UN Human Rights Commission on Eritrea Making a mockery of Human Rights
UN Human Rights Commission on Eritrea Making a mockery of Human Rights
Amanuel Biedemariam
The number of Iraqi and Syrian refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) has reached staggering proportions. Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, according to various agencies and UNHCR, 3.8 million Iraqis were displaced from their homes and escaped to neighboring countries. In 2013, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that the number of Syrian refugees topped 1, 204, 707 people.2
The influx is considered as the “largest displacement crisis in the Middle East since 1948.” An estimated more than 1 million Iraqis in Syria, 450,000–500,000 in Jordan, 200,000 in the Gulf States, 50,000 in Lebanon, 40,000–60,000 in Egypt, 60,000 in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and another 10,000 in Turkey.3 These numbers were recorded prior to the civil war of Syria 2011.
Large numbers of Syrian refugees have entered Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan accounting for considerable spike on the percentages of the overall population-size. In Jordan over 200,000 Syrian refugees have added 4-5% to the total population. According to UNHCR, the number of refugees in Lebanon is estimated over1.3 million.4 These numbers represent the dire situation in Syria and Iraq that created one of the biggest areas of instability and it is feared to stretch into the neighboring countries.
Services in host countries are being stretched thin. Traditional relief aid can no longer sustain the needs of these refugees. Countless children are growing in refugee centers without education or future. The sheer size of the refugee populations are creating major economic, security, and logistical challenges for host countries.
The dire situation in the host countries is pushing the Syrian and Iraqi refugees into even more desperate situations. Thousands are taking-on the Mediterranean Sea to get into Europe or other places. As result countless lives are lost at sea. The question, how is the US and Europe, major culprits to the crisis, handling these dire humanitarian situations?
Europe is squeezed and wants to avoid the influx. They want to ensure that these refugees are returned to their home countries regardless of the dire conditions that exist in their home countries. They do not want to see Europe turn into a refugee concentration hub from Africa and the Middle East. The numbers of refugees seeking asylum is considered to be beyond what the social structures can handle. In 2014 alone, 436,000 refugees asked for asylum in Europe. Germany is expecting to get over 400,000 asylum applications in 2015. 5
Unable to get a handle, EU has introduced a quota system that created division within the EU countries that do not want to take the burden from countries in the edges of the Mediterranean Sea such as Italy.
These numbers however represent only the tip of the iceberg. The situation in Africa is far worse in many respects. Africans are flocking to Libya to enter into Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. The irony is the refugee crisis is just in the beginning stages. As instability in the Middle East and Africa escalates more and more refugees are going to attempt to escape dire situations in their home countries.
These problems are results of centuries of Western dominated policies that undermined African and Middle Eastern countries and, crippled their abilities to function as nations to the point of total collapse. Libya, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali and others are examples of countries that have regressed due to direct European and US interferences. Until now Africans have not eyed Europe as destination to escape dire circumstances in their home countries. That has changed dramatically.
Eritrean Regime Change Agenda and Its Fallout
In pursuit of regime change agenda in Eritrea, uncharacteristically, Europe started to grant asylum to anyone that claimed to be Eritrean. This is a ploy to deny a nation core population group that is vital for nation building and defense by encouraging massive youth flight which will lead to a destabilization and ultimately dissolve Eritrea as a nation. This is part of a grand scheme designed to suffocate and strangulate Eritrea at various levels that include UN sanctions, diplomatic isolation, economic strangulation, while under constant military threats from Ethiopia.
It is undeniable fact that Eritreans have left their country to seek better life in Europe, US and Canada encouraged by quick asylum to anyone that claimed to be Eritrean. In the process, Europe inadvertently enticed Africans to seek refuge in Europe, and opened the Pandora’s Box that unleashed new wave of African refugees. As a result, youth from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan including some from West African countries have been granted political asylum as Eritreans. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from Africa and Middle East have been attempting to get into Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. The focus however, has been Eritreans. By design, the influx was sold as Eritrea specific. Why?
This is long-standing process designed by the US to use human rights to further the regime change agenda by different means. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Eritrea was set up in 2012 to make a case against the government of Eritrea. The three year process was designed to hatch indictment against the government of Eritrea for gross human rights violations and take Eritrea’s leaders to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as party to crimes against Humanity.
According to the report, thousands of Eritreans have left their country to escape mandatory National/Military service. Thence, personal accounts of these countless refugees were compiled to make a case against the government of Eritrea. These are refugees determined to get asylum by saying what the rapporteur wanted to record. The exaggerated inflated numbers of Eritrean refugees is also designed to create a sense of urgency. However, if these numbers where true that would have meant that Eritrea is devoid of anyone that could defend the nation by now. That also means that the government has collapsed because there is no one that could defend the nation.
A Shift
Until very recent, Europe followed US lead against their national interests. Continuous crisis in the Middle East and instability in Africa is making Europe re-consider their stances. Europe is a direct recipient of the fallout in Africa and the Middle East. Expanded instability in Africa could mean the escalation of refugee crisis that can absorb European countries and ultimately lead to instability.
