Mereja.Forum

A member of our diaspora community who recently visited Ethiopia shared the following observation with me, which I am posting with their permission.

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I just got back from Finfinnee after spending two months there for family reasons. Honestly, the energy in the city feels off. People are nervous, and there’s a lot of tension. Everyone seems afraid of each other, like they can’t trust even their own neighbors or friends.

There’s no real unity—it’s more like groups sticking together only to talk down about others. A lot of people are focused on who’s doing what, especially when it comes to politics or influence. They exaggerate small things and turn them into big drama, especially when it’s about certain individuals.

Everything seems to revolve around cliques. If you’re not in the right group, you’re blocked from making progress. One side won’t let the other move forward. It’s like everyone’s pulling each other down instead of working together.

At the same time, some people from the diaspora are living comfortably. They talk a lot about how Ethiopia is improving and moving forward, but most of that talk feels like they’re trying to convince themselves more than anything. On the ground, it’s a different story.

The truth is: you can’t get anything done unless you pay someone at every step of the process. Whether it’s paperwork, business, or getting services, corruption is everywhere. People are forced to pay bribes just to get basic things done.

It’s frustrating and sad. The system is broken, and too many people are pretending like things are fine, when in reality, it’s just a big mess.

Some of our diaspora friends were treated like VIPs while we were in town. The big names were clearly happy we showed up—they were showing off their luxury lifestyle and a little bit of the pseudo-power they’ve been given, especially at offices like the Biiroo Tajaajiila Diaspora (Diaspora Service Bureau). It was kind of funny, honestly.

Most of these diaspora individuals were never particularly successful at making the most of their lives—even when they were living abroad. Many of them were never entrepreneurs, nor did they truly understand how to build or manage wealth. Now, they’re being handed small favors—like scraps thrown to keep them loyal—just to create the illusion that those who support the system are getting ahead. They might be flipping a few plots of land here and there, but truthfully, I don’t think they have real confidence in the system to build anything lasting or meaningful. They’re trying hard to impress us and push a message: that Ethiopia isn’t as bad as Jawar and others make it seem on social media. They want us to go back and tell the rest of the diaspora that things are improving.

What’s more revealing is that many members of the diaspora who haven’t aligned themselves with the system are actually making far more tangible progress than the so-called “Farse Bula.” Many of those trying to project influence are simply using their social media following to get closer to government circles—but ironically, that strategy often backfires. The system doesn’t truly trust them. And the moment they change sides, they lose the credibility and value that made them stand out in the first place. Prior to going there- one of our mutual good friend has connected me to few local go getters- the way they making fun of diasporas in the system is crazy if not sad. They are investing, clicks, likes and shares instead of dollar.

To be honest with you, with all his naivety I feel like the dude [Abiy] does want to change Ethiopia—but he’s trying to copy other countries without being able to change the people around him. And that’s the real problem: the people around him don’t belong in those offices. They’re not qualified to lead real change. I was deeply saddened to see how people with little understanding or qualification were abusing their positions of power—even while we were simply trying to get basic things done in their offices. The whole system feels like it’s just wearing a mask.

Under UNCLOS, landlocked states have the right to secure access to and from the sea for the purpose of enjoying freedom of transit, through negotiation with transit states, but this does not include ownership or control of maritime ports.

― (UNCLOS: Articles 125–127)

Ethiopia’s use of the phrase “access to the sea”, should not be misunderstood or deliberately conflated with a right to control or own maritime ports in neighboring coastal states.

Once again, under UNCLOS, landlocked states like Ethiopia have the right to «negotiate» freedom of transit to and from the sea, but this does not include any «entitlement» to territorial access, control, or ownership of ports in transit state.

Eritrea’s foreign policy rejects coercive/exploitative relations. It is based on aligning with those who can engage on the basis of shared future. There is no talking with backstabbers or ideological saboteurs, only for partners who value mutual respect and sovereign equality.

Who'se the slave of Egypt, now?

Ethiopia’s been a puppet to foreign masters for so long, they think it’s normal. Eritrea gets sanctioned to hell not because it’s weak - but because it refuses the strings. If Eritrea - with its strategic location - ever chose puppetry, half these lapdogs wouldn’t even get a seat at any international table.

OPINION
Who Gets to Tell the Story?

