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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Fri Jul 22 2011 - 21:24:18 EDT
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2011/07/23/us-state-departments-reprehensible-hypocrisy/
US State Department’s Reprehensible Hypocrisy
by Filmon TesfayJuly 23, 2011
On July 19, 2011, in a briefing at the State department meant to bring
attention to the drought and famine conditions afflicting over 11 million
people in the Horn of Africa, Assistant Secretary of State for African
Affairs Johnnie Carson reprehensibly stated “there are many more in need in
Eritrea, where a repressive regime is refusing to provide data on the
humanitarian needs of its people”. That statement is not only inflammatory
and entirely self-serving but completely politically motivated.
To begin with, how can Mr. Carson ascertain with certainty “that there are
many more in need in Eritrea” when he doesn’t even know the true facts on
the ground in Eritrea? It’s reprehensible that Mr. Carson and the State
Dept. would use the current conditions in the Horn to try to take political
pot-shots at the Eritrean government. It is worth pointing out that there
are currently tens of thousands of Diaspora Eritreans vacationing throughout
Eritrea. Any hint of starvation or famine would have made it out.
Second, Mr. Carson should be reminded that his Ethiopian ally Meles Zenawi
just recently publicly announced that Ethiopia would be buying over $100
million dollars’ worth of tanks from Ukraine. This is against the backdrop
of the drought/famine in Ethiopia and at a time when the Ethiopian
government is appealing for nearly $400 million to feed nearly 4 million of
its own citizens.
What makes this even more perverse is that recently IGAD, at the behest of
the Ethiopian government and in concert with the US administration, is
calling for increasing the sanctions against Eritrea, “specifically
targeting Eritrea’s mining revenues and Diaspora remittances”, which
would/could be used by Eritrea to not only feed itself without having to
rely on aid handouts, but develop its economy.
In light of this, Mr. Carson and the US State Department’s statement ring
not only hollow, but are deeply shameful and disgusting. They should stick
to trying to help the people of the Horn, rather than using it as an excuse
to try to shame or embarrass the Eritrea. And if Mr. Carson and the US State
Department are genuinely interested in the well-being of Eritreans, as they
claim they are, the US should be voting against sanctioning the country’s
meager resources and compounding Eritrean’s problems.
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