P1
Internal News from Home: No. 003.
Source: ERKUKODISU (DMLEK).
It is known that the injustices, the Shabia regime and its faithful supporters are committing upon the Kunama ethnic-group in its own homeland, are increasing from time to time. Based on this, it has been reported that around the middle of the past month of October, as some Eri-Tigrian cow-herders had left their cattle graze upon the not yet harvested crop-field of the Kunama Kirbit Dakor, this rushed there to save his crop. Two Eri-Tigrian cow-herders and a Shabia soldier, after using an axe to hit him on the head, they stoned him, smashed his eye-brow and left him suffering body-pain and property damage.
Similarly, it was reported that on November 21, 2004, two natives of the Kunama village of Karkasha, by the names of Ajibbo Mokonnen and Jula Galla, went to their crop-fields where some Eri-Tigrian cow-herders had left nine herds of cattle graze on their un-harvested crop-fields. Those cow-herders accused the two Kunama of having provoked them and started a fight, hitting and wounding Ajibbo Mokonnen on his thigh-bone. After that the cow-herders went and reported to the Shabia soldiers who detained Ajibbo Mokonnen.
On November 26, 2004, as Eri-Tigrian cow-herders left their cattle trample on the harvest of a Kunama native of Tole, named Abbadi Ajjat, this went and removed them. A cow-herder who was armed with a riffle intimidated the Kunama and led him to the Shabia soldiers reporting that the Kunama had stolen his animals. The soldiers detained the Kunama who was said to have been left also without any compensation for his damaged harvest.
In the middle of the past month of November 2004, some Eri-Tigrian cow-herders, uncovered and left their cattle graze on the harvest, a Kunama native of Taikanaba named Akawo Kalala, had deposited in his crop-field. As the Kunama told the cow-herders to remove their cattle, they retorted to mind his own business as they were not ready to do so. Being a militia-man, the Kunama used his riffle to shoot in the air.
As the cow-herders headed for the station of the Shabia soldiers to report, the Kunama too followed them. The soldiers immediately asked him whether he was the one who had released a shot and stating that they did not like people shooting, they fined him 100.00 Nacfa and left his stranded without being compensated for his destroyed harvest.
In accordance with its known habit, the enemy of the people, the Shabia regime, continuing with its detention policy of the Kunama leaders, detained the village chiefs of Kolluku, Mammay Tesfay and of Dase, Addalla Marko. Though the reasons for their detentions are not clear, they are accused of mismanaging the public’s fund.
The Kunama people, in the entire Kunama land and around Barentu, are suffering more than any other ethnic-group’s members, the reasons being that as the Eri-Tigrian farmers and cow-herders keep using their cattle to damage the harvest of the Kunama farmers in their crop-fields and as the Kunama report to the regional authorities they are told their reports have no value unless substantiated by catching the culprits and bringing them to the authorities. If the Kunama try to catch those offenders they are told, by the authorities, of having acted illegally.
The number of the natives, rejecting the unjust rule of the Shabia regime and fleeing their homelands to the neighbouring countries, is growing by the day. Due to this fact, on November 28, 2004, an Eri-Tigrian native, by the name of Medhanie Andesillasie G/medhin, hating the bad deeds of the Shabia regime, left Asmara on November 27, 2004, and through Shambakko, gave himself to the DMLEK’s freedom-fighters. He is a 27-year-old young-man, who had completed the 12th grade in 1999.
This young-man, giving reasons for leaving his dear parents and his native land, stated that, at the moment, as there is no possibility that one completes one’s education, finds a job and earns one’s living and, as the people are finding themselves in very bad living-conditions, he managed to liberate himself and flee to Ethiopia. He further reported that right now, in Eritrea the economy is at a very bad stage; the prices being above the financial capabilities of the citizens and these are finding themselves in a very bad situation. The young-man reported that, being the prices of goods now in Eritrea, are as follows:
1.- One kilo coffee Nacfa: 80/100.00;
2.- A goat 600.00;
3.- A sheep 900/1000.00;
4.- Poultry 80.00;
the citizens have been rendered incapable of maintaining their own household and finding themselves in bad living conditions.
Concerning the Ethio-Eritrean border dispute, the young-man added that, though the majority of the Eritrean public has welcomed the peace initiatives proposed by the Ethiopian government, the war-seeking Shabia regime, has flatly rejected and getting ready for war.
According to other sources, on November 26, 2004, in the surroundings of Bimbilna and Dekmhare, the soldiers had taken up a very thorough round-up, gathered a lot of people and taken away. Similarly, the local shepherds reaching their markets to do their shopping were collected and taken away.
During the same month, there was a lot of rounding-up of the Kunama people and on November 27, 2004, in the town of Shambakko, the military taking advantage of the market day, rounded-up a lot of people and took them away.
The report confirmed that in general and right now in Eritrea, the Shabia regime is heavily preparing itself for war and that the citizens are finding themselves in very bad living-conditions.
It is known that at present, the number of the Shabia regime’s soldiers rejecting its bad policy and fleeing the country is ever more growing. On December 1st , 2004, 7 Shabia soldiers were reported to have fled and entered the neighbouring Sudan.
Their names: Siyum Mikiele, Hagos Abraham, Berhane O/michael, Arahim Jimme, one called Fissaha as well as two women called Jimya Ibrahim and Fatuma Noray.
It was reported that the public damaging system of the Shabia regime, had killed seventy (70) of those individuals who had attended the “Biet-Tmhrty Sawra Warsay-Ykealo” and that the Shabia itself had admitted during the meeting in Barentu in October 2004. Related with this news, at present, those individuals who had been brought to Sawa with the promise to continue their education from the 11th grade on, have been turned into soldiers, confirmed by the Shabia’s own sources.
It has been reported that all those students who have perceived such tricks and hate reaching the 11th grade to end up in Sawa, when they reach the 8th grade they break their education, hide themselves in the houses of their own parents or in other places, thus heavily endangering their own lives.
On the other hand, according to the Shabia regime’s system of consuming human-lives, a lot of citizens are being jailed and tortured. The Shabia military, with the pretence of having caught thirty (30) individuals, trying to flee to The Sudan, detained and is said to be releasing a lot of suffering on them, in a prison in Tesseney.
On November 28, 2004, the Shabia soldiers gathered a lot of local people and told them that they were sending their children to The Sudan and therefore they said that they only wanted to inform and warned them that should those individuals be caught, heavy measure would be taken upon them.
Source: ERKUKODISU (DMLEK).
The VKP team’s foot-notes:
The above are really heart-breaking news, about the on-going injustices committed by the Shabia regime and by its soldiers, both upon the Kunama and upon the Eritrean citizens in general.
Though the connections of the DMLEK’s present chairman with the Shabia regime are well-documented (ID) and are nowadays
being repeatedly mentioned to make Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman himself, his friends, supporters and others understand that he is not and has never been genuinely motivated by the Kunama people’s just cause, he still keeps writing and claiming to be condemning the Shabia regime’s injustices upon the Eritrean citizens, but he himself is part of the same system, otherwise he too would not have detained, jailed, tortured, hanged and killed five of his own Kunama ethnic-group’s members.
