May you please post this open letter on your website? Thanks.
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Organization of Eritrean-Americans
Washington, D.C.
August 23, 2013
An Open Letter to Ms. Jenny Vaughan
Dear Ms. Vaughan:
Hope you are well. This letter is written on the behalf of the Organization
of Eritrean-Americans (OEA), and several Eritrean Diaspora organizations
located across Europe and Canada. The OEA, in particular, is a non-profit,
grass-roots organization based in Washington, D.C., and it has evolved into
one of the primary sources of information to the general public, various
U.S. and international institutions, and the mass media. We would like to
share some thoughts and offer considerations to you, primarily as a result
of having read several of your recent articles featured on Reliefweb and
the AFP, including:
- “The good, the bad and the very ugly” (August 19, 2013)
- “Eritrea’s Minerals: Blessing or Curse?” (August 20, 2013)
- “Eritrea Dreams of Ending Isolation, Boosting Development” (August 20,
2013)
- “Eritrea’s Unique Architecture Under Threat” (August 21, 2013)
- “Eritrean Cyclists Pedal Country onto World Stage” (August 22, 2013)
First, while your effort to report on Eritrea, in all its complexities and
varied dimensions, is appreciated, we feel that many areas of the piece,
“The good, the bad and the very ugly,” lacked contextual understanding,
appropriate objectivity, or were downright inaccurate and incorrect. To
briefly outline, the following points require reconsideration on your part,
although there were several more:
· It is important to reiterate that Eritrea is fully governed by its
constitution, ratified in 1997. Full implementation has only been delayed
due to the continued illegal occupation of Eritrean land by Ethiopian
military forces, in direct violation of international law and the EEBC’s
final and binding verdict.[i] <#_edn1>
· The president of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, was in fact elected by the
National Assembly in 1993, and not “un-elected” as you suggest.
· Several of us were in Asmara, Eritrea on the day that your interview
subject, Asmelash Abraha, was purported to have read demands by the
renegades. There was in fact nothing read on air. Rather than attempting to
make it appear as if he denied reading it, it would have been more
appropriate for you to disprove him by producing some sort of evidence of
what you claimed he read. Moreover, your claim of “55 soldiers” is
unsubstantiated, and it is the first time that any such figure has been
claimed. At the least, it would be expected of you to explain that there
are many opposing views to the “55 soldiers” narrative.
· The reference to “…head of economic affairs for the only political
party” is incorrect. Eritrea is not led by a political party; rather, the
country is governed by a popular organization, the PFDJ, which
continues to steer
the nation and development through adversity and until full maturation of
political process.
· At times, your use of terms is questionable. You contrast “positive
government *rhetoric*” with “*reports* from exiled opposition groups.” This
is troubling since, in fact, many of the alleged “reports” have actually
been later found to be inaccurate or outrightly wrong, thus not worth being
deemed as reports.
In the article, “The good, the bad and the very ugly,” it was quite
unfortunate that you quickly glossed over the many achievements made in
terms of development, health, education, and nation building. By expressing
at length the supposed restriction of human rights while glossing over
tremendous progress made in regards to socio-economic, health, and
development sectors, you do your readership a disservice. These areas,
within themselves, constitute internationally recognized human rights, and
Eritrea’s record within these areas is repeatedly overlooked. Notably,
Eritrea has long remained committed to ensuring their realization by all
Eritrean citizens. As just one example, in regard to health, in a 2011
report, the Overseas Development Institute noted that:
“Eritrea is one of the few countries expected to achieve the UN MDGs in
health, in child health in particular. Infant and child mortality rates
have reduced dramatically; immunization coverage has rocketed; malaria
mortality and morbidity have plummeted; and HIV prevalence has almost
halved in a very short period…This can be attributed to the high
prioritization of health and education and a strong commitment to
development among Eritreans.”[ii] <#_edn2>
Below is a summary of Eritrea’s progress for each of the UN MDGs:
1. MDG1: not achieved
2. MDG2: on track[iii] <#_edn3>
3. MDG3: on track[iv] <#_edn4>
4. MDG4: on track[v] <#_edn5>
5. MDG5: on track[vi] <#_edn6>
6. MDG6: on track[vii] <#_edn7>
7. MDG7: on track[viii] <#_edn8>
8. MDG8: not enough data to yet assess progress
As part of your stay in the country, it may have been both useful and
beneficial to your readership to consider how a country facing sanctions,
occupation, and unfair media attacks and perceptions continues to achieve
so much progress in an array of sectors. However, the multitude of errors,
as well as the article potentially appearing biased illustrate that the
piece may draw questions regarding its “humanitarianism” or “informing the
public.”
