*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.[1] 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.
Awetnayu_at_hotmail.com
ICRC.ORG Iraq’s refugees: ignored and unwanted, Volume 90 Number 869 March
2008[1]
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
http://www.noas.no/en/unhcr-criticizes-danish-report-on-eritrea/6
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=13&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEEQFjACOApqFQoTCO692-
Received on Sun Jun 21 2015 - 12:54:21 EDT