A lot of other sources are reporting and asserting that Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman “understands and speaks only the language of TPLF”. What all this is to mean, is a matter under observation. Our own question is: how many languages does Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman “understand and speak?”
The VKP team’s appeal on behalf of our Eritrean people is made and goes also to the leaders of the other Eritrean opposition organisations to undertake immediate and concrete measures to break the Shabia regime’s cycle of injustices upon our people, instead of wasting a very precious time, in their politico-diplomatic wrangling. The procrastination of their joint activities in bringing down the present dictatorial regime in Eritrea, is also increasing the suffering of our people and therefore the opposition forces too are gradually becoming parts of our national problem.
The VKP: (January 01, 2005)
Source Meskerem.net 11-03-04
via Email 11-03-04
Internal Problems
within the Eritrean Kunama organization:
Reports coming from within Ethiopia indicate that a number of fighters "tegadelti" of the Eritrean Kunuma organization have abandoned the organization, handed over their weapons to the Ethiopian authorities and sought refuge at the refugee camp of Wa'ala Nihibi camp, near Sheraro in West Tigray. They have allegedly complained to the Ethiopian authorities that they can not continue their struggle under the leadership of the present chairman, Mr. Kernelous. The report also added that the Eritrean Afar organization is facing similar problems with some of its members defecting to PFDJ.
Press Release No 060704
Wednesday, June 09, 2004 http://eritreancommunity.org/docu/press_release_libya.html
Human rights violations continue on a massive scale.
The ever-deteriorating political, economic and social crises in Eritrea, is
causing the number of youth fleeing their country to rapidly increase. Many
escape to neighboring countries of the Sudan and Ethiopia overcoming arduous
and dangerous conditions. Many others continue their exodus to countries
such as Libya, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa. Some perish before they even
cross the border, others die crossing deserts such as that of Libya, and
still the Mediterranean or the Red Seas overcomes others. Disease, hunger
and lack of proper clothing and shelter are widespread among these refugees
everywhere. Wherever they are, they are afraid of detention and deportation.
They generally live in hiding for lack of proper documentation and afraid
both of local authorities and Eritrean Embassy staff.
Recently, Eritrean Community – Human Rights and Refugee Protection (EC-HRRP)
in the United States received news of detention of 430 Eritrean refugees in
Libya and the death of Seven refugees. Thirty-one of the detainees are
women. Two hundred are held in Kufra, one hundred and eighty in Misuratah
and fifty in Tripoli.
EC-HRRP has confirmed the news of the detention of the 430 refugees and the
death of the Seven. These refugees reached Libya after enduring a grueling
experience during the long march from Eritrea through the Sudan and finally
to Libya. During this time, they were exposed to the elements, did not have
enough food, shelter or medical service. As a result, they suffered from
trauma, psychological as well as physical problems. Refugees who are not in
detention are harassed by Eritrean Embassy staff, and live in fear of
apprehension by immigrations officials as they lack legal status. Two
seriously sick Eritreans (refugee during the Dergue regime) has been
detained after they contacted the Eritrean Embassy in Libya for help. Many
are forced into hiding and many more have problems of shelter food and
medical services.
Given the situation of Eritreans in their country and their condition in
many countries, the EC-HRRP urges Eritreans in the United States and else
where to campaign for humane treatment of Eritrean refugees wherever they
may be. We also call on all Eritreans to fund raise to help Eritreans
suffering and awaiting their fate.
Board of Directors, EC- HRRP
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Arlington, VA
Part 09
NOVEMBER 2003:
THE NEWS FROM THE HOME SOURCES:
At the beginning of the month of October, the regime’s local authorities, announcing the distribution of grain, gathered, in Dase, the Kunama residing in the areas of Afate-ila and from the villages of Borkoka, Dede-bisha-ajja and Shakat but, instead of distributing the grain, the regime asked the Kunama to give their children in exchange the grain. The Kunama, retorting angrily that, they had not yet seen their other children back, they were not to trade their children’s lives with the grain. They then left, rejecting the offer, but the regime’s authorities were said to have recalled those Kunama, cooled them down and distributed the grain.
Similarly, the Shabia have been reported to have gone to the village of Uganna and ordered a chief, by the name of Lali Marig, to hand over young people. He explained he could not take such a decision on his own, but he challenged them to use their authority to get what they wanted.
In the villages of Karina, Kona and Tuguliti too, the Shabia were said to have ordered the young men to be handed over but the villages refused.
In connection with the policy of rounding up young people, the Shabia conscripted three persons from the village of Karkasha, three from Tutakuri and three from the village of Taikanaba, but these were said to have escaped and therefore the Shabia detained and took away their wives and mothers.
It was reported that, on October 7, 2003, at 9 o’clock in the morning, fire broke out, caused by a cigarette butt, in the houses of the Shabia stationed in the village of Taikanaba and burnt down an R.PG., six Kalashnikov rifles, cartridges and a lot of house furniture.
The Shabia though, is causing such accidents in order to harass the local population, by spreading the news among them, that the ERKUKODISU (DMLEK) forces were responsible for such incidents , thus trying to create hatred between those forces and the villagers but its motives have been found to be false.
It is proven that, the Shabia regime is training its soldiers and sending them, all over the Kunama land and among the Kunama population, to carry out evil activities, hiding themselves and secretly planting mines along the roads frequented by the local clergy, blowing up the tires of their vehicles, thus reducing their presence and preventing their mobility around the territory. All this has been found to be tactics used to accuse and blame the DMLEK and cheat the local population.
It is known that, the devilish Shabia regime is continuing with no less kinds of evil-deeds also among, the Afari populations, as it is doing among the Kunama people.
In connection with such activities, it was reported by the Red-Sea Afar Democratic Organisation that, on October 30, 2003, an Afari civilian, by the name of Musa Ali Mohammed, from the northern territory, had been accused, by the Shabia, of having connections with that organisation, detained, gravely beaten up and taken away to an undisclosed place.
Similarly, on September 29, 2003, an Affari native, named Abdu Yasin Nuri, from the same northern areas, was reported to have been detained and taken away to a not known place, by the Shabia supporters, for no known reasons.
Another Affari native, named Ali Mohammed, who used to be a Shabia soldier, was said to have had enough of the Shabia regime’s evil-deeds and gave himself up to the forces of the Red-Sea Affar Democratic Organisation of the northern areas. Ali Mohammed was reported to have stated that, as one cannot witness the evil-deeds committed by the Shabia regime and resist, he had decided to defect and fight against the Shabia forces.
These pieces of news were provided by the Red-Sea Affar Democratic Organisation.
From the “Home Sources”, (November 4, 2003).
Part 08
OCTOBER 2003:
(NEWS FROM THE HOME SOURCES):
It has been reported that, the enemy of the people, the Shabia regime, has taken the decision to conscript the Kunama people into the military forcefully, from all over the Kunama land. Following such decision, on October 11, 2003, the Shabia regime undertook a wide-ranging action, rounding up young men, women; not sparing even under-aged young-people.
The Shabia regime, turned into the enemy of the people, adopting its usual method of forcefully rounding-up young people and taking them to the SAWA military training-camp, is experiencing a lot of defections and therefore it is reported to be transporting the trainees to Assab.
