Recently, I came across a video report by a France 24 journalist who implicitly claimed she was reporting from an Ethiopian area occupied by Eritrea. Watching her report, I couldn’t help but be reminded of President-elect Donald Trump’s characterization of certain news organizations as “fake news.” Here’s why:
She Was Reporting from the Tigray Region of Ethiopia
The village she reported from is located in Ethiopia, with no Eritrean presence. The journalist mentioned that cars were not allowed in the area. If the village was not under Eritrean control and cars were absent, whose fault is that? Does she not realize that many villages in the region are inaccessible by car, relying instead on animals for transportation? She also showed a neglected school, attempting to blame Eritrea. However, the school is in Ethiopian territory, making it the responsibility of the Tigray regional government to repair the building and hire teachers. Eritrea has no connection to the area from which she claimed to report.
She Falsely Used the Term “Occupied Territories”
The so-called journalist could benefit from a basic legal education. After two years of intense fighting, Ethiopia and Eritrea signed the Algiers Agreement on December 12, 2000, committing to resolve their border dispute through final and binding arbitration. The Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission (EEBC), established by the agreement, held hearings at the Peace Palace in The Hague in December 2001. On April 13, 2002, the EEBC issued its final and binding decision, even virtually demarcating the boundary. There is no ambiguity regarding the border. Her claim that Eritrea illegally occupied Ethiopian territories is entirely false and misleading.
Eritrea Did Not Expel Settlers
After the EEBC’s verdict, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)-dominated Ethiopian government refused to vacate areas designated as Eritrean territory and even resettled additional people. When TPLF forces were eventually expelled, Eritrea allowed the settlers to remain as long as they abided by its rules and policies. The journalist should have acknowledged this act of goodwill by the Eritrean government. Instead, she chose to ignore it entirely, revealing her bias.
Claims of Rape and Kidnapping
Unlike in Ethiopia’s bordering Tigray region, Eritrea is one of the safest and most peaceful countries in the Horn of Africa. People can move freely at any time, day or night, without fear. Crimes like rape and theft are virtually nonexistent and are considered taboo. If the journalist had been honest and diligent, she would have investigated the rampant violence in Tigray, where killings, daily rapes, and kidnappings for ransom are common. Instead, she misdirected blame onto Eritrea to serve her political agenda.
The Issue of Aid
Eritrea has a policy of self-reliance and does not distribute food aid to its people. The assumption that survival depends on aid reflects a patronizing “white savior” mentality, which has no place in Eritrea. That said, settlers from disputed areas are free to move to Tigray, where they can access aid if they wish. This is a personal choice, not Eritrea’s responsibility.
Conclusion
Most Western journalists who report from Africa arrive with premeditated agendas and ready-made narratives. Expecting balanced and honest reporting from such biased individuals is akin to expecting milk from an ox. Fortunately, thanks to the EEBC’s decision, the Ethiopia-Eritrea border has been clearly demarcated since April 13, 2002. Anyone capable of reading a map cannot mistake the boundary, even by a meter. As the esteemed legal scholar Professor Lea Brilmayer has noted, Eritrea and Ethiopia may need to install physical markers in densely populated areas to prevent unintentional crossings, but that’s about it. Dubious reports from biased journalists change nothing. Eritrea, an independent and resilient nation, remains a target of the Western propaganda machine.
Eternal glory to our martyrs.
France 24 and most western news media have been corporating with TPLF to promote a biased narrative in favor of the TPLF.
The Zalambessa area is directly on the border with Eritrea. The lands north west and east of Zalembessa such Guna-Guna, Endashim, Monoxito are part of the Tserona district, which the Permanent court of Arbitration awarded to Eritrea.
TPLF rejected the Algiers Agreement and continued to occupy all Eritrean lands such as the Badme triangle and northern Irob. TPLF occupied nearly 200 square kilometers of Eritreas border.
TPLF still rejects the Algiers Agreement. The Tigray-Irob organization claimed one of their letters, that Badme and north Irob belong to Tigray.
Now those lands are in Eritrean hands, and no forces can revert this.