The article, “Eritrea’s Minerals: Blessing or Curse?” also holds several
points deserving of further consideration. Specifically, you reference a
report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on the mining sector; however, it is
important to note that the methodology and formulation of the report drew
significant criticism. As you note, close to 2000 Eritreans are employed at
the mine, and several hundred more have been in the past. In that context,
the report’s reliance on a select handful of interviewees who left the
country arouses questions of reliability and sampling. Further, in
discussing the concept of the “resource curse” it may have been especially
beneficial to consider long held Eritrean national policies of equality,
development, sustainability, and the country’s historically positive record
in terms of anti-corruption.[ix] <#_edn9>
Undoubtedly, Eritrea faces immense challenges. Conversely, it is also often
misunderstood. One of the best ways to move the country forward, then, is
to engage in clear dialogue and conversation, avoiding extremes or biases.
We certainly appreciate your efforts in attempting to provide analysis of
the country. At the same time, however, we hope that your work in future
will take some of these points into consideration, since without them, your
portrayal of Eritrea does your readers a disservice. With that said, we ask
you to author another article that more accurately reflects the on the
ground realities within Eritrea, and provides a more contextual reading of
the tremendous challenges in the region.
The Eritrean-American community, Eritreans around the world, and citizens
within Eritrea, remain committed to nation building, peace, cooperation,
and positive relationships with all. We write this letter not only to share
our thoughts, but to also reiterate that we refuse to stand for
misrepresentations or inaccurate depictions of the country.
We thank you for your time, and if you have any concerns, questions,
comments or would like to discuss any of these topics in future, please
contact us at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Organization of Eritrean-Americans
Collaborating Eritrean Partner Organizations in Europe
OrgEriAm_at_gmail.com
------------------------------
[i] <#_ednref1> [link] <
http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpage.asp?pag_id=1150>
[ii] <#_ednref2>
[<
http://www.developmentprogress.org/progress-stories/eritrea%26apos%3Bs-progress-health-and-child-health>
link<
http://www.developmentprogress.org/progress-stories/eritrea%26apos%3Bs-progress-health-and-child-health>
]<
http://www.developmentprogress.org/progress-stories/eritrea%26apos%3Bs-progress-health-and-child-health>and
[link]<
http://www.newafricanmagazine.com/features/interviews/afwerki-self-reliance-does-not-mean-isolation>
[iii] <#_ednref3>
[<
http://www.madote.com/2013/01/eritreas-adult-literacy-rate-improves.html>
link<
http://www.madote.com/2013/01/eritreas-adult-literacy-rate-improves.html>
] <
http://www.madote.com/2013/01/eritreas-adult-literacy-rate-improves.html>-
[<
http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/Eritrea%20gender%20profile.pdf>
link<
http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/Eritrea%20gender%20profile.pdf>
]<
http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/Eritrea%20gender%20profile.pdf>
-
[<
http://eastafro.com/Post/2012/02/15/video-eritrea-on-track-to-meet-uns-millennium-development-goals/>
link<
http://eastafro.com/Post/2012/02/15/video-eritrea-on-track-to-meet-uns-millennium-development-goals/>
]<
http://eastafro.com/Post/2012/02/15/video-eritrea-on-track-to-meet-uns-millennium-development-goals/>
[iv] <#_ednref4> [ <
http://www.er.undp.org/mdgs/docs/mdgr_pub_eritrea.pdf>
link <
http://www.er.undp.org/mdgs/docs/mdgr_pub_eritrea.pdf>]<
http://www.er.undp.org/mdgs/docs/mdgr_pub_eritrea.pdf>
[v] <#_ednref5>
[<
http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/ERI_GOSE-UN_SPCF_28th_Nov_2012.pdf>
link<
http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/ERI_GOSE-UN_SPCF_28th_Nov_2012.pdf>
]<
http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/ERI_GOSE-UN_SPCF_28th_Nov_2012.pdf>
[vi] <#_ednref6>
[<
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/womenempowerment/successstories/eritrea_reducingmaternaldeath/>
link<
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/womenempowerment/successstories/eritrea_reducingmaternaldeath/>
]<
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/womenempowerment/successstories/eritrea_reducingmaternaldeath/>
[vii] <#_ednref7> [
<
http://www.er.undp.org/news/021111-mdgs.html>link<
http://www.er.undp.org/news/021111-mdgs.html>
, <
http://www.er.undp.org/news/021111-mdgs.html>
<
http://www.er.undp.org/news/021208-malaria-control.html>
link <
http://www.er.undp.org/news/021208-malaria-control.html>]<
http://www.er.undp.org/news/021208-malaria-control.html>
[viii] <#_ednref8> [
<
http://www.er.undp.org/energy&environment/>link<
http://www.er.undp.org/energy&environment/>
, <
http://www.er.undp.org/energy&environment/>
<
http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/ERI_GOSE-UN_SPCF_28th_Nov_2012.pdf>
link<
http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/ERI_GOSE-UN_SPCF_28th_Nov_2012.pdf>
]<
http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/ERI_GOSE-UN_SPCF_28th_Nov_2012.pdf>
[ix] <#_ednref9>
[link]<
http://www.tesfanews.net/eritrea-natural-resources-and-development/>
Received on Fri Aug 23 2013 - 18:22:19 EDT