Lampedusa Boat Tragedy a Crime against Eritrea, Says Official
Peter Clottey
Last updated on: October 15, 2013 4:40 PM
An adviser to Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki says human traffickers are to blame for the recent boat tragedy that left over 300 African migrants dead off Italy’s coast.
Authorities say about 155 survived the accident which occurred about half a mile off the Sicilian island of Lampedusa.
Presidential adviser Yemane Ghebreab called the incident “a crime against Eritreans, especially Eritrean youth.”
“This is the work of human traffickers who benefit from this, and there are powerful forces behind them,” said Ghebreab. “It’s an ongoing war which is being waged against Eritrea as part of the sanctions that have been imposed on [us]. It’s part of the continued illegal occupation of Eritrean territory. We look into the root causes and what lies behind this tragedy.”
Ghebreab’s comments came after the government in Asmara welcomed the idea of bringing the victims home, an idea that emerged from a meeting between the Italian ambassador to Eritrea and his counterpart in Asmara.
“As far as the burial of Eritreans who are victims of this crime are concerned, Eritrea will like to see them buried at home. This is not just the wish of the Eritrean government, it is also the wish of the families of the victims, so we are working on that,” said Ghebreab.
Critics say official government pronouncements prove the administration is using the boat tragedy as a propaganda tool against its critics. Ghebreab disagreed.
“There is a whole network of human traffickers, of criminals, who have the support of officials in a number of countries and agencies of organizations which are part of this,” said Ghebreab. “No attempt is made [by the media] to look at what is really behind what is happening. This is not the first incident, and unless this war is stopped, unless the criminals who do this and organize this are brought to justice, there will be many victims.”
Observers say the decision by young people to go abroad is due to the failure of the government to create jobs for them. They said Asmara is wrong to accuse alleged enemies rather than creating work.
But, Ghebreab disagreed, saying the government has implemented measures to meet the UN’s efforts to improve living standards and alleviating poverty. This, he says, in spite of sanctions imposed on the country.
“Eritrea has made huge strides over the past two decades. We are on track in meeting most of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The Eritrean government takes care of its youth and creates opportunities for them,” said Ghebreab. “It’s just not Eritreans, its Africans in general that are trying to migrate to Europe and other places.”
Ghebreab blames external forces for luring young people to leave home.
“For Eritrea, the defining reason for this is that Eritreans are given preferential treatment and are treated not as economic migrants, but as political asylum seekers. This is a deliberate policy that has been well documented,” said Ghebreab.
Clottey interview with Yemane Ghebreab, presidential adviser
http://www.voanews.com/content/lampedusa-boat-tragedy-a-crime-against-eritrea-says-official/1770413.html
Received on Wed Oct 16 2013 - 10:14:11 EDT