bonkers!

We’re already nearing the end of February, and for a lot of people, this time of year is just another month coming to an end. But to some, specifically those born on a leap year, it is quite special.

Have you ever wondered if you had been born on the 29th February, when should you celebrate your birthday on a non-leap-year? On the 28th? On the 1st? Or possibly not at all? How old are you really? What even is a leap year and why do you have to skip your birthday because of it? And that’s without even considering all of the myths that are associated with a leap year. Brainteaser, isn’t it?

For starters, individuals born on Feb. 29th are called “leaplings” or “leapers,” and as much fun as they might have claiming to age only

Leap Year Lores: From Unwilling Grooms and Fines, to Farmers’ Bad Luck!

25% as fast as the rest of us, people once thought that leapling babies would inevitably prove sickly and “hard to raise.”

A leap year is a year in the Gregorian calendar with 366 days instead of 365 - and unless you’ve been living on a planet with exact orbital resonance and some sort of self-adapting time system, you should be well aware of this. But just for clarification, here is how the leap year came to be about.

The leap year’s extra day is vital because a complete orbit around the sun takes slightly longer than 365 days – 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds longer, to be exact – and a day is added every four years to compensate for the rest of the time that is lost every non leap year.

History has it that at one time people observed a 355-day calendar with an extra 22-day month every two years. However, this caused havoc within the calendar season and in 45BC Julius Caesar ordered his astronomer, Sosigenes, to simplify things.

Consequently, Sosigenes opted for the 365-day year with an extra day every four years to use up the extra hours. But why choose February, and not October or December? Well, the extra day is added to February because it used to be the last month of the Roman calendar.

The system was then fine-tuned by Pope Gregory XIII. He coined the term “leap year” and declared that a year that is divisible by 100, but not by 400, is not a leap year.

So 2000 was a leap year under the Gregorian calendar, as was 1600. But 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not. If leap years had not been created, we would lose about six hours of our calendar at an annual rate.

But it isn’t just a science. There’s a lot of lore behind it, and it’s observed and celebrated in a variety of ways. Because such years are rarer than normal years, they have become lucky omens. Indeed, February 29th is an especially important day, with anything started on this day considered sure of success.

Certainly February 29th in the leap year of 1504 was a very successful for one Christopher Columbus. The famous explorer had been marooned for several months on the small island of Jamaica. Though the island natives had initially offered food and provisions, Columbus’ arrogant and overbearing attitude had so annoyed the natives that they stopped this altogether. Facing starvation, Columbus came up with an inspired plan. Consulting a shipboard almanac and finding that a lunar eclipse was due, he called together the native chiefs and announced to them that God would punish them if they did not supply his crew with food. And as an omen of God’s intent to punish them, there would be a sign in the sky: God would darken the Moon. Right on cue, the lunar eclipse started.

Columbus dramatically disappeared into his cabin as the natives began to panic and begged

him to restore the Moon. After more than an hour, Columbus emerged from his cabin and announced that God was prepared to withdraw his punishment if the natives agreed to supply him and his crew with everything they needed. The native chiefs immediately agreed, and within minutes the Moon started emerging, leaving the natives in awe of Columbus’ power. Columbus continued to receive food and supplies until he was rescued in June 1504.

There are also many other interesting traditions and superstitions that occur on leap days, especially regarding weddings. Some people believe that the leap day is the equivalent of Friday the 13th and that it signifies bad luck. In Greece, a number of people dread the idea of getting married during leap year, and it is considered especially unlucky to get married on a leap day.

However, in Ireland, the idea of marriage on a leap day is not considered bad luck. In fact, leap days are a day on which women in Ireland traditionally propose to men. Just as a leap year balances our calendar with respect to the Earth’s irregular revolutions around the sun, leap days in Ireland bring some balance to the traditional

roles of men and women. If a man refuses a proposal on leap day, he is expected to pay a penalty to the woman, which can range from a gown to money.