On the other hand, in Barentu, the regime’s local authorities had gathered all the educated Kunama and told them that, as the Weane is preparing itself to declare war, there will be no schooling but that they all will be ready to defend their country. It is therefore reported that, every Barentu inhabitant, thought capable, is being issued a conscription-paper and whenever the regime’s police are not able to find those they had selected, they would intimidate them by detaining anyone found in their homes.
On the bases of such evil method, it has been reported that, on October 10, 2003, as the regime’s soldiers had arrived in the village of Dase to conscript, many fled and got away. The soldiers then raided 3 herds of sheep and the personal belongings of the shepherds and took them to Barentu.
On October 9, 2003, the Shabia police were reported to have gone to the Kunama village of Kona and ordered the villagers to hand over those who had been chosen for the military conscription. The villagers rejected the order giving the following answer: “as we had already told you in the past, we will not choose any one for the military conscription even at the present.”
The police then left.
The NOTES of the VKP’s team.
It has been confirmed that, the order of the new round-ups for the military conscription are been given and carried out only in the Kunama land.
We are asking why? The only reasons can be the usual discriminatory and very ill-intentioned methods of the present PFDJ regime to descend all kinds of calamities upon the Kunama people in order to reduce or eliminate them.
We are therefore warning our Kunama people, at home and abroad, that, whatever undertaking and offer made to the Kunama people, by the present Shabia regime, has a definitely sinister and malicious motive behind and therefore our people should be careful and wise enough not to be cheated.
The recently and widely reported scandal of the Australian regime to ship to Eritrean “52,000” sick “sheep” as a “gift” to Eritrea and to the Eritrean regime willingly and approvingly accepting that “poisoned offer,” is very profoundly worrying us Kunama abroad as well as at home. We are in fact terribly afraid that, the Eritrean regime will trade either with the milk-products or with the meat of those “sick Australian sheep,” thus spreading untold calamities among our Eritrean people in general and among the Kunama people in particular.
We are warning every fellow-Eritrean at home to keep off from any “lamb meat,” being sold or offered at the moment in Eritrea.
We are appealing to all Eritrean web-sites and their web-masters to put out warnings to their readers immediately so that they contact their relatives and people in Eritrea to refrain themselves from any meat and milk-products.
The VKP’s team is speechless how, a so far generous Australian government, would ever either ship or even allow to export poison to a country and people not being able to cope even with its own diseases, let alone being offered with foreign ones.
For those not acquainted with the German language “Gift” means “poison” in English and that is exactly what the Australian government is offering the Eritrean regime and the Eritrean people.
We are therefore condemning the giver, the offer and the receiver of those “sick Australian sheep.”
We thank both governments for trying to poison and kill our people.
The VKP ( October 27, 2003 ).
Part 07
THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE HOME SOURCES (May 2003)
It is reported that, on May 19, 2003, a Kunama chief, by the name of Abu-Aroda, had summoned the villagers of Kona and told them that, all those 40 and below years-old men, who had never been involved in the SAWA programs, should register, as they (the regime’s authorities) needed 60 militiamen. The villagers got very angry at the announcement and told the chief that, in these days, there is no one who has not been to and served at SAWA and therefore there is no need for them to register again. The chief then asked the villagers why those who had fled from SAWA and given letters of order to return there had not done so up to that time. The villagers retorted that they knew nothing of those cases and that the regime’s soldiers should go ahead, as usual, and forcefully re-round up the defectors and send them back to SAWA again. The regime’s loyal servant Abu-Aroda, besides, is reported to have announced that the ERKUKODISU’s forces were regularly visiting their villagers and were being fed by those villagers. He however suggested that, after they had done so and left, the villagers should inform the regime’s authorities. The chief Abu-Aroda went on to add that, every time their enemy forces had visited those villagers, the regime loyalists keep being hit by R.P.G hand-grenade bombs and mines. The chief further warned the villagers that, should such events keep occurring, the villages of the vicinity would be held responsible. It is also reported that, the regime’s faithful chief Abu-Aroda, still not satisfied with the way he is mistreating the Kunama people in general, he warned those villagers that, if they kept fleeing every time they saw the regime’s soldiers coming to their villages, these would not be able to differentiate their enemies from the ordinary villagers and therefore they would not bother but attack everyone. As a matter of fact, the regime’s soldiers are said to be increasing their persecutions of the Kunama people. Three Kunama young-men who were going their way, were recently detained and taken to an unknown place. One of them is a native of the village of Fode and the other two of Aburna.
The Shabia regime, the enemy of peace and democracy, is continuing with its indiscriminate detaining and jailing habits of the Kunama people. Uddu Kerfe and Mahmud Ashkin from the village of Kona and, similarly three other individuals from the village of Taikanaba, were detained and taken away. One of them is known as Mali. Five women too, from the village of Kolluku, were detained and taken away. Their names are:
1.- Shilala Alamin;
2.- Shikaba;
3.- Wodde Ali and two other women whose names have not been registered.
The soldiers of the Shabia, a regime based only on force, spying, intimidation and harassment, would inform the various Kunama village chiefs, every time a Kunama villager arrived, as a guest, in another village. Similarly, a curfew, from 18:30 throughout the night, has been imposed and therefore no villager is allowed to move about. This is a clear and a deliberate break of the rural Kunama tradition where the inhabitants of the neighbouring villagers gather together in the evenings to discuss on their affairs, exchange their daily news or just enjoy their jokes. The massive presence of the Shabia military in many Kunama villages and its uninterrupted follow-ups, control and strict security activities have reduced the Kunama rural population to a state of complete slavery. The Kunama is used to leading a naturally formed democratic life-style which is easily disrupted and destroyed if foreign forces interfere. The Shabia soldiers are not only interfering but systematically disrupting the harmonious life of the Kunama village people. As customary, the Shabia regime is still and regularly removing the Kunama rural population from certain areas of their territory. Due to such, ethnically, politically and morally very controversial and damaging policies, the local regime’s authorities recently demolished the various Kunama hamlets lying along the fertile areas of the river Sona (Gash). The regime’s local authorities are reported to have demolished also the houses of some Kunama people in the following villages:
1.- Anugulu;
2.- Doggabbay;
3.- Ludada;
4.- Asiti;
5.- Tuguliti;
6.- Asagurji;
7.- Dekkemmare;
8.- Tuta-kuri;
9.- Aleda-shila;
10.- Mariti and
11.- Ketumburu.
The Shabia regime, the known squander-maniac of the public wealth, has stopped giving money to the wives of its soldiers. As it is reported, the Eri-Tigrians residing in Barentu, were said to have got very angry, got together and went to the local administrative office to enquire how they were to survive without such support. The authorities replied that, as they were about to compensate for the fallen soldiers, they were not able to keep the practice any longer.
The notes by the RKPHA’s Team:
In a previous footnote, the team had already taken a clear stand that, the policies the present Eritrean PFDJ regime and the regional authorities in the Kunama land are practising as well as the ethno-socially destructive activities of the regime’s soldiers, stationed in most of the Kunama countryside, are aimed only at “cleansing the Kunama land of its Kunama people”. This stand of ours is firm, determined and irrevocable as the proofs of such evil activities against our Kunama ethnic-group members mount day by day. Let Isayas Afwerki and his PFDJ regime be warned of this. We abhor a Rwandan-like scenario in Eritrea.