Eritrea is anchor state. Eritrea is a key country that, if, crisis is to emerge it will directly lead to instability in Ethiopia, Sudan and ultimately the neighboring countries. Eritrea’s significance is far reaching and instability could exacerbate not only the human calamities but it will also lead to economic hardship in many European countries because Eritrea sits in one of the major waterways of the world that contribute to global economic stability which includes flow of significant Saudi oil. Hence, the economic consequences will be significant. Furthermore, Eritrea is endowed with resources that Europe needs and, the prevailing stability in Eritrea is inviting to Europeans that find Eritrea attractive for business, tourism and mining.
These realities are pushing Europe away from US policies and they are focusing on finding ways to support their ailing economies and create jobs. Most of the countries that granted asylum to those that claimed to have fled Eritrean national service are now forced to retract their asylum review process based on Danish authorities’ report that went to Eritrea and did extensive research.
The 79 page report called, “Eritrea: Drivers and Root Causes of Emigration, National Service and the Possibility of Return”6 which concluded that Eritrean migrants aren’t refugees is now the blueprint that Europe uses to deny asylum. Most European countries and others are adopting the report to make asylum decisions with the hopes to stem the flow of refugees and have reestablished business and bilateral ties with Eritrea.
Making a Mockery of Human Rights
The crisis in Syria has sent millions to neighboring countries seeking refuge. For all the Syria noise that the Obama Administration makes, since the start of the crisis in 2011, only 500 Syrians have been granted asylum in the US to date. To the contrary Eritreans are granted asylums by the thousands to be encouraged to flee their homes.
The UN Human Rights Commission on Eritrea is therefore not interested in justice or Human Rights. It is a mechanism by which countries are destabilized. The US administration’s model of creating and managing crisis has reached levels that no one can control. Europe just arrived to that realization and is seeking for alternate ways to stabilize the regions.
UN Human Rights Commission on Eritrea is falsely trying to create human rights violations where none exist. This is done with the ICC in mind. However, the African Union has dealt a blow to the ICC and made it irrelevant when they disregarded the appeals of “humanitarian NGO’s” to arrest President Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan in South Africa during the AU summit. According to the African National Congress,
“ The fact that compliance with the prescripts of the International Criminal Court is voluntary and countries can chose whether to be signatory or not, means that gross human rights violations committed by non-signatory countries go unpunished.” Dick Cheney, George Bush and David Blair come to mind.
Conclusion
The regime change agenda by war using Ethiopia failed. Supported by the US administration, Ethiopia is still occupying sovereign Eritrean territories and holding the people Eritrea hostage. The International community is downplaying this gross injustice and human rights violation. The UN sanctions imposed by the Obama administration is yet another human rights violation that denies inalienable right to defend a nation and created undo economic hardship based on fabricated reason in a process that undermines international justice. This recent Human Rights Commission report is a continuation.
The people of Eritrea have shown, not only that they can they fight schemes hatched by the west, but they have also shown that they are capable to reverse Western actions. The Independence of Eritrea attests to that. The people of Eritrea have stood toe to toe and foiled all attempts to annul Eritrea’s independence and independent path. This report will also fall flat on its face, if it hasn’t already. Because one thing they can not break is the spirit, will, determination and unity of the people based on the foundation the martyrs laid in blood.
ICRC.ORG Iraq’s refugees: ignored and unwanted, Volume 90 Number 869 March 2008
2015 UNHCR country operations profile – Turkey2
2015 UNHCR country operations profile – Jordan3
Sharp increase in Iraqi refugees fleeing ISIS into Jordan and Turkey4
Briefing Notes, 23 September 2014
EU readies for refugee quota plan amid opposition from some members, DW 5/8/20155
UN Human Rights Commission on Eritrea Making a mockery of Human Rights
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Do you mean the regime in Eritrea constructing the country?
ReplyDeleteThe way the playing to destroy the country the regime is responsibly to all the consequences
in Eritrea destroying the hole nation.
Killing and imprisoning Eritreans in shipping containers.
That s why the Eritreans fleeing from their country nothing else.
Fisehaye
Your name id aregawi, mereat agame. stay away from eritrean club.
ReplyDeletePlease go joke with someone else, after independence I went back to Eritrea almost every year and also after the border war. Constant positive change is what I have seen. My family has always been happy and I have seen their lives constantly change for the better, never hear of these mad things that you go on about and if it was tru I am sure my family would have told mine a long time ago. So please go talk out of your backside to someone else. And for the family I have had flee, not because of the lies as such as yours but to make more money, to get rich in the west that is it apart from that they all want to go back now. So what are you saying Fisehaye aka fish stick apart from reading the same old scripts??
ReplyDeleteAjokum deki eriii,
ReplyDeletebetri haki tiketin imber aytisiberin .
AWET NI'HAFASH
"Eritrea is anchor state. Eritrea is a key country that, if, crisis is to emerge it will directly lead to instability in Ethiopia, Sudan and ultimately the neighboring countries. Eritrea’s significance is far reaching and instability could exacerbate not only the human calamities but it will also lead to economic hardship in many European countries because Eritrea sits in one of the major waterways of the world that contribute to global economic stability which includes flow of significant Saudi oil. Hence, the economic consequences will be significant. Furthermore, Eritrea is endowed with resources that Europe needs and, the prevailing stability in Eritrea is inviting to Europeans that find Eritrea attractive for business, tourism and mining." <---- Mr. Beidemariam, take your meds. You're embarrasing yourself. The locust that invade Eritrea every year have more impact on the region than Eritrea does. Not sure who you're selling this hallucination to, but good luck with it.
ReplyDelete