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Project to Train Refugees and IDPs in Nearby Areas in Ethiopia

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By:  Mr. Humed Huley
Kongsvinger 
Norway            
May 18, 2010    The continued miserably suffering of Eritrean peoples 
Email:
 
While the State of Eritrea celebrates its 19 th 
year of independence on 24 th May and the 
Eritrean Opposition Groups in Addis Ab aba 
are making themselves busy with the 
National Conference Agendas, the National 
Security Forces of Eritrea continues to 
severely violate fundame ntal freedoms and  
human rights of its peoples in violation of 
its obligations under domestic and 
international law. The people of Eritrea 
fought 30 years of bloody war with Ethiopia 
to gain National Independence to realize 
their legitimate rights to achieve economic 
prosperity, social progress and to establish 
a democratic State that promotes the rule of 
law and r espects human rights. 
Unfortunately, our dreams are today turned 
into untold misery. 
 
Afar Situation in Eritrea
 
Eritrean societies are generally living under an oppressive Guerilla totalitarian regime that had 
turned the whole country into a military prison. The country is under siege by the regime itself.   
Today, more than ever before, the Afar people in Eritrea are seriously experiencing a great dealt 
of political, economic and social injustice. They are faced with absolute poverty, food insecurity, 
and lack of medical care, hunger and violations of human rights . The regime has particularly 
restricted democratic freedoms and rights of the Eritrean Afars. Up -to-date, the Afar people in 
Eritrea are at risk, says UNHCR 2006.  Afar people who try to flee the ir impossible situation are 
treated like criminals and many of them were killed on the Djibouti border and on the Ethiopian 
border. 
 
 
 
 
 
Division of Afar Region in Eritrea 
In 1996, the Guerill a de facto totalitarian regime of Isayas Afworki decided to divide the Afar 
Region, which was known as Dankalia, into two zones and amalgamated them with other 
nationality regions with the object ive of destroying the traditional system of governance, social 
solidarity, traditional values of the Afar society, and more  importantly to legalize the Tigrinya 
speaking people ’s settlement in Afar region. This was in violation to International Laws, 
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) General Assembly 

resolutions 2200A (XXI), Res/61/295, an d Res/41/128, as it is going to change geographical 
character of the region, demographical composition of Afar societies.  
Economic problem 
Afar People are  continuously deprived of the basic rights and they have been restricted all 
sound because they bel ong to the Afar ethnic minority group, as the State does not have any 
confident in Afar. These situations  have caused th e Afar s everal physiological an d mental 
distress and they are living in constant fear. The Eritrean security forces clo sed down Afar 
business and revoked their passport s and prevented them from travelling abroad to carry on 
their commercial business , and as a result made the family’s life miserable. It was like the 
whole Afar people were being kept in prison in their own home.  Recourses sh ow that since 
independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrean peoples have faced economic, political and social 
problems desperately. Thirty years of war have left the country devastated, more than 750 000 
people fled Eritrea, taking refuge in neighbouring co untries, such as Sudan, Yemen, Djibouti, 
Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Europe, US, Australia etc. Again, during the border war with Ethiopia in 
1998 – 2000, approximately 356 000 peoples were forced to leave the country and became 
refugees. More than 310 000 people were displaced within the country, mainly the Afar and the 
Kunama Ethnic Minority Groups (EMG).  Many Afar families cannot get grain even in their own 
town. “Any attempt to get maize, wheat or other type of grain from elsewhere has become an 
illegal activity” said the Eritrean Human Rights Activist Elizabeth/Elsa Chyrum, 2009.  
 
