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US State Department’s Reprehensible Hypocrisy

by Filmon Tesfay

July 23, 2011

On July 19, 2011, in a briefing at the State department meant to bring attention to the drought and famine conditions afflicting over 11 million people in the Horn of Africa, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson reprehensibly stated “there are many more in need in Eritrea, where a repressive regime is refusing to provide data on the humanitarian needs of its people”. That statement is not only inflammatory and entirely self-serving but completely politically motivated.

To begin with, how can Mr. Carson ascertain with certainty “that there are many more in need in Eritrea” when he doesn’t even know the true facts on the ground in Eritrea? It’s reprehensible that Mr. Carson and the State Dept. would use the current conditions in the Horn to try to take political pot-shots at the Eritrean government. It is worth pointing out that there are currently tens of thousands of Diaspora Eritreans vacationing throughout Eritrea. Any hint of starvation or famine would have made it out.

Second, Mr. Carson should be reminded that his Ethiopian ally Meles Zenawi just recently publicly announced that Ethiopia would be buying over $100 million dollars’ worth of tanks from Ukraine. This is against the backdrop of the drought/famine in Ethiopia and at a time when the Ethiopian government is appealing for nearly $400 million to feed nearly 4 million of its own citizens.

What makes this even more perverse is that recently IGAD, at the behest of the Ethiopian government and in concert with the US administration, is calling for increasing the sanctions against Eritrea, “specifically targeting Eritrea’s mining revenues and Diaspora remittances”, which would/could be used by Eritrea to not only feed itself without having to rely on aid handouts, but develop its economy.

In light of this, Mr. Carson and the US State Department’s statement ring not only hollow, but are deeply shameful and disgusting. They should stick to trying to help the people of the Horn, rather than using it as an excuse to try to shame or embarrass the Eritrea. And if Mr. Carson and the US State Department are genuinely interested in the well-being of Eritreans, as they claim they are, the US should be voting against sanctioning the country’s meager resources and compounding Eritrean’s problems.

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About the Author

Filmon Tesfay

Filmon Tesfay is an Eritrean-Canadian activist. More...

61 Responses to US State Department’s Reprehensible Hypocrisy

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  1. eraman

    July 25, 2011 at 6:27 pm

    Thumb up Haile. This guys can tell you black is white in broad day light and if you even show a slight disagreement you will be made to disappear.

    You’re wayany, tigri is their only montra. See the logic of Mikhael involving ones father irrespective of Tesfaldet Maharena outstanding performance with meager resouces, but great will power. I wish our performance was like wayany.

    NSU/PFJD had at least 90% support when they arrived. Wayani had hardly 10% in Ethiopia. Today, it just the revese. The difference is merely between good and bad performance in general facets of nation affairs.

    As for agriculture in Senai comments, one should understand that all this fuss is to feed merely 2 million Eritrean .. others are either have either left the country to run from misrule or are well feed thanks to the funds comign from dispora who are hear praising their Gov. Do you know what the population of Addis Ababa is stupid? 3 million plus.

    • Amanuel B.

      July 26, 2011 at 2:49 am

      “NSU/PFJD had at least 90% support when they arrived. Wayani had hardly 10% in Ethiopia. Today, it just the revese.”
      By far the most bizarre statements coming from you clowns on this forum. President Isaias Afwerki literally walks around Asmara with little to no security detail, but in you’re eyes he is deeply despised. Whereas meles zenawi has to shut down whole sections of Addis before he can even venture out, is loved by all??!!?
      either you’ve got a serious case of dementia, or you’re just plain stupid. either way, maybe you should start listining to those people that are telling you “black is white in broad day light” perhaps their trying to help you.

  2. Awget

    July 26, 2011 at 5:49 am

    The one and the only debt free Country in the World is Eritrea mr.Carson besides food security, how do you like that? very disturbing ha !

  3. Abraham

    July 26, 2011 at 6:51 am

    Mr Tesfay,are you talking about the people of eritrea or about one man leadership en his elite?

  4. Angesom H.

    July 26, 2011 at 9:07 pm

    Ms Tesfay is one of the few lunatic apologists of the fascist regime of Issayas Afewerki who enjoys the liberty of free speech and the right to live in freedom in the liberal democratic west while refusing to acknowledge the same rights for the citizens of Eritrea.

    Dirt poor Eritrea has failed miserably under the tyranny of Issayas for the last 20 years since independence.

    Tiny and cursed Eritrea failed because it envisaged a parasitic developmemt agenda based on its own origin for it is created by colonialist Italy and hence Italy assumed full responsiblity in administering it with immense transfer of wealth from the Italian taxpayers for some 50 years. This is the core reason why Eritrea was apparently transformed in relative terms vis-a-vis Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti. Little Eritrea does not have the resources to achieve the results registered under Italian Fascism when it gained independence from resource rich Ethiopia in 1993.

    Ms Tesfay, you are a bitchy hypocrite! Rather you must have the integrity to advance the interests of our Eritrean citizens which is by and large human liberty instead of defending the mafia grop which ruthlessly rules over Eritrea. Shame on you!!!

    Gual Angesom H. from Cologne, Germany

    • Amanuel B.

      July 27, 2011 at 8:46 am

      “What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this forum is now dumber for having read it.”

      -Principle from Billy Madison

      Seriously though, maybe what you were trying to say made much more sense in German.

      First off, resource wealth does not necessarily equate to development (for proof look at the southern half of the planet), good sound governance does. Second; in the 20 years that Eritrea has been independent the government and it’s people have achieved more in infrastructure, health, and education than your masters in Addis (even with their wealth in resources ;).

      All of you wretched so called ‘opposition’ groups and you’re crab in a bucket mentality who incessantly gripe about freedom of speech, should try a quick experiment; collect as much money as you can, and then open up a newspaper in your respective western countries that advocates for the violent overthrow of said government. Then let’s talk about freedom of speech…morons.

  5. Ticked Off

    July 27, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    This is the truth no one wants to look into. Sometimes, its best to admit and accept what is rather than looking for what is not. A while ago I read a story where it says some countries in the Horn of Africa are aspiring to join the middle class nations. The truth is that is only a statement, not backed by substance. Forget to join majority middle class nations, feed yourselves first and then make the condition for a potential middle nation. The Horn of Africa has 200 million people and all these people have resources worth trillions of dollars, instead of working toward extracting these resources (minerals) and start living better, they are embroiled into a never ending war. Usually these wars are perpetrated by outside forces. If you look at Ethiopia, it has lost its compass, a poor country aspiring to join a middle class nation but WORKING TIRELESSLY TO REMAIN POOR AND GET POORER. For give my diatribe, but sometimes reality is harsh.

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