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Eritrea's brutal internal conflict spreads to 2 other continents
Human Rights Watch
Eritrean government forces committed war crimes, possible crimes against humanity, and other serious violations against Tigrayan civilians during the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Eritrean forces also forcibly disappeared dozens of Eritrean refugees living there, raped several, coercively repatriated hundreds, and destroyed two Eritrean refugee camps. Eritrean forces also committed widespread pillaging with much of the plunder taken back to Eritrea.
In 2020, 96,000 Eritreans were living in Tigrayan camps in Ethiopia.
At home, government repression persisted, including through forced conscription, mass roundups to fill the army’s ranks and widespread forced labor. The government also severely restricted freedom of expression, opinion, and faith.
Eritrea is slightly more than half Christian and a little less than half Sunni Muslim. They seem to tolerate each other although media reports from Eritrea are almost non-existent. However, Tigrayans are overwhelmingly Christians and have been attacked by both Eritrea and Ethiopia. Ethiopia doesn't seem to mind Eritrea attacking Tigray.
Eritrea has been ruled by its unelected president, Isaias Afewerki, since independence in 1993, with no legislature, no independent civil society organizations, and no independent judiciary. The transitional constitution, which guarantees civil rights, has never been implemented—removing all checks on Isaias’s arbitrary rule.
September marked the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the government’s clampdown on perceived critics, including the arrest of 11 high-ranking government officials and 10 journalists, and the closure of privately owned media outlets. There has been no information on the whereabouts of 20 of the 21.
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More than 100 injured as Eritrean refugees clash in Tel Aviv
By Simon Druker
attempted to disperse a protest involving asylum seekers from Eritrea living in the country.
Photo by Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE
Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Dozens of protesters and police officers were injured during street clashes in Tel Aviv on Saturday involving Eritreans living in Israel who support and oppose the East African country's governing regime.
At least 30 officers were among those hurt during the confrontations between police in riot gear and hundreds of asylum seekers from Eritrea, Israel's emergency medical services reported.
Of the 157 injuries, at least 13 were considered serious, including some gunshot wounds.
Israeli police confirmed they had made at least 39 arrests Saturday, with more expected.
Tel Aviv's Sheba Medical Center declared a mass-casualty event but officials have not confirmed any deaths from the event in the city with a population of around 500,000 people.
Hundreds of Eritreans seeking asylum converged on its embassy in Israel for a pro-government rally organized by the nation's government and clashes quickly ensued after anti-government Eritrean protesters arrived at the scene.
As the violence escalated, Israeli riot police and mounted units moved in and an "illegal gathering" was declared, allowing police to use force to disperse the crowd.
More than 25,000 refugees from the country currently live in Israel, according to international aid organization ASSAF.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991 and the country has been ruled by President Isaias Afwerki since that time. Many Eritreans have left the country to avoid forced labor and military conscription imposed by the dictatorial regime.
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'Violent conflict' in Calgary involving 150 people may be linked
to clashes within Eritrean community: police
11 people taken to hospital, EMS said
Calgary police were on scene at a large violent conflict in the city's northeast Saturday. (Terri Trembath/CBC)
Jade Markus · CBC News · Posted: Sep 03, 2023 9:30 AM PDT |
Calgary police say they're investigating a "violent conflict" between two groups involving around 150 people Saturday night that may be linked to clashes within the Eritrean community.
Police responded to an incident in northeast Falconridge at around 5 p.m. Saturday after reports of two groups with opposing views engaged in violence. They said they believe up to 150 people were involved, and many were brandishing weapons.
Supt. Cliff O'Brien said police were prepared with additional resources in the event of clashes like those seen elsewhere in the country.
Several people were taken to hospital by emergency medical services (EMS), O'Brien said.
"It was a very violent event. We have assigned detectives to investigate and that's what they'll do," he said, adding that police believe some people from the groups had stashed weapons prior to the incident.
"They were actively trying to assault the police officers. I think the fact that we have multiple people injured, some with some fairly serious injuries, I think the whole incident is troubling. On top of that, this impacted the entire city because we had to pull resources from other areas," said O'Brien.
The Calgary Police Service said it considers this to be a serious event and has dedicated resources to keep the peace.
"This is not a protest. This is a violent conflict between two groups with opposing views," O'Brien said.
EMS spokesperson Adam Loria said in an emailed statement that paramedics attended an incident in northeast Calgary with the Calgary Police Service at approximately 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and 11 individuals with non-life threatening injuries were taken to various hospitals.
Michael Teclemariam, host of the Eritrean Radio Show on CJSW 90.9 FM in Calgary, noted that this isn't the first time a clash like this has happened in Canada.
Last month there was violence at an Eritrean festival in Edmonton, and a similar clash in Toronto. At those events, protesters from the Eritrean diaspora opposed events that billed themselves as celebrations of Eritrean culture.
"I am actually disappointed for the Eritreans because they're both brothers in a way, so it's not a good thing to have violence," Teclemariam said.
He said a point of contention is over festivals — some in the community say the festivals are connected to the Eritrean government, distributing propaganda and raising money for the state.
Calgary is the latest Canadian community to see violent clashes between what police believe are rival Eritrean groups.
CBC previously reported that some view demonstrations as a chance to raise their voice in opposition to a repressive regime when those in their home country cannot.
Teclemariam said others see the festivals, which have been going on for a long time, as a way to celebrate and demonstrate free speech.
Daniel Egubat, public affairs officer with Eritrean Canadian Community Association of Calgary, wrote in an emailed statement to CBC that the organization would like to sit down with the City of Calgary and other government officials to come up with plans to avoid such events.
"We call all Eritrean society in Calgary to focus on what matters [to] them in their day-to-day life and also be able to use the power of logic," he wrote.
"This should not take place in our peaceful city and also elsewhere."
We can't even imagine the atrocities the Eritrean government and military committed on many of these people and are still committing on their families. Western media has largely ignored the horrors in Eritrea and Tigray. This has only helped spark the anger and desperation of these people of the Eritrean diaspora.
Evangelist, other Christians in Uganda Assaulted by Muslims
Morning Star News, August 23, 2023:
NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – Hard-line Muslims at an open-air evangelistic event in eastern Uganda on Aug. 11 assaulted a preacher and more than 20 other Christians for his teaching about Christ’s divinity, sources said.
Robert Faisali Miya, a 34-year-old father of four, was also struck with a thorny object and stomped on during the event in Busolwe, 236 kilometers (147 miles) northeast of Kampala, an eyewitness said.
On the third day of a five-day event planned by an undisclosed church from another town, Miya cited passages from the Koran as examples that acknowledge the uniqueness of Christ, and said the Bible affirms His uniqueness as the Son of God who grants forgiveness by virtue of His death and resurrection.
Muslims began chanting the jihadist slogan, “Allah Akbar [God is greater],” and a Muslim leader known in the area to be hard-line sheik, Hiisa Mubaraka, rushed to the podium and pulled the evangelist down, said the eyewitness.
“Others were saying that Allah has granted to them authority to kill all infidels,” the source told Morning Star News. “Another Muslim sprayed what looked like acid, while another hit him with a thorny object and stepped on the evangelist’s back and the stomach.”
The sheik continued shouting loudly that “infidels” could not be allowed to influence area Muslims, said the source, whose identity is withheld for security reasons.
“We cannot allow you to preach in this town or come and mislead our people here,” Mubaraka said, according to the eyewitness. “We are going to fight in the cause of Allah to kill all of you.”
He also told the approximately 20 Muslims in attendance to destroy church properties, the source said.
Christians who tried to rescue the evangelist were injured as Muslims beat them and Miya with walking sticks, while other Muslims damaged the podium, loudspeakers, microphones, public address system, and keyboard, the source said….
Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.
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