No Freedom of Movement  
 
Today, the Afar people are not allowed to travel to Yemen, Djibouti and Ethiopia even for 
medical treatment. The Afar people are systematically required to obtain special permission to 
conduct their own bossiness in the country. Afar businessmen are subject to Immigration 
control. Their movement is severely restricted 
 
HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITIONS: 
Background 
Name: Ali Yusuf Mohamed 
Age: 50s 
Occupation: Member of Regional Assembly  
Marital Status: Married 
Children: five 
Ethnicity: Afar 
Religion: Muslim 
Date imprisoned:  1999 
Reason for his detention: Peaceful expression, opinions, views. 
Information: Have not heard anything form him since. 
Location: Unknown 
Human Rights sources reported that, in Eritrea, thousands of people 
are imprisoned, disappeared and killed by Eritrean security forces indiscriminately in different 
places.  Thousands of young people and youths have fled the country due to fear of being 

imprisoned and harassed or fear of being sent to the war zone s. Among the detainees are 
military officers, high government officials, members of local Assembly, such as a vice-President 
Mahmud Sherifo, General Ogbe Abraha, the former Foreign Minister Mr. Haile  Woldetensae, Mr. 
Ali Yusuf Mohamed member of Eritrean National Assembly (afar), Mr. Ahaw Ali, President of 
Local Assembly (afar) Mr. Ali Issa (Afar), deputy mayor of Assab,  Dankalia Region and also over 
560 members of the Afar ethnic group s have been detained without having been charged with 
any offence, and without access to a free and fair trial since 1999- up- to -date. Some of these 
detainees were members of the Dankalia Regional Administration officials. They were 
imprisoned on account of their non-violent opinions and beliefs.  None has been brought before 
the court of law, while the national laws require this to be done within 48 hours accordingly. 
Their locations remain unknown up to present. Security forces continued to detain and arrest 
parents of individuals who evaded national service duties or fled the country, along with their 
family members; there were reports that such parents were either fined 50,000 nakfa ($3,333) 
or forced to turn their children in to the government”( USA report 2010).  
 
 
 
 
Helicopter torture  
 
  
Torture is regularly practiced in this way. Torture and ill-treatment in detention are routine in 
Eritrea, reported Human rights watch 2009. 
Situation of Eritrean Afar refugees! 
Eritrean Afar refugees are at serious risk due to 
lack of medical care, food, water, and shelters. 
Photo: Qafar.com  
Eritrean Afar refugees in Barahle, zone 2 of 
Afar region 
Eritrean Afar refugees in Barahle, zone 2 of Afar 
region – Ethiopia, are starving! They are living 
under sever conditions  and need em ergence 
relief aid . They have to survive hostility and 

humiliation from where they sought asylum, including European countries. For example, 
Eritreans deported for UK, Germany, Malta, Libya, Egypt and Sudan were imprisoned on their 
arrival and their wherea bouts are unknown . Here are some Afar refugees entered into Afar 
Region – Ethiopia to seek asylum. Our thanks go to the Ethiopian government, Afar regional 
government, Afar Pastoralist Development Association (APDA) and Afar Charitable Foundation 
in Canada (Can go Afar) for their generous support that they have been given to us. 
 
 
 
 
 
Eritrean Afar refugees in Aysaita-zone 1Afar Region 
 
Eritrean Afar refugees in Aysaita - zone 1 of   
Afar region hoping to receive relief aid form 
Afar Pastoralist Development Association 
(APDA) based in the State of Afar and Canada 
based Afar Organisation, known as “Can go 
Afar”. 
 
 
Photo: Qafar.com 
 
 
Afar refugees Children in Aysaita Camp 
 
These are young Afar children who were forced 
to leave their own country because of raci ally 
and politically motivated abuse, harassment 
and mal-treatment and discrimination that they 
faced in their country. 
          Photo: Qafar.com 
 
National Flag of the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organisation 
Photo: Dahlak.org 
The aforementioned factors cont ributed to the creation 
of the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organisation. The front ’s 
ultimate objective is to realise political and human 
emancipation of the Afar people in Eritrea. 

Today, what is left for the Eritrean people? Nothing left. Today in Eritrea th ere is no law, no 
freedom, no right, no democracy, no justice and no respect for human rights.  
All peace loving peoples of Eritrea must resist a Guerilla de facto regime of Eritrea by providing 
all possible means and support to the Red Sea Afar Democratic  organisation established to 
realize the legitimate rights to Self-Determination of all nations and nationalities of Eritrea.