A Critical Look at The Sentry’s Report on Eritrea

By: SETIT

https://setit.org/who-gets-to-tell-the-story/

19 hours ago



A new report from The Sentry titled “Power and Plunder” claims to uncover the truth about the Eritrean Defense Forces’ role in the Tigray conflict. But behind the headlines lies a deeply flawed narrative that demands scrutiny.



As Eritrea and Tigray begin a delicate process of reconciliation, this report drops into the international conversation at a suspiciously convenient moment. Families are reuniting. Borders are opening. People-to-people ties are being restored after years of devastating war. And just when there’s real movement toward lifting long-standing sanctions on Eritrea, a dramatic 70-page dossier appears, portraying the Eritrean Defense Forces not just as participants in war, but as central villains.

Setit Media reviewed the report in full. Our conclusion: this is not an objective investigation. It is a politically charged narrative designed to derail regional peace and maintain Eritrea’s diplomatic isolation.

The People Behind The Sentry

The Sentry was co-founded by Hollywood actor George Clooney and John Prendergast, a former adviser to the U.S. National Security Council and State Department. Prendergast, is no neutral observer. He played a central role during the Clinton administration in efforts to pressure Eritrea, during the 1998 to 2000 war with Ethiopia.

This history matters. It shapes the lens through which Eritrea is viewed. When the same figures who spent years attempting to weaken Eritrea are now producing reports calling for sanctions and criminal investigations, the conflict of interest is too large to ignore.

A One-Sided Narrative

The report accuses the Eritrean Defense Forces of committing atrocities, including mass killings, sexual violence, looting, and cross-border smuggling. It names individuals, outlines alleged command structures, and recommends targeted sanctions and prosecutions.

What it does not do, is place any significant responsibility on the other armed actors involved in the Tigray conflict.

There is minimal discussion of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which launched the war in November 2020, is barely mentioned. There is no serious acknowledgment of the TPLF’s use of child soldiers, attacks on civilians, or its own documented war economy.

This selective focus undermines the credibility of the report. War crimes must be investigated wherever they occur, not only where it is politically convenient.

The “Woyane” Misdirection

One telling example of misrepresentation is the report’s claim that Eritrean officials have used derogatory language toward the Tigrayan people, citing the term “Woyane” as proof.

This is false and misleading.

“Woyane”, is the term used by the TPLF itself. It is not an ethnic insult. Eritrean state rhetoric targets the TPLF as a political and military organization, not the people of Tigray. By collapsing this distinction, the report seeks to portray political opposition as ethnic hatred.

This is not a mistake. It is a calculated tactic to frame Eritrea as ethnically hostile, thereby justifying the continued international pressure and sanctions.

Timing and Intent

This report did not emerge in a vacuum. It was released just as momentum builds toward peace between Eritrea and Tigray. Public support for reconciliation is rising on both sides of the border. There is growing international consideration for lifting sanctions on Eritrea.

The report’s timing is deliberate. It seeks to disrupt this progress, to reopen wounds, and to freeze Eritrea’s diplomatic rehabilitation. Rather than supporting peace, it attempts to halt it.

What the Report Ignores

The Sentry’s report avoids critical questions. It does not explore the foreign role in fueling the conflict. It ignores evidence of TPLF involvement in regional smuggling networks. It remains silent on the ENDF’s use of drones and artillery in civilian areas. And it completely omits discussion of Western surveillance or intelligence operations during the war.

This silence is not accidental. It is strategic. It frames the EDF as uniquely violent and criminal, while shielding other actors from equal scrutiny.

Eritrea’s Real Crime: Independence

It must be said plainly. Eritrea’s greatest offense in the eyes of many Western institutions is not what it did in the Tigray conflict. It is the fact that it operates outside of U.S. military influence, rejects AFRICOM presence, and maintains a foreign policy free from dependency.

This independence is treated not as sovereignty, but as defiance. And The Sentry’s report reflects this hostility.

What We Stand For

Setit Media is not here to excuse war crimes or whitewash any side’s actions. If abuses occurred, they must be investigated transparently and fairly.

But we reject one-sided narratives produced by organizations with clear institutional bias, backed by funders who have long opposed Eritrea’s sovereignty.