The team is not sure whether “Abu-Aroda” is really a Kunama chief. Should also be one, then he too is and will be equally held responsible for the present plights of those Kunama villagers he is now terrorising. The corrupting system of the PFDJ regime are affecting many citizens including some of the Kunama themselves. These are in fact, the worst enemies of our people, as, for the sake of temporary gains, they have lost their ethnic pride and hurting it.
Starting from the present regional governor of the Kunama land, Mr. Mustafa Nurhussein, his administrative staff, the general in charge of the military forces stationed in the Kunama land and the various divisions officers ordering such strict control of and intervention in the lives of the Kunama village people, there shall be no one exempted from rendering an account of all the Kunama people detained, displaced, jailed, disappeared, killed or somehow made suffer. Justice will be rendered. It is to notice that, the Kunama, as an ethnic entity, have never caused any harm to anyone. They have only been the objects of injustices, discrimination and unjustifiable hatred throughout their entire history and this has to stop. The reasons for such hatred are not of primary concern as are the injustices being continuously committed against them. The younger Kunama generation is no longer, either prepared to tolerate nor to suffer such inhumane treatment. We are only demanding equal human, ethnic and territorial rights.
No matter how often and how many removals and resettlements programs have been and will be carried out, by the regime in the Kunama territory, both of the native Kunama people as well as of the refugees of other Eritrean ethnic-group members now being settled in many parts of the Kunama land, the right owners of the entire Kunama land are and will remain only the Kunama people. There should also be a consideration that, those Kunama villagers who had their houses and hamlets being repeatedly demolished by the present regime’s soldiers, be compensated as part of rendering justice to those unjustly made suffer.
Those ordinary soldiers too, today freely and wildly behaving in the Kunama villages, raping the Kunama women and committing all sorts of crimes, should remember that, they and their activities are being carefully registered and will be called to face justice in due time.
As a final touch to its footnote-comments on the above and on other sad news, being regularly provided us by the “Home Sources”, the RKPHA Team, feels very honoured and obliged to thank, very cordially, our sister in God, Ms Adiam Semere for taking the laudable initiative and responsibility of “submitting” our previous pieces of news in “Awate.com”. We are also very grateful to the “Team of Awate.com” for promptly posting those news on its noble web-site. We are also asking whether the Awate-Team would also consider posting these ones too. We thank it in advance and wish it all the success in its very valuable work.
The RKPHA ( June 16, 2003 ).
Part 06
May 2003-06-07
NEWS FROM THE HOME SOURCES:
As usual the Shabia regime, is still continuing with its injustices against the Kunama people. It is reported that on May 14, 2003, some Shabia soldiers got to Dase from Dagilo and told the inhabitants there that their children had taken refuge there and were kept hidden by them. As those inhabitants said they knew nothing, eight (8) women were detained and taken to an unknown place.
Similarly on the same month of May, the Shabia soldiers travelled to the village of Shakat and told the villagers that some of their own soldiers had fled there and that they had to be brought out of their hidings. As those villagers too said they knew nothing of the deserters, the soldiers detained many women and girls and kept them in prison till each one of them paid 550 Nacfa to get freed.
A woman from the village of Anugulu was said to have lost some of her livestock and was looking for them when a Shabia soldier raped her and broke her the front-teeth. (a double criminal act).
On the other hand, it is known that, the Shabia regime is forcefully removing the Kunama people from their hamlets and settling them in the inner parts of their region. In the evacuated areas, the regime is resettling the returning refugees of its own Eritrean-Tigrian ethnic-group members.
The Kunama residing in the villages of Silkie and Dado too, were forcibly removed from their hamlets and resettled in Dokinbia.
Similarly, the hamlets found in the surrounding areas of Aburna were evacuated and their Kunama inhabitants forced to reside in Dase. Seven (7) trucks loaded with the Eri-Tigrian refugees were brought to settle and occupy the crop-fields in Dado and Sumbare, the areas emptied of the Kunama people.
It is also reported that, following its constant pattern of unjust behaviour, the Shabia regime keeps dispossessing the Kunama of their inherited crop-fields. The regime’s soldiers were said to have forcefully taken over the fertile crop-fields that the Kunama inhabitants of Dino-kamba used to own and cultivate. The very fertile areas, extending from Shini-koishe to Itiriti, are said to have been forcefully occupied. Besides, the Shabia soldiers are said to be automatically occupying any fertile crop-fields they find. Due to this fact, a civilian Kunama by the name of Kalasa Shanuni, who had been dispossessed of his crop-field, went to enquire about it. The Shabia soldiers told him that they did not know who he was as the crop-field had been given them by Mustafa Nurhussen and therefore that he was the person to contact. The man then travelled to Dase to the local administrator Abdalla Marko and told him that the Shabia soldiers had taken his crop-field. Abdalla Marko gave him the following answer: “there is nothing to be said to the Shabia and therefore if you wish, go back and share your crop-field with them; if not, let them cultivate it”.
The despising habit the Shabia have towards the Kunama people is on the increase as it is known that the inhabitants of the village of Kolluku have been ordered to provide the Shabia soldiers with water and firewood everyday.
On May 18, 2003, a man called Asala who had travelled from Dagilo to Fode was detained by the Shabia and nobody knows where he has been taken to.
Similarly, a man by the name of Abo Abdalla of the village of Anugulu is reported to have been detained by the Shabia and whose whereabouts are unknown. The Shabia detained and took away to “incognito” also three Kunama young herdsmen who were attending their animals. One of them is called Ummadi but the names of the other two have not been registered except that one is from the village of Fode and the other from Dagilo.
In order to prevent the Kunama people from conducting their own daily activities, the Shabia are reported to have ordered no Kunama villager to move about, starting at eighteen (18:00) hours. If the herdsmen happen to have let their cattle to graze later than the curfew time imposed, they are detained and kept in prison to be released the next morning. Such plights are beyond reason.
The RKPHA’s notes:
The Shabia regime, its regional administrative personnel and its soldiers are carrying out a systematic “ethnic cleansing” of the Kunama people. The detentions and disappearances of the Kunama people are too often and too many not to state that, the present PFDJ regime is either directly or indirectly intentioned and ordering its forces to materialise such plan. Any move taken by the regime’s soldiers, stationed almost in every important Kunama village, the criminal acts such as rape, violent behaviour and abuse of power indicate a constant discriminative and socio-ethnically motivated measures taken to increase the suffering, the death and the elimination of the Kunama race from its own ancestral land. Let the PFDJ top-leadership, the regional administrator, Mr. Mustafa Nurhussein, his civil servants and the Shabia soldiers, perpetrating those injustices upon the Kunama people, be remembered that there are already two many and more than enough proofs of “ethnic cleansing” activities they are all involved in which can be and are being recorded and will be legally advanced and processed in due time. There are no other than the territorial aims.
The RKPHA ( June 8, 2003 ).
