Recently we all have witnessed that Eritrean Ahmad Chalabis like Dr. Assefaw Tekeste jumping onto the Death Wagon of Tigrayan Avengers. Contrary to his Profession Dr. Assefaw Tekeste has advocated for the use of stone, sharp objects and sticks to attack peaceful Eritrean festival goers and declared it was legal and justified. The Ethical standard of a medical doctor includes a vow to avoid harm to others and save human life under any circumstances. However, instead of saving human life and avoid harm Dr. Assefaw has vowed to increase the number of Eritrean women, children and elderly attacked, the number of young refugee Eritreans who lost their eyes, smashed their bodies, wounded by police bullets, and lost their livelihoods. That is why Dr. Assefaw and his likes deserve to be called the Eritrean Ahmad Chalabis.
Chalabi was an exiled Iraqi Politician. He was blinded by his zealous ambition to be the president of Iraq. He provided the US intelligence agencies a false information about Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and worked hard for the invasion of Iraq. After the invasion of Iraq initially Chalabi was flown from the United Kingdom back to Iraq with a force of 700 US-trained militia. After a stint as oil minister, he was expelled from power and died in Iraq. His wild ambition for power and extreme hatred of the Iraqi president did not allow him to see the consequences of his actions to the Iraqi people. He did not have time to analyze the potential scenarios that may emerge after the fall of Saddam Hussein. As an Iraqi, he should have analyzed the fault lines in the Iraqi society and the ambition of its neighbors. For that matter any sane citizen would have understood the dangers of the grievances of the Shia over Sunnis, the grievance of Kurds over Sunnis, the political and territorial ambitions of neighboring countries and the rivalry between Sunnis and Shiites in the wider region. However, Ahmad Chalabi, blinded by personal ambition and extreme hatred, did not have the time to think about those important issues.
The sad part of the story is currently those issues are not scenarios but constant realty to the Iraqi people. As a result of the irresponsible actions of Ahmed Abdel Hadi Chalab and his Iraqi National Congress party, currently any Iraqi citizen would tell you that s/he preferred the Saddam rule by many folds. The carnage of civilians in the streets of Iraq, abuse of innocent civilians, rape, and inhumane treatment of the Iraqi women by self-appointed religious zealots made Iraq literally the hell on earth. As a result of the actions of Ahmed Abdel Hadi Chalab and his Iraqi National Congress, Twenty Two years later, Iraq is still not out of the woods.
The Iraqi case could have been a typical learning opportunity for the Chalabis of Eritrea. However, the Chalabis of Eritrea are not any different from the Chalabi of Iraq. They are blinded by the strong erg for power and extreme hatred towards the Eritrean government. Like the Iraqi Chalabi, the Eritrean Chalabis begged Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF) led Ethiopian government to invade Eritrea. After the TPLF was thrown out from power and started the 2018-2020 war of insurrection they did not waste time to join the “Tigray wins camp”. They provided intelligence that was harmful to the national security of Eritrea to the enemy. They considered the victory of TPLF as their only hope to assume power in Asmara and they did everything, without reservation, to see that happen. When the TPLF was badly beaten and defeated, they went to Pretoria to demand Eritrea be mentioned as an invading country in the TPLF surrender agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa. Of course, they are clueless and often punch beyond their weight.
Like the Iraqi Chalabi, because they are blinded by the strong erg for power and extreme hatred to the Eritrean government, they did not see the dangers of their actions to Eritrea and its gallant defense forces. They did not see that Eritrea is a multi-ethnic country located at a very sensitive and volatile region surrounded by neighbors that have competing interests. They did not see the consequence of their actions to the virtually but not yet practically demarcated border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They did not see TPLF’s ambition for the greater Tigrai with its own outlet to the sea as a catalyst to declare a new country in the horn of Africa called The Tigrai Republic. Without a strong leadership they did not foresee the danger of Islamic and Christian religious fanatics could pose to the harmony and unity of the Eritrean society. If it was not for the strong government and people with all the sanctions imposed on Eritrea, they did not see Eritrea could have collapsed and ended up a failed state.
Like the Iraqi Chalabi, the Eritrean Chalabis are blinded and can only see their rise to the helm of power after the fall of the Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) party that currently governs Eritrea. They see foreign invasion of Eritrea as their only card to assume power in Asmara. After the overthrow of the Mohamad Omar Gaddafi’s Government through western led violence did Libyans assume power in their country? Do they have peace and freedom in their country? Do the Libyans have a say in the administration of their country? Then, what evidence do the Eritrean Chalabis have to their claim that foreign intervention or regime change was the only proven medicine to the current problems in Eritrea? Don’t they know that TPLF had been the major source and cause of the current problems in Eritrea? Do they think TPLF occupied sovereign Eritrean territories for twenty years and declared a no war and no peace policy out of respect to Eritrea and its Citizens? The truth is any party or group that is supported by the TPLF and holds power in Eritrea cannot be a solution to Eritrean problems. Rather it is a threat to the overall existence of Eritreans as a people and Eritrea as an independent nation. Every Eritrean knows that Eritrea under the Chalabis will be nothing better than the ANDEM’s and the OPDO’s of Ethiopia during the TPLF rule. Thus, the Chalabis of Eritrea could not be an alternative force to govern a sovereign and independent Eritrea and they should be rejected automatically.
It is true that, when the conditions allow, we Eritreans need a reform. We also know that to bring change we do not need to destroy what we have but reform it and continue to build on it. When the conditions allow, we need Eritrea to have a constitution and more freedom to its citizens. We need the current government in Eritrea to be transparent and accountable to its people. In return we, all Eritreans, need to understand the unresolved national security problems of the current government is facing and provide unconditional support to its effort to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. A chunk of the Eritrean youth is still in the trenches and diaspora’s unwavering support to our gallant defense force is critical. That is the way forward for Eritrea. Bringing change not by destroying what we have been building for the last fifty years but by building on what we have and continue working to improve it. The selfless love for country, strong defense capability and unique Eritrean culture gained from the liberation struggle is not a liability but a very precious asset that needs to be preserved at any cost. Had the Iraqis and Libyans did that, they wouldn’t have been in the current desperate situation they are now. The only factor that makes Eritrea different from Iraq or Libya is simply because Eritrea is poorer. For the rest the fundamentals are the same. Hence it is time for the Chalabis of Eritrea to learn from the Chalabi of Iraq.
CONCLUSION,
The current ongoing attack on diaspora Eritreans by Tigrayan Avengers and Eritrean Chalabis is not about the Eritrean government. It is about Eritrea and its people. Our enemies target our cherished values and unity because they know that if they vertically polarize the Eritrean society by ethnicity and religion, they increase their probability of achieving their objectives. That is why they persistently undermine everything that is Eritrean: our martyrs, national flag, national holidays, patriotic songs etc. Previously Eritrean Chalabis were hiding themselves under the banner of justice seekers and presented themselves as a party concerned about Eritrea. Now that they are associating themselves with Brigade of Tigrean Avengers and encouraging the use of force against innocent Eritrea women, children, and the elderly, they are on to the death wagon and no way they will survive this. History tells us all those who stood against Eritrea went one by one down the drains. Accordingly, it would not be long before the ‘Brigade of Tigrayan avengers’ death wagon goes down the hill. When it does the Chalabis of Eritrea will also get down with it.
Awet N’hafash and Eternal Glory to Our Myrters
Selam
Labeling Dr. Assefaw Tekeste as Ahmad Chalabis is just ridiculous. Like many of his comrades in arms he endured unimaginable hardship to free his country. Now he is on the side of the opposition. That does not make him, however, an ooportunist or traitor. Let us be courages enough to give credit when credit is due.
It is not what he was .It is what he is now.
The article is about what he is doing now, not what he did in the past. Also people are judged on what they are doing now, not on what they did in the past. A person of his stature should have condemned violence, instead of encouraging it.
Hey Abel, I agree with your article, but please, Christian fanatic groups are not a danger to anyone. There is no country that has problems with Christian fanatic groups. Even the strange sects like Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormons, who cannot even call themselves Christians because they reject the Nicene Creed, pose no physical danger to other people or to state authority.
Do not make the mistake of judging Islam and Christianity in the same way. Islamic terrorism is rooted in the scriptures, history and theology of Islam. It is part of how one goes to heaven in Islam.
The reason why Christians are persecuted in Eritrea is because they do not want to participate in military service for religious reasons, because they want to be pacifists like Jesus.
Birged N’kebdu are working to establish a Christian nation. Tigray and Eritrean Highlands or Aagazian nation.
No, Birged N’hamedu want to burn churches. It is what they said. They said they want to burn churches and kill 1 Million Eritreans. They are communists. I have told them online that they need to find Jesus and trust him, but I received Atheist insults. If they believed in Jesus, their organisation wouldn’t even exist.
Don’t just trust what these people say. They also say that we are one ethnicity and that they want to save us from Isaias. They say that they themsleves are Eritreans. Big ass lies. They reveal the truth about their goals sometimes and then they say the most heinous things and they threaten our lives and everything that makes us Eritrean. They would kill our families in a heart beat and steal everything they own if they ever made it past Badme.
No, Birged N’hamedu want to burn churches. It is what they said. They said they want to burn churches and kill 1 Million Eritreans. They are communists. I have told them online that they need to find Jesus and trust him, but I received Atheist insults. If they believed in Jesus, their organisation wouldn’t even exist.
Zena
You got to be serious rather that righting mumbo jumbo. In addition you need to be civil in portraying your ideas n a palatable way rather than throwing then on the fish like ADES. Dr Asefaw deserves to be respected where or not he dislike the higdef rule
Mr. Bahata,
Writing Mumbo Jumbo? who is writing,
righting
n a palatable
where or not he dislike
Is this what your professors taught you?