“African Voices”: Political cherry picking at its worst!

Early this week, a motley network of African writers and journalist wrote an open letter to President Isaias Afwerki expressing concern on what they termed as “continued detention of Eritrean journalists and activists, migration of youth and …the isolation of Eritrea from the larger African family». To impart a semblance of “balance”, the writers also expressed their “most sincere congratulations to Eritrea” for “its normalization of diplomatic relations with Ethiopia”. The timing and rather inappropriate medium of communication that they selected to convey their views to the Government of Eritrea provoke profound questions of purpose and intent.

But we would rather focus, at this point in time, on the issues they have raised than wasting time second-guessing their underlying motives. June is a very solemn month for all Eritreans in all walks of life.  June 20th is Martyrs Day! Due to the travesty of justice and flagrant breaches of international law at various junctures of their history, the people of Eritrea were compelled to pay enormous sacrifices in the past 60 years.  The human toll has been staggering and unparalleled relative to the small size of Eritrea’s population.  These figures say it all:  65,000 freedom fighters martyred in the three-decades long liberation war (1961-1991);

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