Part 05
Apirl 2003-04-28
NEWS FROM HOME SOURCES:
On March 28, 2003, the district officer of Shambakko, Sale Adum, summoning the inhabitants of the villages of Karkasha, Taikanaba, Tutakurina and Ugummu for a meeting in Karkasha gave them the following warnings:
1.- “any youth found wandering about after 18:30, will be beaten up;
2.- the ID-cards you are now holding have no more validity and therefore
you are expected to get new ones.
From April 1 to 3, 2003, the villages of
Taikanaba are to go to Karkasha to get their ID-cards;
from April 3 to 6, 2003, the villagers of Tutakurina:
from April 6 to 9, 2003, those of Ugummu and
from April 9 to 12, 2003, the inhabitans of Karkasha”.
Added to these, the officer ordered a fee of Nacfa 10, which the villagers had to pay in order to get their ID-cards. Those who argued that they would be detained if they failed to comply with those orders, decided to be on the run.
On April 8, 2003, the Shabia soldiers stationed in Taikanaba, accusing of contacts with ERKUKODISU, (DMLEK, the Democratic Movement fot the Liberation of the Eritrean Kunama), detained and taken to an unknown place, the village-chief of Karkasha, by the name of Ammi Ambo, Orsoma Buti, a native of Ugummu and an ex-Shabia soldier, called Mengstu Seleman, working as a group-leader in Karkasha.
On April 8, 2003, Sale Adum again summoned the inhabitants of the four villages; Karkasha, Taikanaba, Tutakurina and Ugummu and held a meeting where he said that, „Badumma had been given to Eritrea, but nevertheless Weane is trying to get also Shambakko. You should know that, from now on, we will have to be ready to fight and defeat it. Apart from this, you should also realise that you are feeding those evil people (ERKUKODISU), coming to you hiding themselves in the bushes and palm-trees. Those of you who had been living along the river-bank were warned and therefore if anyone is found still in those areas will be seen no different than the enemy itself. You should also come and get your ID-cards. Whether you like it or not, you should move out of those areas along the river bank.”
Sale Adum warned those villagers, threatening them that, they would be made öf his threats aware through facts. The villagers answered by arguing and inviting the authorities to “come and burn our hamlets as it is your plan. The areas where we graze our live-stock and draw enough water from are still parts of the Eritrean territory. As we do not understand your plan to move us from one place to another, we refuse to obey your orders.”
During the same month, the Shabia regime started to detain every leader and everyone able to read and write enough. Those detained from the village of Bimbilna are:
1.- Kuri (Marcello) Galli; the district officer;
2.- Idris (Bura) the officer of the district of higher Bimbilna;
3.- Musa Adamati, the chief cleark of the district of Bimbilna.
Similarly, 4 persons were detained from the village of Shambakko. Those known are:
1.- Tommaso;
2.- Laggi;
3.- Taranbo Sale.
Five people were detained in Boshoka. As the Shabia soldiers arrived at Taikanaba to make more arrests, some villagers got away by fleeing. The news coming from the village of Kolluku was that, 10 people, 6 women and 4 men had been detained and taken away.
On April 12, 2003, the Shabia soldiers patrolled the areas extending from Ugummu through Tugulakula till the Dergu river, trying to detain as many villagers but a lot of them managed to flee and get away.
On April 13, 2003, a native of the village of Taikanaba, by the name of Asaffa Idris Kachchi, who owns a little plantation along the river-bank, went to Dekamere to visit his mother. It is reported that, as the man was having a meal, 6 Shabia soldiers entered the house, kicked over the plate the man was having his meal from, fastened him tightly and took him away.
On April 14, 2003, the Shabia regime sent its soldiers patrolling and demolishing the Kunama hamlets lying along the river-bank from Koreti-Fursha till Garmi and forcing the villagers to resettle together in bigger villages.
At this very time, the Shabia regime is reported to have mobilised its forces and movements and greatly intensified its strategies and activities trying to detain as many Kunama suspected to be suporters of ERKUKODISU. The local sources confirm that. through such movement, the regime thinks of gaining a lot of advantages.
From the Home Sources.
Part 04
HOME NEWS (March/April 2003):
Combat units of DMLEK (the Democratic Movement for the Liberation of the Eritrean Kunama) attacked a camp of intelligence squad of the 11th unit led by a general nick-named Izni-Merak at Kolluku (Kunama Land), on March 28, 2003, at 08:00 pm, leaving 12 killed and wounded enemy soldiers.
As a retaliatory act, the Shabia regime seized, detained and jailed the following six Eritrean-Kunama civilians:
1.- Tukku Alamin (female);
2.- Dahba Bate (female);
3.- Alamin Badumme (male);
4.- Andrea Galla (male), a representative of the PFDJ regime, functioning as a village chief;
5.- Magi Ashku (male), local administrator of the regime;
6.- Abdu Sale (male), PFDJ surrogate who was accused of failing to co-operate with them.
Very recent reports confirm that, other prominent Kunama of the same village of Kolluku, particularly the clergy and many villagers, members of the Christian Protestants community were summarily detained and taken away by the regime’s soldiers.
The names of those Kunama will be published as soon as more detailed news reach us.
Of the following three prominent Kunama:
1.- Francesco Amma Gadum, a civil servant;
2.- Dannik Ule, a civil servant and
3.- Gabriele Gashshai, a merchant, nothing has been heard up to now, since they were detained by the regime’s soldiers immediately following the third round of the last Ethio-Eritrean war. They are only believed to be languishing in the “Biara prison”, in the outskirts of Barentu.
Following the latest events in the Kunama land, the PFDJ regime is said to have declared the Kunama people to have become the enemies of the “Eritrean government.” Such declaration is a clear message aimed at fomenting and encouraging ethnic-conflicts in and around the Kunama land.
The Kunama people at home and abroad, are reminding the PFDJ regime to retract such an unwise statement and see that those innocent civilian Kunama detained be immediately released or given a due process.
From the Home Sources (April 2003)
Part 03
News from the home sources (Febraury 2003)
Gallant fighters of the Eritrean
Revolutionary Democratic Front (ERDF) have launched a sudden attack upon the
intelligent squad of shabiya and brought a great causality. The incident that
has left 10 dead, 13 wounded, and a captivity of several weapons of various size
and quality took place in minor administrative region of Maimine, at Daaro Hara
village. The fighting lasted over three hours commencing from 8:40 up to 11:30
at night on 17/02/2003. As the station was completely demolished, another
subordinate force of the enemy has tried to encircle and curb the fighters but
the attempt was futile. Such sporadic and intermittent operations had been taken
by sister organizations like Erkukodisu (DMLEK) and the Red Sea Afar Democratic
Organizations. The three organizations are members of Eritrean National Alliance,
(ENA) with a formidable military wing, organized under the banner of the "Right
of Nationalities to self-determination up to secession" principle.
The RKPHA: News From The Home Sources (Febraury 2003)
Part 02
January 2003
NEWS FROM THE HOME SOURCES:
The Shabia regime is giving a military training to 50 Baria/Nara and Kunama individuals in Tole Gamja, paying them 1600 Nakfa. They started in December 2002.
The following are the names of some of those individuals taking the training:
1.- Andu Hagos, a Kunama from the village of Shambakko;
2.- Babikir Jagi of ibidem;
3.- Abate Sale "
4.- Kankalo "
Initially, these individuals were students who broken their studies and enrolled themselves in the military.
