Call to rescue Eritrea from covid-19 and more!
(Dr Berhane Woldemichael – 28-03-2020)

Dear compatriots,

We are seeing calls to contribute and fight covid-19 in Eritrea. I know some of these calls are being made with good heart thinking that help will reach our people BUT let us pause here and ask; will such help really benefit our people? Well, sadly, I do not think so and I would like to call on compatriots NOT to engage in such fruitless exercises: because –

1. There has never been a lack of cash in Eritrea. Let us remind ourselves how some international banks are awash with money originating from Eritrea and held in individual accounts. It is now open knowledge that the leader of the regime in Eritrea, Mr Isaias Afewerki, is the sixth richest person in Africa.

By the way, it has been said many times that the regime in Eritrea lacks legitimacy by every measure. No need of reminding Eritreans that the regime there is in power by exercising brute force and applies a banditry system with no accountability. In short, since the definition of a government is a political leadership formed by the free will of people, it follows then that Eritrea does not have a government. Eritrea is the only country in the world that operates with no discernible national income and hence no budgetary allocations and no verifiable expenditures. Do Eritreans in the diaspora know where the 2% tax contribution they have been making has gone to? For what we know, it all went to enrich the coffers of the PFDJ leaders.

2. I would have thought we all know that the regime does not care about the wellbeing of the Eritrean people. Over and above the many Eritreans that are leaving the country, only God knows the numbers (but believed to be large) of Eritreans that are languishing from cancerous and other diseases as a result of consuming expired food items provided by the regime as a monopoly trader.

So, we can advise our people to be cautious of covid-19 but sending money to the regime will make no difference to their wellbeing.

Finally, caution needs to be exercised too as the regime will no doubt use the current situation to sew discord and confusion among justice seekers. Therefore, the best help Eritreans in the diaspora can do for their people is speed up bringing an end to the current ‘shifta’ regime.

Dr. Berhane Woldemichael
28-03-2020