Interestingly, in Italy, legend has it that women are erratic during a leap year and several proverbs warn against planning important life events in a leap year. “Anno bisesto, anno funesto” means “leap year, doom year”.

As well, farming folklore suggests that beans and peas planted in a leap year “grow the wrong way.” Scottish farmers believe leap years are not good for crops or livestock, thanks to the old proverb: “Leap year was ne’er a good sheep year.”

In terms of the weather and leap years, in Russia it is believed that a leap year is likely to bring more freak weather patterns and a greater risk of death to all round.

As superstitions have it perhaps, that is the reason we are experiencing unpredictable weather pattern these days. Mornings are either cold or mildly warm, only for noon to be utterly hot and evenings unbearably cold. I, for one, am having a hard time keeping up with the weather.

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, 27 February, 2016 Vol 22. No 103Vol 22. No 103 4

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, 27 February, 2016 Vol 22. No 103 5

Sophia TesfamariamA 39-page report entitled,

“Human Smuggling and Trafficking on the Horn of Africa-Central Mediterranean Route” was launched on 19 February 2016 during a consultation meeting organized by the new IGAD Security Sector Program (ISSP) office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The report is said to have been prepared at the behest of primarily the Ethiopian government. The Report said:

“…Between June and September 2015, a team from Sahan, operating auder [under]the auspices of ISSP, conducted primary and secondary research on the presence and operations of human smuggling and trafficking networks in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Libya, with special emphasis on operations. Sahan personnel worked in close consultation with government officials from Ethiopia and Sudan, and received excellent cooperation from some European countries, notably the UK and Italy… the Sahan team adhered strictly to the standards and evidence required of the United Nations Expert Groups…”

In essence, the study was commissioned by the Ethiopian government and the information contained in the report was also provided by them.

The SAHAN-ETHIOPIA report contains this disclaimer:

“…The information and views set out in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of IGAD, the IGAD Security Sector Program (ISSP) or Sahan Foundation. Neither IGAD nor Sahan Foundation nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein…”

Obviously, it cannot be an IGAD document as there are other member states in IGAD, namely Eritrea, Kenya and Uganda, who did not participate in the production of the said document. So this author believes it is safe to call it a SAHAN-ETHIOPIA report and not an IGAD-SAHAN report as touted in the Ethiopian media.

The SAHAN-ETHIOPIA has nothing new to present except to rehash and give credence to unsubstantiated allegations found in the discredited reports by the Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea (COIE) and the Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) once headed by Matt Bryden. They too relied on “intelligence” provided by the regime in Ethiopia.

Associating the SAHAN-Ethiopia

SAHAN-ETHIOPIA Report on Human Trafficking and Smuggling Shoots Itself in the Foot

report with the Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD), the regional organization in the Horn of Africa is not only immoral, but desperate. If the intention was to give the report some semblance of credibility-it doesn’t. It is actually an insult to the intelligence of not just the people and the leadership in the region, but also that of those who may rely on SAHAN in making policy decisions. This contemptuous ploy by Ethiopia and its handlers (as it has been done before) may fool some, but not politically astute analysts and observers in the region.

The co-opting of UN frameworks and other international institutions has been central to the foreign policy strategies of successive Ethiopian regimes and the minority regime ruling Ethiopia today, a certified master of deception and distortion, is no different. It has refined diplomatic deception and distortion to an art. It has also become the norm and almost a job requirement in the production of any study or “research” on Eritrea to have, on the “research” team someone with a public record of animus directed at Eritrea. The regime in Ethiopia’s anti-Eritrea radar can spot them from a distance, and rein them in under its fold, usually using threatening and coercive methods, including blackmail, to do its bidding. Its dirty work. So it comes as no surprise that Matt Bryden would be enlisted to carry out the latest outrageous slander against the people of Eritrea and their leadership.

This is not the first time that this regional organization is used as a tool to advance external interests in the region with the mercenary regime in Ethiopia playing a leading role. The latest shenanigan by the regime in Ethiopia and its partner in crime, Matt Bryden, compromises the independence and neutrality of IGAD and the continued manipulation of this regional body by Ethiopia and its handlers, further erodes the organization’s efficacy and integrity.

The timing of the SAHAN report is also quite transparent. It comes at the heels of the 7626th Session of the UN Security Council in which majority of the Council members-exceptions being the three permanent members US, UK and France (P-3), favored lifting of the illegal, unfair and unjust sanctions imposed against the State of Eritrea. The latest SEMG report cleared Eritrea of any wrongdoing.

The Russian Federation said: “…with respect to Eritrea,

we are pleased to note that the Monitoring Group found no evidence that the Eritrean

government is supporting the armed group Al-Shabab. There is still no provision of convincing evidence which would point to the country conducting destabilizing activities. Here we think attempts to strengthening pressure on Asmara are counterproductive. We once again call on the Monitoring Group to use in its reports only verified information…”

Russia’s sentiments were echoed by others on the Council. For example, H.E. Julio Helder Moura Lucas, Deputy. Permanent Representative, Angola, said he was pleased to note that there was no evidence that the Government had been supporting Al-Shabaab. The Council should take note of that and take decisions accordingly.

But it was H.E. Rafael Darío Ramírez Carreño, Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the United Nations and Council President for February that hit the nail right on the head when he said that none of the reports had shown a link between Eritrea and Al-Shabaab and Qatar was mediating the territorial dispute with Djibouti and its troops were keeping the peace. If the two reasons for imposing sanctions on Eritrea were no longer present, the time had come to reconsider the scope of the sanctions against Asmara. He also said that the Monitoring Group was overstepping its mandate in offering unsupported information, notably on the Eritrea-Ethiopia dispute, which fell outside its reach.

This latest development at the Security Council was inevitable and has obviously ruffled feathers in the Ethiopian capital and has become a source of great trepidation for the minority regime in Ethiopia, which engineered the sanctions resolution to begin with.

As the record shows, the minority regime worked closely with Susan Rice, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations in getting the sanctions resolution against Eritrea using IGAD and the African Union. In 2009, during the Obama Administrations first year in office, IGAD was manipulated by the United States and Ethiopia to bring “stand alone sanctions” against the State of Eritrea. As the 17 August 2009 leaked American Embassy cable showed, during an August 13 meeting with US Ambassador Rice, Ethiopian Charge D’Affaires Fesseha Tessema discussed plans to work with IGAD to agree on the components of a new draft resolution sanctioning Eritrea. According to the cable , Rice and the Ethiopian officials discussed sanctions against Eritrea and how to get IGAD on

board:“…In an August 13 meeting

with Ambassador Rice, Ethiopian Charge d’Affairs Ambassador Fesseha Tessema said he was encouraged by the African Union’s recent call to sanction Eritrea for its support of armed opposition groups in Somalia and asked for U.S. “help and encouragement” in the creation of a new UNSC sanctions resolution…Ambassador Rice emphasized that any new sanctions resolution should be an Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) initiative led by Uganda in the Security Council. She recalled IGAD’s prior lack of consensus on a sanctions framework for Eritrea during its June visit to New York, and stated that any new resolution should reflect the common ground between Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia…In response to Ambassador Rice’s question about the position of China and Libya vis--vis sanctioning Eritrea, Tessema stated that China would not oppose the African Union’s recommendation for new sanctions…”

Soon afterwards, IGAD, Chaired by the Ethiopia, adopted a resolution which was then taken to the African Union Peace and Security Council, also headed by Ethiopia. The July 2009 African Union circus in Sirte, Libya, and the machinations of the then US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Ethiopia are well documented. No doubt this latest “IGAD” initiative is an attempt to duplicate Ethiopia’s previous efforts.