The Shabia regime is paying, the wives of his fleeing soldiers, 500 Nakfa. It pays 6000 Nakfa, to the wives of those soldiers on leave but decide not to return to the military life.
This process began on December 27, 2002. Some of them went to collect the money but some others did neither approach not collect it. They have become very careful as they have realised that they were being cheated and made slaves of money.
In the village of Aleda-Shila, the Shabia authorities and some arrogant Tigrians are persecuting the Kunama people for no apparent reasons. A police officer called Weddi Girmay, is warning the Kunama of Aleda-Shila that he would exterminate them if a certain Mohammed Saleh Ali, from the Tigre ethnic-group, who had disappeared from that village, is not found.
The Shabia authorities had ordered the graves of Agena Salama be dug out and removed from Barentu Gimja-Biet. They warned those graves would otherwise be excavated and houses built there. As there was some delay, the authorities used graders to dig those remains out which were subsequently collected and buried somewhere else.
It has been reported by eye-witnesses that, on December 29, 2002, the ERKUKODISU fighters surprised the enemy soldiers stationed along the river basin with violent attacks, putting the whole division into disarray. They left behind three dead soldiers. Because of such step taken, the Shabia soldiers are said to have become very disoriented. They told the inhabitants of Dagabbay that they had mistakenly fought against and hurt each other. On the other hand, on Friday, January 3, 2003, they summoned the villagers of Kolluku and told them that, they had been attacked by their children and warned them that, should any shoot out take place in the future in that surrounding, those villagers would be removed and resettled either in the village of Delle or Koitabia. They vowed not to let them live nearby the river. The Kunama would describe such a behaviour with the saying: "though detecting the elephant, they would still go looking for its traces", meaning, afraid of confronting the powerful one, they would look for an excuse.
On January 1, 2003, the ERKUKODISU fighters put out of function a truck carrying the rations of the enemy soldiers, from Dobaro to Sumbare.
On January 4, 2003, an "ISUSU" vehicle, loaded with bread for the enemy soldiers, was demolished along the Dase-Barentu road.
Last month, the Shabia soldiers, accusing of feeding the ERKUKODISU fighters, detained Bammad Shuli from the village of Dado and took him away. He has not been seen again ever since. It has been reported that an individual by the name of Siday Gaya had spied on Bammad Shuli and informed the Shabia soldiers.
The Shabia regime is still committing a lot of injustices against the Kunama people without proofs of culpability. Recently, it detained and took away four persons from the village of Dobaro. Their names are:
1.- Aroda Jenka;
2.- Abdu Libab;
3.- Idris Longgi;
4.- Mahmud Shuli.
On December 20, 2002, some Shabia soldiers went to a locality between Dase and Ugaro to detain three Kunama men who tried to escape but were chased and one was wounded on the thigh. The other two were captured and all three were taken to Barentu where the wounded person was left stranded in the market place whereas the other two were taken and till today nobody knows their whereabouts. Their names are:
1.- Shakku Tuta;
2.- Libishi Wana;
3.- Galli, the wounded person, was reported to have been abandoned and suffering till a passer-by, Shawalli Gashay, had noticed and took him to hospital.
NB. On the bases of the above sad news on the on-going injustices against the Kunama people, the RKPHA has nothing more to add, apart from stating that, whoever is involved, whether directly or indirectly, in those evil-activities against our Kunama people, carries and shall carry the full responsibility for their detentions, punishment, sufferings and disappearances. On behalf of their suffering ethnic-group members, whose names are either recorded or not, the Kunama people will be asking for "justice to be rendered", one day, at the right time and place. Injustice calls for justice and all those using unjust measures against their own fellow-human beings shall be remunerated with the same measures.
The RKPHA: News From The Home Sources ( January 2003 ).
Part 01
January 2003
NEWS FROM THE HOME SOURCES:
On November 3, 2002, a Kunama called Salanggo and a Tigrian settler in the Kunama land, quarrelled over a crop-field and ended up physically hurting each other very seriously. The Tigrian individual had attempted to seize the crop-field which belonged to the Kunama man..
On November 11, 2002, in Balak, a locality in the vicinity of Barentu, some Tigrians deliberately let their cattle trample over the Kunama crop-fields. Following a row, the Tigrians reported to the Shabia soldiers saying the Kunama had raided their cattle. The soldiers rushed to the place and started to shoot indiscriminately killing a Kunama called Dabi. Also in localities like Koitabia, the Kunama and the Tigrians quarrelled over crop-fields beating each other up very severely. The same happening in places like Dado, Dase, Dokinbia, Ugaro and in many other localities. These days, many Tigrian settlers in the Kunama land, are challenging the Kunama villagers on their crop-fields everywhere. They are openly claiming that the Kunama people have no land of their own anymore.
Based on these claims, a Kunama by the name of Nati Angkur was very badly beaten up by some Tigrians.
On November 24, 2002, two young Kunama named Kalifa Biriti and Shandi, natives of the village of Kona, travelled to the market in Barentu where they were then detained and taken away by the Shabia soldiers. Their whereabouts is not known up to this day. Their relatives went to Barentu to enquire but they could neither find nor hear any news about them.
On November 25, 2002, the Kunama villages of Karina and the Tigrians settlers in the Kunama village of Tuguliti, had quarrelled, fought and seriously hurt each other. The reason for the scuffle was that, two Tigrians who had been told to remove their cattle from trampling the crop-field of a Kunama person, retaliated by beating up a Kunama young man. The young man’s mother, who had been in the vicinity and followed the scene, cried for help. Other Kunama rushed to their aid. A lot of Tigrians too rushed to the place and the fight began. As the Tigrians were numerically superior, they drove the Kunama as far as the river Sona. The Kunama immediately blew their “horn” (a war sign for the Kunama people) to which the Kunama from the villages of Kolluku, Kona, Belabobina, Ludada, Taikanaba and from other parts, responded and rushed to the area. The following three Kunama individuals, by the names of Kalashin Buttu, Nase Adori and Kela Aroda, had been axed by the Tigrians. The Shabia soldiers then intervened and detained all those Kunama who had rushed to the help of that Kunama young man and his mother, and took them to Shambakko where they were imprisoned for two nights and then released. Because of such sad events and continuous injustices, the Kunama are reported to be saying that if they had their own government and soldiers like the Tigrians, they would not be maltreated and subjected to so much calamity.
Though a lot of such problems are being daily caused; quarrels and conflicts provoked by the Tigrian settlers in the Kunama Land, the government authorities are not undertaking any measures to contain the arrogance of those Tigrians who, encouraged by the examples of the Shabia soldiers and other government officials, have developed the conviction that the Kunama are no more the owners of their own ancestral land but the Tigrian regime, the Tigrian settlers and the Tigrian ethnic-group.
The Kunama people are therefore being systematically provoked, maltreated, insulted, humiliated, detained, jailed, charged and made disappear for simply claiming and trying to defend their own territorial rights. The Kunama people are being invaded by the Tigrians, in their own villages and crop-fields which have become the daily battle-fields between the two communities.
Let the government authorities, the officials at the regional and local levels be reminded that, if the Kunama people, according to their tradition, have reached the point of blowing their “horns”, for the provocations they are getting and injustices they are being subjected to, it is a clear “declaration of war”, the responsible people have to take very seriously. Now it is not the question of containing the wrath and the reactions of the Kunama people against any Eri-Tigrian aggression against them, their crop-fields and their land, but the question of refraining the Tigrians from worsening the already volatile situation by provoking the Kunama any further. This is a real “time-bomb” situation.
From its part, the RKPHA is informing and warning every concerned Eritrean that, the Tigrian component is practically declaring a civil-war in the Kunama land. This has always been a very serious warning the RKPHA has been sending for quite sometime, both to the government authorities like Mr. Mustafa Nur-Hussein and to all others who kept hammering on the very damaging principle of the “Eritrean land (the Kunama land) belonging to the government”. This is a principle the Kunama people will never entertain, accept, or even compromise if aggression is involved. For the Kunama people, their land is the identification of their own ethnicity.
The RKPH ( from the Home Sources: January 2003 ).
Part 4
NOVEMBER 2002:
NEWS FROM HOME SOURCES.
On November 4, 2002, a guard-group which was patrolling deep inside the country, planted a land-mine in the road between Ambori and Addi-Teklehaimanot. A truck loaded with grain (dura) was blown up on November 8, 2002.
The same patrolling group, opened a fierce fire, for five minutes, on the enemy depot at Tole Gamuja, on November 14, 2002, at 8 o’clock in the evening. After the group had stopped and left, the enemy soldiers carried on firing against each other for 30 minutes.
Because of a land-mine, planted against a water-truck, in the water-wells in Sosona Etakuri in the past, some Baria and Kunama from the village of Gullu were detained and later released.
In the Barentu area, some Tigrians had let their cattle trample on the crop-field of a Kunama man. After the owner had driven the cattle out of his crop-field, the Tigrians owners of the cattle reported to the Shabia stationed nearby that, cattle-raiders had raided their cattle. As the soldiers got to the place, they immediately opened fire on the man and broke his both legs. Other Kunama rushed to help him and so did also some members of the UN’s peace-keepers who detained those soldiers and led them to the camp where they were stationed, but their comrades had deserted the camp and went into hiding.
From the Home Sources ( November 2002 ).
Part 3
NEWS FROM HOME SOURCES: (November 2002)
That Shabia unit too had been engaging itself in the harassment of the local Kunama populations.
As it appears, the new leadership of the ENA has taken up its duties very seriously. It has begun to engage itself very actively in the diplomatic quarters (the recent visit of the top-leadership of the ENA to The Sudan and their official reception by the Sudanese authorities) and on the military fields, trying to target only those Shabia military units and stations where the Shabia soldiers, failing in their main duties, are instead causing a lot of suffering to the Eritrean rural populations.
Part 2
NEWS FROM HOME SOURCES (
April 2002 )
1.- On April
7, 2002, a Kunama by the name of Tifar Sale had been arrested at the
village of Itasha and taken to Bimbilna where his personal documents were
sequestrated by the Shabia soldiers stationed there who told him to get to the
village of Taikanaba the next day to collect his documents. As he reached Taikanaba
on April 8, 2002, the soldiers stationed there told him they were not the
ones who had arrested him and therefore that he had to look for his documents
somewhere else. The poor man returned to Bimbilna where he met those who had
detained him. These handed him his documents back and released him giving him a
stern warning that he would be paying dearly should he tell he had been detained
and had his documents sequestrated by those soldiers. Two days later, he was
recalled by those soldiers at Taikanaba who, accusing him of having failed to
report his missing documents, detained him again and led him to Barentu where,
up to this day, nobody knows whether he is alive or not.
2.- Similarly, a
Kunama called Abo Karafo who had travelled from the village of Ketumbru
to the village of Kotori was detained, had his hands tied up at his backside by
the Shabia soldiers, led to the village of Itasha where he was abandoned with
his hands still tied up. To his luck, he was found by another fellow-Kunama
person who used his knife to cut off the robe and fled.
3.- Another Kunama
by the name of Gaia Tesemma who had been herding his cattle in the Shiata
area, had his personal bag and ID-card sequestrated by the soldiers who told him
to get to the village of Dakkamare to collect them. As he got there, the
soldiers detained him for two days and ordered his parents to go there to pick
him up. Until today, it is not known whether he was released or not. He had
been detained on April 14, 2002.
4.- In order to use
as an excuse to arrest the Kunama people, the Shabia, have issued them,
besides the ID-cards, another paper without which no one is allowed to
move about.
Whoever not carrying such paper is known to be
incurring great risks.
5.- On March 29,
2002, Franko Kobaba, Mustafa Nurhussein, Aurelio Jakomino and a new recruit
by the name of Terenzio Kina, held a meeting with the people in Shambakko
where,
as usual, they started to hit the war drums again irritating their audience.
These same persons, summoned, at Karkasha, the Kunama villagers from seven
villages and told them they were not to be trusted as they are known to be
cattle raiders compensating their debts communally.
With this accusation, we Kunama are being
labelled as thieves.
Besides, those villagers were rebuked, insulted and
told that they would feed certain strangers and, after these had left, they
would make false reports. The villagers were warned that they would be severely
punished whenever their neighbours or others would report on their hidden
activities. In conclusion, Mustafa Nurhussein
and Franko Kobaba separated the elderly and the village-chiefs from the
other villagers and took them to a private meeting where they asked them what
they would think if those people refused to reconcile and, as the elders
answered that, apart from whatever the government had brought, they did not know
anything, the two, rejecting the answer they had been given, appointed new
chief-judges. Mustafa Nurhussein and Franko Kobaba
claimed that certain
organisations were either useless or had been eliminated and that the only
existing ones were the Jihad and the Kunama (ERKUKODISU). Enquiring how these
two also could be eliminated soon, they are choosing people from various
villages forcing them to use their talismanic powers to this purpose. Added to
this, Franko is trying hard to turn the Kunama into informants, spies and lying
people. He has promised to reward with 2500 Nacfa, anyone providing him with a
piece of information. He is carrying out his activities by putting up this
notice in his office as if it were a lotto-like prize.
The RKPHA, “From Home Sources” ( April 2002 )
Part1
MARCH 2002: NEWS FROM HOME SOURCES
Very
shocking news are reaching us, from home, these days, which are, once more
proving, what a degrading level of morality, have the Shabia military, civil
servants and its sympathisers reached with their inhuman and immoral activities
against the Kunama people in their own land. It is in fact reported that, in the
village of Anugulu, there resides a team of Shabia soldiers called,
“NNDA
SILLEIA “
This team would, during the day,
patrol the Kunama villages, entering houses and checking everyone. Their
main reason is said to be not “ security “ but to look at
Kunama women, identify the ones they liked and, at dusk, with the excuse of
patrolling the area, they would break into the houses of those particular women,
ask their husbands who they are, where they are from and where they were at day
time and whether they are from that particular village. In order to examine them
more and complete their research, some of the soldiers would take those men to
their stations whereas others would remain behind and rape those Kunama men’s
wives. The next day, the local community (Kebele) leaders would be
called in to prove the identities of those men who would then be released. Those
Shabia soldiers would warn the women, threatening to kill them if they revealed
their immoral activities.
