Date: Wednesday, 28 June 2017
Open Letter to Mr. Shaban Abdur Rahman Alfa
Dear Mr. Rahman
I have read your article conspicuously posted in http://www.africanews.com/2017/06/28/eritrea-the-african-north-korea-s-border-spats-with-djibouti-and-ethiopia/ with keen interest as it comes from a fellow African and expecting journalistic objectivity. I have no qualms over your interest in Eritrea as you are perfectly entitled to do so. However I must tell you that my response to your article is not to give credence but to show its banality. It seems to me that your deficiency in intellectual grounding and specialism for objective, impartial and unbiased healthy journalism has betrayed you spectacularly.
To begin with, the very title of your article (Eritrea: The African North Korea's border spats with Djibouti and Ethiopia) is disrespectful, insensitive and demeaning to put it in a civilised language. Your usage of the derogatory phrase ‘Eritrea: the African North Korea’ brusquely typifies the mind set of gullible and mental midget journalists who jump over the wagon. You have shamelessly borrowed and recycled disparaging words to show the country in bad light. I do not know whether you have been to Eritrea, but I assure you for a person who would had been there, the words ‘closed nation, secretive nation’ would not be his/her choice. It really is mind boggling when someone bearing the name journalist nonchalantly comes with such unprofessional report based on hear says innuendos.
Either by design or ignorance, in the timeline events you listed vis-à-vis the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia, you glossed over the most critical factor for the current impasse on the border demarcation. The denegation of Ethiopia to abide by the final and binding verdict of the agreement lies at the heart of this problem. Of all things, this should have been central to your report as the logjam that must be broken for the peace process to become a reality. In addition as a reporter you should have asked yourself, why do these border issue pop up? What causes them? And why after Eritrea became a sovereign state? Only then would your contribution be informative and educative.
You also mentioned Ethiopia’s accusation of Eritrea for supporting the widespread disturbance, while completely ignoring Ethiopia’s glaring intervention through its futile regime change agenda. Where is then your sense of fairness and balanced reporting?
Mr. Abdul Rahman, you state that Eritrea gets less news coverage than the neighbouring countries. Do I say wow! This is good news and sadly who would like to live in those chaotic countries where people not only live in constant fear and trepidation but are gunned down in broad day light.
Lastly brother Abdul, if you want to really know Eritrea, I advise you to visit the country and see-first-hand how peaceful it is and what difficulties and challenges it faces and how these are managed.
Haile Habtegaber
