Humanitarian Disaster in Eritrea

We may never know the final count, but thousands of our compatriots will die of hunger and malnutrition by the end of this year. A report released by the United Nations on 6 April 2005 once more warned that a humanitarian disaster is looming in Eritrea where two-thirds of the population is in dire need of food aid during 2005. The rate of malnutrition for children under five is 15% -swinging up to 19% in worst hit areas - while 30-60% of adult women suffer of malnourishment in a country where 40% of the families are female-headed.

The reporting agency said that the recurrent drought and the protracted stalemate in the peace process with Ethiopia are the main causes of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Eritrea. However, we at Nharnet.com see the drought and the border problem only as aggravating factors, and not the main causes of the humanitarian disaster in Eritrea. The humanitarian disaster is caused by the erroneous policies of the militarist dictatorship of Isayas Afeworki and cronies that caused the total isolation of our country and people from its neighbourhood and the world at large.

Think of what happened to the once prosperous Iraqis under Saddam Hussein. It was true that Iraq was affected by the UN sanctions after 1991, but much worse damage to the economic and social fabric in Iraq was caused by the now defunct regime’s self-imposed isolation from its neighbours. It was the self-isolation that pauperized the entire population by reducing the living condition of Iraqis to much below poverty line.

During most parts of the late 20^th century, Iraq was totally cut from all neighbours: Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Turkey. The only access with the rest of the world for Iraqis (if they ever could obtain an exit visa) was the 1,000-km Baghdad-Amman desert road to Jordan; and that road was hardly suitable for commerce, trade and smuggling. Simply put, it was impossible for Iraqis to engage in border trade with neighbouring countries. In a word, Iraq’s self-imposed embargo - i.e. isolation from its neighbours - was worse than the UN-imposed sanctions in deteriorating the humanitarian situation in that country under the oppressive and belligerent policies of dictator Saddam Hussein.

Eritreans are living under a similar situation. Drought or no drought, the hardworking Eritreans could have found solutions to their economic needs and Eritrea’s bread earners could have continued to win the daily bread by trading across the borders, as done always before, or by providing needed services and skills to their fraternal cousins on the other side of the border. But the other side of the border – to the Sudan, to Ethiopia, to Djibouti and to Yemen – had been shut on the face of our people because of the rogue regime that misruled “liberated” Eritrea since 1991. Drought is, unfortunately, a recurrent mishap in the region but our people had many coping mechanisms to survive under difficult years. But today they are denied all the old and well proven coping mechanisms because of the wrong policies of the tyrannical regime.

Next to Eritrea’s isolation from neighbours as cause to the humanitarian crisis comes the forced conscription of its able-bodied 300,000 persons currently held hostage by the regime for the continuation of its senseless wars and “national service” projects that have nothing to do in serving the best interest of the nation.

The unfortunate occurrence of prolonged drought worsened the living condition of our people but that is not the main cause. The coming of abundant rains in the upcoming rainy season in Eritrea will not end the suffering of our people. Abundant rainfall will not end the political isolation of our country from its neighbours and other countries and organizations.

Rains will not stop Isayas and his PFDJ from denying Eritreans the rule of law, human rights, unity, harmony, justice, peace and prosperity. All these aspirations of our people will be realized only when the PFDJ and Isayas, our small Saddam Hussein, are removed from power by the Eritrean people – and not the way it was done in Iraq – and replaced by a democratic government of the people. And no doubt, that day is about to come very soon!!

Nharnet Team.

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