Since Ethiopia took the Chairmanship in 2008, the validity of referring to IGAD as a ‘regional organization’ has been increasingly questioned. Ethiopia has single-handedly hosted and chaired virtually all meetings of the IGAD policy-organs. An astute observer of the Horn said that “we can safely conclude that IGAD has shifted from being a Regional Organization into a forum run by one of its member States-Ethiopia”. It should be noted here that Ethiopia continues to hold on to key positions within the organization, including the Chairmanship. According to the author’s sources in Ethiopia, Berhane Gebre-Christos, State Minister for Foreign Affairs is said to be searching for an executive position at IGAD as a way to ensure himself a lucrative retirement package.

Suffice it to mentions other key positions held by card carrying members of the ruling clique…

The IGAD Security Sector Program (ISSP) is headed by an Ethiopian,

Commander Abebe Muluneh, The regime in Ethiopia recognizes that the “war on terror” pretext has run its course in the region, and has placed itself in another profitable arena-that of security. While the ISSP replaced the IGAD Capacity Building Programme Against Terrorism (ICPAT), it did not replace the head which remained Ethiopia. At the helm, IGAD’s Director of Peace and Security is Tewolde Gebremeskel, also an Ethiopian and a card carrying member of the TPLF ruling clique. General Gebre Adhana, Commander in Chief of Ethiopian forces that invaded and occupied Somalia in 2006 and a card carrying member of the TPLF, served on IGAD’s Somalia Peace and Reconciliation Committee. Special Envoy of IGAD, Lissane Yohannes is a card carrying member of the TPLF clique in issues relating to Sudan.

Case of the fox watching the chicken coop…

The Ethiopia-SAHAN report relies on reports produced by Ethiopian officials and incorporated into the 2011 Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group report which was authored by Matt Bryden, its former Chair. At the time Security Council members questioned Matt Bryden’s voluminous report (with the exception of US Ambassador Susan Rice) and he was subsequently removed when he chose to use the unsubstantiated allegations to prematurely prejudice Eritrea’s position and sully Eritrea’s reputation before the report was even presented and discussed in the Security Council. Members of the Security Council voiced their stern disapprovals of his conduct and contents of the SEMG report he produced, with “evidence” provided by the regime in Ethiopia and “western intelligence sources”.

H.E. Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s Ambassador to the UN had his doubts. In rejecting the findings of the 2011 SEMG report, he said that the Council wasn’t given “probative information…” on the wild Ethiopian accusations presented in the 2011 SEMG report. But Susan Rice had a different opinion. On 5 December 2010, when Inner City Press asked Rice about the lack of independently verifiable evidence in the SEMG’s report, she unashamedly and arrogantly stated the following:

“…The Ethiopian Government enabled every embassy in Addis Ababa that wished to come and view the evidence themselves. Some took the opportunity to do so; others didn’t. I don’t understand the basis for Russia’s

Contined on page 7

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, 27 February, 2016 Vol 22. No 103 6

For the sixth consecutive year, Eritrea won the men’s elite team time trial competition at the African Continental Cycling Championships, held in Morocco. Led by Mekseb Debesay, the team, which also includes Tesfom Okubamariam, Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier and Elyas Afewerki, completed the 59km distance in 1:15:07.53, nearly a full minute ahead of Algeria, who took second, while Morocco and Ethiopia finished in third and fourth place, respectively.

In addition, Eritrea’s Tesfom Okubamariam won the Gold medal while Mekseb Debesay won the silver medal of the African Continental Cycling Championships road race competition held yesterday 26th February 2016. Similarly Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier won the Gold medal for the under 23 road race competition.

Mekseb Debesay, who recently joined Team Dimension Data, said “This is a great moment for our country because it is not easy to win six years in a row. We are very pleased with our performance.”

Evoking fond memories of some of the greatest dynasties within world sports, the win serves to underscore Eritrea’s undisputed standing as the preeminent force in African cycling.

Teklehaimanot inspiring Africa more than ever

By Pierre Carrey on www.cyclingnews.com

Is the new African hero coming back to an African race? Abdul Razak Umar, of the Ghana National Team, is a big fan of Daniel Teklehaimanot and is looking forward to race in the same peloton as him, at the African Continental Championships, next Friday, near Casablanca, Morocco.

“Some people say Daniel won’t come to the event because he has nothing to do anymore

Eritrea’s Resounding victory in the 2016 African Continental Cycling Championships

with us, African riders. But me, I know he will come. He has to come, African Championships made him,” Razak Umar told Cyclingnews.

Speculations stopped when Team Dimension Data’s pro cyclist, the wearer of polka-dot jersey at the last Tour de France, landed in Morocco on Monday, flying straight to the Tour of Oman where he supported Edvald Boasson Hagen in his two stage victories.

“I need to be here to share something with Africa,” Teklehaimanot told Cyclingnews on Tuesday morning after he trained on the time trial course, prior to the race Wednesday.

This is the Eritrean’s first time on an African competition after his unforgettable Tour de France, his first time since the 2014 African Championships. This is also his first time back to Casablanca since 2008, where he met his mentor, paving the way to Europe.

After a first participation into the African Championships in Yamoussoukro [capital of Côte d’Ivoire, ed] in 2007, Teklehaimanot raced in “Casa” the following edition and showed himself to Michel Thèze, the World Cycling Centre’s coach, who offered him a training camp at the headquarter of Aigle, Switzerland. The Frenchman took care of Teklehaimanot, who was 19 at that time, supported him into his sports development and some severe heart surgery to cure arrhythmia.

“My career certainly started in Casablanca,” the Eritrean recalls. “Without that race, without Michel [Thèze], my life would probably have been different. In the same way, I know someone else than me could have been the first black African rider at the Tour de France. But this is me. I was the first one in a Grand Tour, at the 2012 Vuelta, the first one in London Olympics, and the first one to compete in the Tour de France alongside Merhawi Kudus. This is life, this is my life and now I must take that responsibility.”

As he spoke on Benslimane road circuit, north of Casablanca, Teklehaimanot was obviously exhausted by the flight, the jet lag and the five hours he spent at the airport at his arrival, to sort out a visa issue.

African cycling’s icon looked happy, though, to see again Michel Thèze, now the national coach of Algeria, and another coach, Jean-Pierre van Zyl, the director of World Cycling Centre in Africa.

Thèze, who enjoyed the moment too, was concerned his protégé was overbooked. “Daniel is pushing himself too hard by wanting to make everyone happy!”, warned his former trainer. “He flew three weeks ago to receive his 2015 Best African rider’s prize at the Tropicale Amissa Bongo, Gabon, now he is in Morocco, he raced Tour of Dubai and Tour of Oman in between...” The Frenchman insists “Daniel’s place is now in Europe and pro races”.

This African appearance is a bless for his fans, though, more exactly his rivals, who ask him some photos, autographs and advises, when they dare to talk to him and take the risk to “disturb him”.

“I know I have a special responsibility now,” Teklehaimanot tells Cyclingnews. “I am not

the guy who won the African Championships five times but the guy who raced in the Tour de France. This is all the riders’ dream and I hope there will be more African riders in the pro peloton.”

A pro cyclist since 2012, he says he is “glad to share some knowledge and experience with riders who asked him what to do”.

Abdul Razak Umar is over the moon to see his idol again and he will try to take his slipstream in Friday’s race, like many riders who, as a result, will make impossible the attacks of their hero. Ghana’s rider remembers Teklehaimanot was already a star to many Africans in 2013.

“I saw Daniel at the African Championships in Egypt and I spoke to him,” the 20-year-old cyclist told Cyclingnews. “I wanted to know his secret. He told me: determination and training. No drugs, absolutely no drugs. Just hard work!”

