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FOUNDING STATEMENT OF THE ERITREAN 
SOLIDRITY FRONT 
 
Examining the progression of events in  Eritrea, land and people, since the 
consecutive epochs of colonialism, would find out that it had been hauled by 
various forces and volitions. These fo rces and volitions caused numerous 
internal discords  and damaged the fundamental principles ingrained in the 
Conscience of the Eritrea people. The Eritrean people who not only had had 
believed on political pluralism, religi ous and cultural diversification but 
rather practiced them as a inevitab ility for its existence as a people and 
nation.  
 
In spite of the above fact, some Eritr eans had fallen into a narrow mode of 
“esprit de corps” and opted to contest the project of Eritrean national 
independence, during the epoch of self  determination (1942- 62) and since 
then Eritrean national unity has suffered a malignant shattering fracture. 
 
After the eruption of the Eritrean re volution, led by ELF, who commenced a 
national project transcending the divi de and mobilizing the Eritrean people 
and its social icons for the cause of national liberation, however, the journey 
of the revolution could not evade the di scords and the consequences of the 
conflicts witnessed in the “self dete rmination period”, the situation where 
the EPLF exploited to build its exclusionist project.   
 
Despite the painful course of the re volution Eritrean national independence 
was realized. National sovereignty wa s won by the sacrifices of precious 
human and material resources paid by  the Eritrean people. Thus, the people 
alone own this achievement. Yet the PFD J ruined the triumph for an Eritrea 
the people fought and sacrificed for. It obstinately aborted the dreams of 
Eritrean people for better living. Th e PFDJ engaged into policies of 
disparities, marginalization and excl usion among the Eritrean people. Not 
only had these, but it also imposed a weird mode of governance that does not 
represent the aspirations and hopes of the Eritrean people, let alone to be 
analogous to the noble sacrifices paid fo r this nation. It has applied a policy 
of systematic demographic change por traying Eritrea with a hideous image 
that does not bear a resemb lance to the valiant sacrif ices of our nation.  The 
PFDJ policies were out-and -out defiance of the political entitlement for the 
Eritrean people and the natural developm ent of the political processes. The 
shorn of natural course of  political entitlement that would have room for all 

the capabilities and faculties of Eritrean  citizens. It would have also 
provided security and social peac e among the basic components of the 
Eritrean society. Eritrea would have picked up the pace for development and 
advancement. Eritrea would have lined up to compensate what it had lost, 
and climbs up the echelon of civilized nations where citizens enjoy security, 
dignity and stateliness. The malice of Afwerki’s regime has spilled over to 
Eritrea’s neighbours, daunting and jeopard izing security and stability in the 
whole region of Africa’s Horn, indulg ing Eritrea into ab surd hostilities and 
wars that has nothing to do with the interests of the Eritrean people. All 
these endless suffering as well as ra ndom imprisonments and detentions 
forced the Eritrean youth to flee or ma de to flee their motherlands and seek 
refuge to unknown distinctions. 
 
In the presence of the aforementione d course of events in Eritrea the 
undersigned concerned organizations, have carried out a sequence of 
considerate in-depth discourses for the purpose of reaching a common vision 
on fundamental issues. Departing from their profound concern in the state of 
affairs prevailing in Eritrean and in compliance to the motivation and 
aspirations of the Eritrean masses who time and again called for the 
amalgamation of efforts and capabilitie s of opposition organizations who 
share similar strategic visions and programs: decided to come together under 
the name of “The Eritrean Solidarity Front” as a primary step towards the 
formation of a broader front that can rally and embrace all the capabilities of 
our nation and endeavours to contest injustices and struggle for the 
redemption of due rights of aggrieved. 
 
Thus, The Eritrean Solidarity Front has set up a number of principles and 
objectives, some of which are:  
 
1. Put together a plan of action that could mobilize the potential of our 
nation to play its role in regaini ng, the stripped of, due rights of the 
Moslems, all the marginalized and oppressed people of Eritrea. 
Standing together in contesti ng all the cultural, social and 
demographic violations and profan ations in which the Afaweki’s 
Regime has embroiled. 
 
2. Work to build a social, cultural a nd educational system to remedy the 
present dissensions and combat i gnorance, backwardness and elevate 
consciousness and knowledge to the required level to wrestle the 
standing challenges.  

3. Believe in the unity of Eritrean national soil and concur on and protect 
national fundamental principles. 
 
4. Preserve and consolidate The Eritr ean Democratic Alliance for the 
attainment of democratic change and build a nation of constitutional 
institutions. 
 
5. Believe that religion provides mora l protection and faith values. It 
also constitutes, together with cultu re and heritage, one of the major 
components of Eritrean identity. Excl usion of religion from the life of 
our people is disfiguring national identity and bullying the values of 
moral virtues.  
 
6. Adopting decentralized system of  governance that grantee positive 
justice and provides balance betw een the requirements of unity and 
the specifics of the Eritrean people’s components. 
 
Finally, The Eritrean Solidarity Front shares the enormous suffering, 
agonies and intimidation inflicted upon our people in Eritrea; on the same 
ground it commends our people in Dias pora for the fortitude of enduring 
economic hardships and obscurities of life away from their homeland.  
 
In the occasion of declaring the birt h of The Eritrean Solidarity Front we 
call upon all the Eritrean people, especially the elites, social and religious 
leaders to support this national project and participate in preparing for the 
comprehensive congress from where a un ited entity front will emerge, to 
pave the road to the objectives of our people and lead to an Eritrea, a 
nation that embraces all its citizens in peace, stability, solidarity and love.  
 
Endorsed in the 1st of May 2009  
 
 Organization                      Signatory              
 
Eritrean liberation Front                                         Hussien Khalifa                  
Eritrean Islamic Rectification Movement               Adem Ismeal  
Eritrean Islamic Party for Justice  
and Development                                                     Khalil Amer 
Eritrean Federal Democratic Movement                  Bashir Ishaq 
 
Note: the original text is the Arabic version