As the clock approaches mid night on Thursday December 31, 2009 to herald a New Year and New Decade on January 1^st 2010, Eritreans in Frankfurt and around the world will celebrate the birth of a new political force. The new political entity will be a nationalist force composed of independent individuals, former EPP (inclusive of Gash-Setit), EDP and EPM ...

 *****************************************

From a successful 2009 to a promising 2010

2009 began with a successful launch of Citizens for Democratic Rights in Eritrea (CDRiE); a worldwide civic movement that is already playing active and noticeable role demanding social justice, democracy and rule of law in Eritrea. CDRiE envisions achieving these noble goals through peaceful civil resistance.

The activities of CDRiE for 2009 included the visible participation in a landmark event: the successful Brussels Conference held in Brussels - Belgium on November 9 and 10, 2009. The Conference brought together EU and US officials alongside European NGOs, Eritrean Civil Society activists and politicians. The success of this historic event heralded a new dawn in the struggle for human and political rights in Eritrea.

The conference was also an opportunity to further expose the deviant nature of the pfdj regime despite the failed attempt by Mr. Girma Asmerom , the Eritrean ambassador to the EU,  to win over European and International public opinion.  The ambassador’s interviews with European media and his attempts to describe Eritrea as on track towards development and food self-sufficiency has failed to hide the reality on the ground, which includes unprecedented exodus of refugees – about 4000 people a month - from Eritrea to neighbouring countries and beyond.

The Conference also brought to light an unexpected force that has been working in the dark. Instigated by some incorrect and premature cyber media reports, some opportunist elements within and outside EDA were successful in trapping the Chairperson of the EDA Executive Committee to endorse a statement written in haste in English, claimed to be a translated version of some Tigrigna notes of an EDA meeting, designed to cause maximum damage to the Brussels Conference. Although this act failed to achieve its ill-conceived objective of stopping the Conference from taking place or to damage the credibility and integrity of the participants, the contents of the statement itself and the subsequent insistence of the authors and signatories of the infamous “EDA” statement to justify their unjustifiable act have become a blessing in disguise for Girma Asmerom and his bosses at the pfdj helm. It meant the pfdj did not have to fight to win over Eritrean Diaspora public opinion. The misguided and self-serving elements have taken it on themselves to do the campaign, while letting the pfdj emissaries to focus on the international public opinion.

The Brussels Conference was followed by more engaging meetings and conferences that culminated in the “Peace Conference” held in London on 18 and 19 December 2009. This Conference, organised by Eritreans, brought together Eritreans from different walks of life, faith and regions. They discussed the importance of peace, regional economic inter-dependence and the need to work towards peaceful resolutions of conflicts in the Horn of Africa.

As the clock approaches mid night on Thursday December 31, 2009 to herald a New Year and New Decade on January 1^st 2010, Eritreans in Frankfurt and around the world will celebrate the birth of a new political force. The new political entity will be a nationalist force composed of independent individuals, former EPP (inclusive of Gash-Setit), EDP and EPM who have worked tirelessly to realise a total merger based on clear national political program that incorporates our people’s aspirations for the restoration of their land, property, cultural and political rights, promotion of constitutionally decentralised form of governance, and defense of group and human rights of individual citizens and minorities. This new party is expected to play a qualitative role in the struggle for change towards inclusive democracy by unifying and leading all pro-democracy forces and individuals towards a united and democratic Eritrea.

Arkokabay.com would like to seize this opportunity to wish the new Eritrean political force, Eritrean civic and political activists and the Eritrean people at large a Peaceful, Happy and Fruitful 2010.

May we see an immediate end to tyranny and a new birth of a Peaceful, Just, and Democratic Eritrea in 2010!!

Arkokabay Team

December 2009

Comments (0) >>

Write comment

Name

Email

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment