ERITREA: US Embassy misrepresents Eritrean Americans

ERITREA: US Embassy misrepresents Eritrean Americans (DH)
Sofia Tesfamariam

Over the years, we have seen how some misguided individuals and groups (humanitarian NGOs) have abused the magnanimity and hospitality of the Government and people of Eritrea and have engaged in activities designed to weaken Eritrea, undermine its budding institutions, undermine its history, create and manufacture “dissent”, incite student riots, incite “religious conflicts” and more. The corporate media have been used to malign and undermine the Government and people of Eritrea for over 12 years and continue to do so today. Unnamed western “diplomats” in Asmara have made it their raison d’etre to fabricate and disseminate contradictory and exaggerated statements about Eritrea, its people and its leadership. As if that was not enough, today, it is the Eritrean Diaspora, and Eritrean Americans in particular, that are being maligned and insulted.
The latest statement posted on the US Embassy in Eritrea website and the subsequent “Travel Warning” by the Department of State (DoS) is a continuation of its 12 years long vicious, intemperate and xenophobic attack on Eritrea, its people and its leadership.

In its 2 March 2010 “Travel Warning”, the US Department of State shamelessly wrote:

“…U.S. citizens are also cautioned to be aware of anti-U.S. sentiment among Eritrean nationals since UN sanctions were imposed on Eritrea in December 2009. There have been no specific incidents of violence targeting Americans, but anti-UN sanction demonstrations against the United States have occurred. We remind U.S. citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. U.S. citizens are therefore urged to avoid demonstrations, and to exercise caution if within proximity of any demonstrations. U.S. citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times…”

Which US citizens are being warned? Is it Irish Americans? African Americans? Jewish Americans? Kenyan Americans? Jamaican Americans? Tanzanian Americans? Indian-Americans? Iraqi-Americans? Japanese Americans? Ethiopian-Americans? Somali-Americans? Mexican-Americans? Canadian Americans? Who are these US citizens that are being cautioned and why? Has the US State Department issued similar warnings when other groups have demonstrated in protest of US policies? What do the US engineered sanctions against the people and government of Eritrea have to do with the American people? It is not as if the American people held a referendum on it. They didn’t.

This is the work of a handful of incompetent US diplomats who have abused the powers of their positions to craft such hostile policies against the people of Eritrea. As US citizens, it is not just our right to protest, but also our duty to call out such injustices that do not promote US interest in the region and do more harm than good. Resorting to xenophobia to cover up US mistakes in the Horn of Africa is ill-advised and dangerous. Instead of inventing problems where there are none, and engaging in unnecessary fear mongering, and acting like bullies in the school playground, it is high time that the US played a more constructive leadership role in Africa.

The contributions to America by Eritrean Americans in the fields of medicine, education, science, and business have been well-documented and such xenophobic remarks by the US State Department, designed to undermine Eritrean Americans and misrepresent them is totally unwarranted. The DoS Travel Warning on Eritrea is another veiled attempt at intimidation and harassment of Eritrean Americans, to silence them and prevent them from exposing the incoherent US policies for Africa in general and the Horn of Africa in particular and its dangerous consequences for the people of the region. From its cuddling of the dictatorial minority regime in Ethiopia led by Meles Zenawi, to its disastrous polices in Somalia, US intervention is fueling the fire that is raging and engulfing the entire region.

As for staying “current with media coverage of local events”, that is laughable. What coverage is the US State Department talking about? Over 6700 media outlets were notified and contacted in the Washington, DC metro area, including all the major news networks and newspapers in the nation’s capital, and none showed up. I wonder why? The only western media mention came from Jeremy Clarke, a journalist in Asmara reporting for Reuters. The only reason Clarke even mentioned the demonstrations is because he was reporting on the childish and incoherent tantrums coming from the US Embassy in Asmara.
If anything was exposed in these world wide demonstrations, it is the absolute absence of independent media in the world today-especially in the US. For their credit, some French and English media covered the rallies held in Geneva, Switzerland. The US media was totally absent…probably another US State Department gag order. Let us not insult the people’s intelligence by pretending there is media that will report on rallies that oppose corporate America’s interests. The absent media decided to rear their ugly heads the very next day. There was a flurry of “alerts” and “press statements” from the cartel. When I checked to see what the hot news was about, it turned out to be a story about “Christians” in a remote village in Eritrea…they can’t report on something that is happening right under their noses, and yet they want us to believe a report about something happening thousands of miles away …

The US State Department must know that this was not a “twitter” demonstration; it was not about promoting hate or anarchy, it was about calling for justice and peace and educating the American public and lawmakers about Eritrea and its people. It was a call for change in US policy that is creating havoc in the Horn region. It was a widely publicized demonstration and even the US State Department was notified well in advance. Congress.org in its list of upcoming rallies clearly articulated the reasons for the demonstrations. It said:

“…Feb. 22: The Organization of Eritrean Americans expects 5,000 people to rally from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in front of the White House to protest sanctions against the African state of Eritrea…”

There are no anti-US sentiments amongst Eritrean nationals and Eritreans have never ever targeted any Americans for the policies pursued by their governments. Even during the 30 year armed struggle, as Eritrean men, women and children were being massacred and as Eritrean villages were being pulverized with napalm and cluster bombs, Eritreans living in the US conducted peaceful rallies. Eritrean Americans have fought against US injustices for decades and have done so peacefully, and have never harmed any US citizen while doing so.

The 22 February 2010 rally is one of over 38 peaceful rallies held in Washington, DC in the last 30 years. Instead of insulting Eritrean Americans, the Obama Administration ought to take a second look and ask why US Policies in the Horn of Africa have failed, and how the lies, arrogance and their inability to admit and correct mistakes made by its lazy and vindictive diplomats have compromised US policy and created havoc in the lives of Africans. They ought to be preventing wars, not instigating them. They ought to be preserving life, not destroying it. They ought to be supporting development, not thwarting it. Using the Security Council to sanction nations that do not conform to, or toe Washington’s incoherent policies is a violation of international law. Security Council Resolution 1907 is a violation of international law and will not bring peace, stability or security to the Horn region. It will instead embolden the minority regime in Ethiopia to commit more heinous crimes against the people of the region.

While it is surprising, but interesting nonetheless, to see the US Embassy in Eritrea taking an interest in the activities of Eritrean Americans in the United States, I am writing today to call on them to apologize for the misleading and inaccurate statements posted on the US Embassy website. The Embassy may have gotten away with misrepresenting the Government and people of Eritrea with its in-country reports that it churns out, but its misrepresentation of Eritrean Americans in the United States will not be ignored or go unchallenged.

For whatever reasons, the US Embassy in Eritrea went to great lengths to insult Eritrean Americans and those who came to protest against the unjust, unfair and illegal US/UN sanctions. The diverse group of Eritrean-Americans, amongst who were college professors, IT specialists, engineers, medical doctors, nurses and students from all grades, including post graduate students and many others are proud Eritrean Americans who can smell injustice a mile away. It is an insult to these exemplary citizens of the United States to belittle their efforts, their intelligence and their patriotism.

In its photo caption on the Eritrean American demonstrations in Washington, DC, the Embassy reported the number of participants as being 1500, when in fact the number of those who participated in the extraordinary 22 February 2010 demonstrations was in the tens of thousands. If the US Embassy in Eritrea can produce such an erroneous statement about an event witnessed by thousands of ordinary Americans in Washington, DC, an event which was conducted in front of the White House where President Obama was meeting with US governors, where the secret service and White House staff saw and recorded with their own eyes and ears, what does it say about the accuracy, credibility and integrity of its in-country reports produced in Eritrea?

The US Park Police and others, who are better equipped to determine the size of the crowd, have determined it to be ten fold more than that of the numbers presented by the US Embassy in Eritrea. The 107000 petitions singed and presented to the US State Department also belie the Embassy’s misrepresentation of the historical demonstrations and its participants. In addition, the live coverage of the historic events and the many reports from the participants, the pictures and the videos that are now available on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social networking sites contradict the US Embass’s report. What did it accomplish? It is these kinds of deliberate and malicious embellishment of the facts that has eroded US credibility in the region, and US-Eritrea relations in particular.

The real purpose for downplaying the numbers is not lost on Eritrean Americans and others who participated in the historical event. What is lost is the respect that Eritrean Americans had for the staff at the US Embassy in Eritrea, including our Ambassador, as he is ultimately responsible for his Embassy. What is lost is the credibility and integrity of our Embassy in Asmara and those who represent US interests in the region. It is a sign of US diplomacy at its worst and ugliest.

As for the right to protest, I am also not sure what the US Embassy in Eritrea is trying to insinuate, but can take an educated guess. For the record, allow me to share the process that was followed in order for Eritrean Americans and others who participated in the 22 February 2010 demonstrations in Washington, DC had to follow in order to “protest peacefully” against US policy for Eritrea. It is not enough to have a constitution that respects the rights of the people to protest, it is equally important to have citizens that respect and abide by the laws of the country while they protest.

For the record and lest Eritrean Americans are once again misrepresented by the US State Department and its vindictive diplomats, allow me to share the process that was undertaken to conduct the 22 February 2010 peaceful protest in Washington, DC. Anyone that got the impression that the participants just gathered and went out to protest ought to know the required processes that the Eritrean American community had to go through, to do it.