Accountability must be led by Africans. Peace must be rooted in truth, not manipulation. And justice cannot be built on propaganda.

Final Reflection

The war in Tigray devastated lives. No one comes out untouched. But we must resist attempts to turn that pain into a weapon. The people of Eritrea and Tigray deserve healing. They deserve dialogue. They deserve to tell their own stories, on their own terms.

Reports like The Sentry’s do not help. They distort. They divide. And they delay peace.

We encourage all readers, journalists, diplomats, and concerned citizens to ask the most important question of all: Who benefits from this narrative, and who is being silenced?



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HoA TV / Full documentary - Why Eritrea? ስለምንታይ ኤርትራ?

General
Statement by Mr. Habtom Zerai in Response to Ethiopia’s Explanation on UNHRC Resolution

https://shabait.com/2025/07/08/statemen ... esolution/

Jul 8, 2025



Statement Delivered by Mr. Habtom Zerai, Chargé d’affaires at the Permanent Mission of Eritrea to the United Nations in reply to Ethiopia’s Explanation of the Vote before the Vote during the Presentation of Resolution A/HRC/59/L.7. Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea.

Ethiopia’s diatribe that alludes to

an extraordinary situation

and accuses Eritrea of posing a threat to

its sovereignty, national security, human rights, and humanitarian obligations,

is duplicitous in substance and stands in stark contrast to its own past actions and statements.

This inconsistency, unfortunately, insults the memory and collective intelligence of the Council.

Allow me to remind the Council of certain pertinent facts:

1. Exactly one year ago, Ethiopia urged for the immediate termination of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate, asserting that it obstructed constructive dialogue and cooperation.

2. For nearly 20 years, successive Ethiopian regimes illegally occupied sovereign Eritrean territories in flagrant violation of international law, the UN Charter, and the EEBC’s final and binding decision. The 2018 Peace Declaration, was in fact signed only after the current Ethiopian regime pledged and agreed to adhere to international law and implement fully the EEBC decision.

3. When Ethiopia stood on the precipice of utter State collapse four years ago, Eritrea supported it unreservedly for reasons of regional stability as well as its own imperatives of self-defense. That historical reality cannot be distorted, diminished or disregarded now for contemporary political expediency.

4. As we speak, Eritrean forces remain strictly within their internationally recognized borders. Claims to the contrary are false and maliciously designed to ignite and rationalize conflict.

5. Over the past two years, Ethiopia has openly and repeatedly expressed its intention to seize Eritrean ports,

legally, if possible, and militarily if necessary.

The recent rhetoric about “human rights” and “national security” are attempts to cover-up this overtly unlawful and irredentist ambition, whose variants also threaten Somalia and Djibouti.

6. Indeed, Ethiopia’s macabre drumbeats form part of a broader destabilizing agenda marked by explicit threats, illicit arms buildup, and subversive regional activities that undermine regional peace and security.

Mr. President, we call on this Council to see this transparent charade for what it is: a calculated, desperate, campaign to scapegoat Eritrea, to divert international and domestic attention from their own spiraling, self-inflicted crises—deepening political fragmentation, widespread civil unrest, and erosion of its legitimacy.

Thank you.

Friends,

I’m attaching the cover of my new history book on Eritrea, which includes a Preface written by the Eritrean Ambassador to Italy, Pietros Fessahazion, whom I warmly thank for his kind cooperation.

The book is titled “La partita Eritrea (1941–1952)” and will soon be distributed by the publishing house Anteo.

This essay highlights a story that few ever tell, drawing also on recently declassified sources.

Eritrea, Italy’s “first colony,” became a pawn on the international chessboard in the post–World War II period. It was sacrificed at the United Nations to the ambitions of Britain and the United States, in violation of the international principles of peoples’ right to self-determination.

According to UN Resolution 390A(V), Eritrea was “federated” with Ethiopia in 1952, and then unilaterally annexed in 1962, in clear violation of international provisions. The result was that Eritrea and its people had to fight for 30 years to reclaim what had been unjustly taken from them.

May the memory of those years serve as a lesson for future generations and for all who care about the future of the Horn of Africa.

The book also includes an appendix covering the "La partita Eritrea" that is still playing out today.

Thank you for your attention.

Warm regards to all.

― Alessandro Pellegatta (Author)