With his consistent humility, Teklehaimanot added a little comment that his fan hasn’t forgotten three years later. Umar has deep emotions in his voice when he thinks about these words again: “You perhaps can be like me one day.”

Team Eritrea after the victory in the men’s elite team time trialTesfom and Mekseb flying high Eritrea’s flag at the the 2016 African Continental Cycling

Championships road race competition

Daniel at the Tour of Oman

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, 27 February, 2016 Vol 22. No 103 7

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claim that the evidence was not available or not compelling. From the United States’ point of view, we have every confidence in the veracity of that evidence…”

It should be recalled that it had come to light that US intelligence were in cahoots with the SEMG in the planting of evidence in Somalia to use against Eritrea. Since the establishment of the Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG), there have been several calls on the UN Security Council to address the SEMG’s lack of independence, the apparent anti-Eritrea bias, and undue US and Ethiopian influence on its work.

SAHAN-ETHIOPIA Report on Human Trafficking and Smuggling on the Horn of Africa-Central Mediterranean Route uses discredited information found in the 2011 Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group’s and the Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea reports. The report also comes at a time when the Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea is preparing to deliver its oral presentation at the UN Human Rights Council amidst a global condemnation and rejection by Eritreans to its baseless, fabricated and insulting report. SAHAN-ETHIOPIA report unashamedly proffers this unsolicited advice:

“...Interviews with dozens of those who were confirmed as Eritreans suggest nothing to contradict the recent findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea...there is little evidence from this study to support recent arguments for the re-classification of Eritrean asylums seekers in Europe as simply “economic migrants”…”

It is an insult to the intelligence of the people in the region and their leadership to present

the latest SAHAN-ETHIOPIA collaboration as being an “independent” study. Shoddy and littered with the stench of the Ethiopian regime’s wild accusations and distortions, it shoots itself in the foot.

Why not wait and allow the process at the UN Human Rights Council take its own course? Matt Bryden and his Ethiopian collaborators must have heard about the rejection of the COIE report and the thousands of letters of personal testimonies submitted to the Council by Eritreans globally.

Like the 2011 SEMG report authored by Matt Bryden, this SAHAN-ETHIOPIA report is filled with unverifiable accusations based on the testimony of nameless witnesses and has also failed to exercise due diligence in verifying many of the factual and legal claims made by its informants. By his own admission, Bryden did not consult Eritrean officials or members of the vast Eritrean Diaspora communities to gather his information about Eritrea. Bryden has a well-documented history of abusing his position to plant erroneous “evidence” against Eritrea.The SAHAN-ETHIOPIA report accuses Eritrean diplomats and officials without providing any evidence for making the wild and preposterous accusations. Matt Bryden and his cohorts ought to know a few facts about Eritrea before he parrots such ludicrous accusations made by the minority regime in Ethiopia against a government and people he knows very little about. Unlike the regime in Ethiopia, the government in Eritrea has never denied its citizens and has not only acknowledged them, it has also granted amnesty to the ones that left the country illegally and has made it easier for them to

come back to their country and freely associate with Eritreans in the Diaspora communities. If that makes them culpable, so be it. The welfare of the Eritrean people everywhere is the primary responsibility of Eritreans and across Europe and in the United States, Eritreans will do whatever it can to alleviate the suffering of their compatriots who lured out of their beloved country and trafficked across the Sahara and Sinai, now find themselves locked in detention centers, underground holding cells, living in train and bus depots, condemned housing complexes and facing xenophobia and hate crimes across Europe.