The
stories of these very sad events have been confirmed also by independent home
sources. Incredibly shocking and embarrassing stories not at all worthy of the
behaviour of a national military.
The
inhabitants of the village of Fode were said to have been enlisted according to
their kinship and family ties; whether they were from: Gurma, Karaua, Serma or
Shua kinship. Besides, the Shabia authorities have introduced a practice never
heard of in the Kunama society. They have established that, if a man, native of
the village of Fode, for instance, married a woman from the village of Kona and
resided there, he would have to return to his native village should his marriage
end up in divorce. Similarly the woman too is expected to leave her
ex-husband’s village and immediately return to her own village.
This
is an outrageously inhuman order and practice never heard of but only in the
world of the Shabia regime. The people applying this order, seeing to its
observance and keeping records of are Ambrojjo Baio and Ambo Ambushi.
The
decree however was said to have been issued by the regional chief Aurelio Tungga
and entered into effect as from March 1, 2002.
The
Shabia soldiers, accusing Sadi
Afringgi of having previously met, fed, entertained and informed
his brother, Sale Afringgi who allegedly planted a land-mine to kill them,
detained him together with another Kunama by the name of Jafar
Galla in Dase, took them to Fode, from there to Barentu and
finally to Bimbilna. The soldiers had beaten up the two men very seriously and
examined them but they could not prove their wrong-doing. In order to justify
their action, the soldiers reported that they had detained the two men as these
were trying to flee the country. The two were then forced to make a detour
through Fode, Garmille, Gage’s village Noro, through Yohannis’ garden, down
to Asageri and from there back to their village.
Another
very shocking news is that, the Eritrean Alliance member-organisation
“
SAWRAWI BAITO
“
is said to have developed strategies and carrying our activities intended to destroy
ERKUKODISU (the Democratic Movement for the Liberation of the Eritrean Kunama
– DMLEK ).
Amat
Shinggrai,
was reported to have stated “ ERKUKODISU to be an organisation
without any principles and programs “ and told people neither to
believe nor follow it. He himself is a sold out person.
Adam
Bakit,
a
native of Aimasa, resident of Mastura, a full-member of SAWRAWI BAITO
and the chief of that locality, had gone to Tessenei, met the Shabia leaders and
told them that he and his comrades had a total of three-hundred (300) followers
ready to attack them. He therefore asked those leaders whether they could go and
fetch them. His mission however was said to have failed as his encounter and
plan with the Shabia had been uncovered and revealed to the Sudanese government.
Mohammed
Asallo,
resident and working in Gadaref’s ( The Sudan ) office, has been spreading the
news and boasting that, 25 ex-ERKUKODISU’s soldiers had defected and joined
Sawrawi Baito.
The
RKPHA:
from Home Sources ( March 2002 ).
TO
THE LEADERSHIP OF SAWRAWI BAITO:
From:
the Representatives of the Kunama People at Home and Abroad
As
the above recent news on the activities of your members against the Kunama
people, have been fully confirmed also by independent sources, we Kunama are
very deeply saddened, disappointed and angered by your underground work to
destroy ERKUKODISU, an organisation many Kunama people see as theirs as it keeps
struggling for their social, political and territorial rights. We are extremely
touched by the covert activities of Sawrawi Baito and of its agents; a
member-organisation of the Alliance of the Eritrean National Forces which has
unexpectedly changed its face and activities to try to destroy another
member-organisation fully accepted and respected within the Alliance. Up to
these days, we were led to believing Sawrawi Baito to be actively involved in
building up a strong Alliance, but the latest news on its sinister activities
have undoubtedly destroyed all our trust and readiness to join our forces with
such an organisation which we, from now on, see not different from the EPLF/PFDJ
regime. A new enemy of the Kunama people?
We
are therefore appealing to the Sawrawi Baito leadership, both at home and in the
Diaspora, to immediately clarify its political stand as regard to ERKUKODISU, to
the Kunama people and their cause. We expect the top leadership of this
organisation to issue a formal declaration either to confirm or deny and condemn
such works of its members and activists.
We
understand that, those activities are being carried our in the name and
knowledge of the Sawrawi Baito leadership.
We
Kunama do not and cannot tolerate any more repetitions of the “ hate-driven
“ activities of the old “
JEBHA “
against our Kunama people.
Prior
to the latest events by the Sawrawi Baito’s officials in Eritrea and in the
neighbouring Sudan, we Kunama thought we Eritreans opposing the present PFDJ
regime, had only one common enemy to fight and defeat, but we are now
discovering that, even within those organisations declaring their alliance with
the others struggling for the just causes of the excluded Eritrean people and
ethnic groups, there is one Sawrawi Baito planting land-mines-like devices to
destroy all hopes of the Kunama people. It is a clear
message we take very seriously as we expect a reasonable explanation from
the Sawrawi Baito leadership. We do hope Sawrawi Baito not to have similar
sinister plans also against the other member-organisations of the Alliance. Let
they too be alert.
We
very much regret to have to come out with such a disheartening declaration but
confronted with such shocking and outrageously betraying activities of a
member-organisation, we had no other choice but expose and express our bitter
disappointment and anger.
Let
our message be therefore very clear, to both Sawrawi Baito and others, that, all
those elements seeking the destruction and the elimination of our
organisation will be equally eliminated.
The
RKPHA
( March 2002 ).
KUNAMA
NEWS PAGE
NEWS
FROM THE HOME SOURCES (December 2001)
1.-
It
was reported that, at the beginning of October 2001, a mine went off in the area
between Boshoka and Shambakko killing the driver and putting out of function a
water-truck.
The
Shabia soldiers, accusing the ERKUKODISU agents of planting the mine, were said
to have been harassing the innocent Kunama people.
2.-
During their meeting held on September 27, 2001, Franko & co. ordered the
village chiefs and elders to take up firearms. Following that order, Efrim
Afarey was given a firearm. Besides, it was reported that, a decision has been
taken to form a militia force.
3.-
According
to witnesses’ report, the Shabia soldiers had been engaged in an internal
fight.
An anonymous militiaman who had been wounded during the third round of
the Ethio-Eritrean war, cured in Asmara and returned back to his native village
of Tekle-Haimanot was sent to Sheshibi. His commanders later gave, from his
salary of 400 Nakfa, 200 to a certain local leader by the name of Bereket Gerzgi
telling him they had given the other 200 Nakfa to that militiaman’s wife. They
however went to her and telling her that her husband had defected to the Weane,
they withheld the money. The woman informed her husband who, though answered
them per letter, they refused to give the money to the woman. He then went back
home and, together with his wife, travelled to Shambakko where he shot a local
leader three times who later died as he was being taken to hospital.
4.-
The University students who had been assigned to the summer-time service or
“maatot” but refused to, have been charged to pay 1000 (one-thousand) Nakfa
and jailed for one year.
Following
this, young people from the Baria/Nara and Tigre/Beni-Amer ethnic groups were
reported to have fled to The Sudan. Many University students who had been
engaged in the summer activities were reported to have died because of tiredness
and sickness.
5.-
The
Shabia soldiers are reported to be stealing villagers’ sheep and whenever they
are caught they are said to make recourse to beatings and jailing of their
owners.