First of all, a month before the planned demonstrations, an application for a permit had to be filled out with the Department of Interior and the Park Police and provide a detailed itinerary. Details about protest, where it was going to be held, and how many participants were expected, how the event was advertised, and if there were participants coming from out of town etc. were provided. Questions about the kinds of signs, stands, stages, music etc. that were going to be used, exact routes which were to be used (which were changed on the day of the demonstration by the DC metropolitan police, citing traffic problems). After submitting the application, an appointment for a meeting was set with the Park Police and others who are responsible for such activities.

At the meeting, which included various law enforcement agencies, in addition to the exact beginning and ending times of the demonstrations, there were several questions asked including questions about engaging in "civil disobedience", about the number of Marshalls and how they were going to be identified. There were questions about what kind of emergency medical services that were going to be provided and contacts with DC police departments to discuss first aid and other emergency related issues were made. The discussions included the number of buses that would be coming from other states, where they could unload the protesters and where the buses had to park. We were told to notify the bus and rail system about a possible increase in rider ship for that day and maybe even plan for pre-ticketing to allow for smooth service. Once that was completed and had complied fully with all instructions and regulations, the permit was mailed from the Department of Interior.
That was not all. Another permit from the DC Metropolitan police was required. That application had to be submitted at least 15 days prior to the planed event. The Organizing Committee submitted its application 22 days in advance. Again, we had to document what the demonstrations were about and how many people were going to attend. Once again, we had to detail the exact time the event was going to begin, where the protestors where going to gather, when it was going to end and where the disbanding was going to take place. We also had to let them know how the protestors were going to leave the area once the protest was over. An almost repeat of the process with the Park Police, the only difference being that there was no meeting following the submission of the application. The permit was granted after fulfilling all the required regulations and laws.

Securing our permits did not mean we were free to do as we please. We were monitored and watched by law enforcement officials throughout the day. On the day of the demonstration, outside the White House, we were asked to show our permits several times, interrogated to find out what we were doing, why we were protesting and given instructions as to what was allowed and what was not allowed at Lafayette Park and in the area in front of the White House. We were told about what kinds of noise makers we were allowed to use, such as bull horns for instructions to the participants and the number of protestors that would be allowed on the White House side walks. Each and every instruction was respected and followed.

On the way to the US State Department and at the US State Department, we were again asked to show our permits and were met by US State Department police who gave us more instructions about where we were going to be allowed to gather, where we could set up our stage, cameras etc. etc. The protesters abided by all the rules and regulations. There was music and dancing and posed absolutely no threats to their fellow Americans, as the protest was against US policy and its crafters. The American public was supportive and along the way, several honked their Horns in a show of solidarity with their fellow Americans. Many stopped to take pictures of the colorful event and received and read the flyers that were distributed. After the presentation of the 107000 petitions to US officials, the participants disbanded peacefully and in an orderly fashion, without disrupting traffic or infringing on the rights of their fellow Americans.

The rallies held simultaneously in Geneva, Washington, San Francisco and Melbourne on 22 February 2010 were held in protest of Security Council Resolution 1907 which seeks to divert attention away from the crimes committed by the US-backed Ethiopian invasion and occupation of Somalia and the humanitarian disaster that it has created. Eritrea has no bone in that fight. Despite what Susan E. Rice tells the gullible western media, this sanction was masterminded by her team and those who have an axe to grind with Eritrea. This is not an “African Initiative” and with the exception of Meles Zenawi, the leader of the mercenary minority regime in Ethiopia on whose behalf she acted, no self respecting African would engage in such activity against another African. Leave Africans out of this and show the evidence against Eritrea, instead of insulting people and creating conflicts where there are none

As I said above, I am not sure why the US Embassy in Eritrea decided to comment about the latest Eritrean American activity in the US. It is a shame that the Embassy in Asmara chooses to engage in such childish and hollow theatrics and deliberate misinformation. Nothing the US Embassy in Eritrea can write or say will diminish the show of Eritrean unity and the dignity of those who participated in that historic event. Lying to instigate conflict and create havoc in the lives of innocent peoples never was, and is not, in the Eritrean nature. On the contrary, Eritrea has gone the extra mile to bring the peoples of the Horn together, to work for peace, stability and development. As the saying goes in Tigrinya-hasika seb tiariQ ember, hasika seb aytebaEsin-I am sure US Embassy can find translators who can provide the appropriate translation…

The un-diplomatic behavior of the US Embassy in Eritrea diminishes US integrity and credibility, not to mention US' reputation in the region. It is a disservice to the American people who deserve to know the truth about the peaceful activities of their fellow Americans. It is mean-spirited and undiplomatic to stir trouble, incite hatred and threaten the well being of Eritrean Americans by misrepresenting their just cause and their peaceful pursuit of justice and truth. The US Embassy in Eritrea ought to apologize to Eritrean Americans for the erroneous and racist remarks.