It comes as no surprise to find that the regime in Ethiopia that denied the citizenship of the thousands of Ethiopians who were used as cannon fodder in its aggressive war of invasion and occupation of Eritrea in 1998-2000, is today denying the presence of hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians who have fled its repressive rule and find themselves in limbo across the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. According to UNHCR and European diplomats, Ethiopia is the largest producer of refugees and migrants in the Horn of Africa, yet their own government denies their existence. They are all labeled “Eritreans”, but have no proof of Eritrean citizenship-something the real Eritreans can produce at a drop of a hat. It seems Ethiopians lose their citizenship rights if they leave their country illegally. Eritreans do not.No doubt Ethiopia and SAHAN have found a new lucrative source of funding with the restructuring of certain IGAD organs, but it is the responsibility of donors to make sure that they are funding legitimate studies. The political exploitation of “human trafficking”

and “international security” will not advance the peace, stability and security of the Horn region and will also not alleviate the suffering of those victimized by human traffickers and smugglers in Ethiopia and Sudan.

If IGAD is really interested in finding the root cause of instability and insecurity in the Horn of Africa, it needs to go far. IGAD members should call on Ethiopia to abide by the final and binding decisions of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission, over two dozen UN Security Council resolutions and the African Union and UN Charters and vacate without any preconditions from sovereign Eritrean territories, including Badme.

If IGAD is really interested in stemming the flow of migrants to Europe, it can call on European and other western nations to change their asylum quotas for “Eritreans”, stop luring Eritreans with false promises, DV lotteries and visas. Close UNHCR and other holding camps in neighboring states that encourage flight and leave frightened and confused youth into the hands of greedy trafficker and their payers.

Allow me to end with these words from a senior Israeli diplomat on Africa, Ambassador Avi Granot, who is the head of the Africa Division in Israel’s foreign ministry. He was responding to SEMG’s (Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group) outrageous allegation that “Eritrea is in the business of trafficking weapons and persons to Sinai via the Sudan.”

“…I served 17 years ago as ambassador to Ethiopia. One of the things I learned in the region is that lying is a justified means to achieve greater opportunities…”

The SAHAN-ETHIOPIA report is just that…a pack of rehashed lies.

SAHAN-ETHIOPIA Report on Human ...Contined from page 5

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, 27 February, 2016 Vol 22. No 103 8

Mr. Ibrahim, would you introduce yourself please?

My name is Ibrahim Idris, and I am stationed in Denver, Colorado. I have been there for almost fourteen years. I am mainly a freelance journalist, but I also write short stories and translate.

Over time, I’ve recognized that we have a serious problem in publishing; there is a vacuum in that area when it comes to the diaspora. Hence, in 2014, I had a vision of writing but in order to do that, I said let me do the frame and that frame was to find a publishing company. Through my research, I found a trend called “self-publishing”; after exploring all the things I needed to do so as a self-publisher, I decided to start my own company…the procedure in the US is very simple and it doesn’t cost you much.

Financially, it was an obstacle for me to have a license, but in establishing the company, I relied on the experiences of others. One was the Red Sea publisher, one of the successful organizations of the African-American institutions; although it started as a one man show, it had a vision and closed the existing gap within African books in the US. Thinking about my country, my religion, and writers from around this region, I saw that this is an area to contribute in and work with.

Would you tell me about the first

book you published?

The first book I published was for the patriot Mahmoud Kidan. It was originally in Arabic and I offered translate it to Tigrigna. We printed 120 books, which were all sold in a matter of 15 minutes at a conference.

It is titled, Eritrea’s Plot in the Horn of Africa.

“Reading is my passion, publication is a business…”

By Zahra Ahmed Baduri

Our guest today is author and publisher Mr. Ibrahim Idris, owner of ADAL Publishing, a company based in Denver, Colorado. ADAL publishes a wide genre of Eritrea-related books and materials, offering readers a great collection to choose from. Extending over 20 years, Mr. Ibrahim’s work has helped to disseminate Eritrea’s traditional and cultural identity far and wide. Excitingly, he now looks forward to formal cooperation with the local HIDRI Publishing Company to further share Eritrea with the world.

What pushed you to create ADAL, and what kind of obstacles did you face in beginning your company?

One thing I can assure you is the necessity of publishing, second is strengthen a weaknesses by creating a tool or a frame, these two factors are main in having a publishing company, since we need to help in the movement of writing I found its very important to have a publishing company. My wife was the first ground to support my vision, she is the one always behind me and asks “When are you going to write?” and I would say “I will write if I have a publishing company that can help me.”Logistics were the main problem. Mainly being far from the region I wanted to work with, although with technology and social media, I think I have solved that problem somewhat. However, I still I feel am a little detached…and that’s why I came to Eritrea – to explore for myself, Eritrean writers and the Eritrean reality.

Another obstacle is translation; we don’t have professional translators and one of ADAL’s principal goals is to create dialogue. My observations of Eritrean literature are that it has a kind of a monologue instead of a dialogue.

The reason is you are writing in one language and your audience is a certain other group. By enriching translation and looking for talented people to translate, I think I’ll be able to tackle the second obstacle. After coming to Eritrea, I found a lot of people who speak three languages or more having that capacity, so I think there is great hope.

What was the purpose of introducing ADAL to HIDRI Publishing, and what are your thoughts about the conference you conducted with them?

First of all, in Eritrea there is one publishing company, which is HIDRI…you have to deal with that fact. However, HIDRI was very open-minded; they welcomed me and gave me a chance to share my experiences with them.

We found several things that we could remedy; for example, distribution and providing a platform for aspiring writers and translators.

How does ADAL compete within the challenging environment posed by large private institutions and corporations?

Luckily I have a targeted audience; I am not competing with American companies because they have their own audience. I find it easier to compete in other areas where people need an Eritrean, African or Horn of Africa publisher. Secondly, I am a self-publisher, so I don’t have other investments, other than my room and my equipment.

Additionally, I rely on digital communication for reviewing, receiving, and announcing information about books.

Finance can also be challenging in publishing and distributing, however I can say that ADAL is in good shape.

Generally, it seems that the current generation lacks readers and writers; what do you think?

I was listening to a Tigrigna

program on Eri-TV, which featured a guest named Sied Salih. He’s a writer and translator who I would later meet and talk to. His appearance showed that he had a deep understanding on the issues of writing. While he is one example, I’ve met many others, so I’d suggest that are many within the current generation who understand the value of reading, writing and

translation.

How would you assess the recognition of Eritrea among Americans?

I have seen perceptible changes. People buy the books, ask me what’s next, and consult with me on ideas in relation to translation or new manuscripts. They also criticize what I write, which is a very important for a writer and publisher.

There is an Arabic proverb that says, “The best companion in existence is a book.” As a publisher, writer and journalist how do you react to that?

The saying is completely correct. If you find yourself in a lonely zone, a book provides a window to interact with the world.

What are ADAL’s future plans?

I am looking to broaden into audio books and also to digitalize all my published books. I also plan to make the ADAL website more dynamic and interactive for readers, buyers, and viewers.

Being a young publishing company, I think I have to think twice to see where I can fit in and with whom I can work. Optimistically, there is a demand for publishing, so I’m hardly thinking of stopping my journey.

What is your plan to make Eritrean books more available internationally?

One thing I am advocating for is to make Eritrean books more available within international book fairs

Do you think books can play a great role in showcasing Eritrea’s culture and tradition abroad?

Definitely! There is a useful example to mention, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He is a Colombian writer who made his country famous, and his works have been translated into so many languages. I personally read his works in both English and Arabic. Through his name and work, people recognise Colombia and can envision his nation’s history.

Eritreans have so many stories to be told, we have talented people taking the lead, and the intellectual community of Eritrea has a vision in writing their story or conveying that message. Factors like these will make Eritrea well-known globally…through one writer, if not many.

What message would you give to young, aspiring Eritrean writers?

Reading and writing are a fundamental part of education, so I would encourage the creation of book clubs within schools, areas of work, and the community. I’d also encourage them to develop good reading and writing habits. It is not only an individual responsibility but the responsibility of the community, nation and institutions.

Thank you for your time!

My pleasure!