http://ascenteq.com/project/epdp

To:

H.E. Dr. Gerd Mueller,

Federal Minister for Economic Development and Cooperation

Stresemannstraße94, 10963 Berlin, Germany

CC: H.E: Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier,

Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs,

Attn. Federal Foreign Ministry,        

East Africa Division,  

Auswärtiges Amt, AA, Werderscher Markt 1,

10117, Berlin, Germany          

                                                                                                                               17 June, 2015

Dear Dr. Mueller,

We, presenters of this modest appeal to your esteemed office, are an Eritrean political party in exile that struggles for democratic change and a Germany-based and registered non-profit charity advocating for human rights and soliciting tangible support for Eritrean refugees everywhere, in particular those in Europe and the Horn of Africa region. We have taken this joint initiative in light of the recent UN Human Rights Commission report; the timely debate of the German Bundestag on the situation in Eritrea as well as Your Excellency’s planned mission to Eritrea in the coming few days.

At the outset, allow us, Your Excellency, to express our deepest gratitude to what the German Parliament/Bundestag has done in the way of highlighting the human suffering in Eritrea and the plight of the refugees who are victims of an extreme form of dictatorship unparallel in the whole of Africa. To our great satisfaction, the debate in the Bundestag did not only warmly welcome the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea that aptly described the humanitarian disaster in the country with acts constituting crimes against humanity, but it also urged international protection for those Eritreans fleeing the country in fear and in desperation.

Dear Dr. Mueller,

You are fully aware that Eritrea’s autocratic leader, Mr. Isaias Afworki, and his small clique denied our people the rights that they aspired to enjoy after a 30-year costly liberation struggle that ended in 1991. Sadly, the last 24 years under the repressive regime had been disastrous. The end result is the ongoing societal breakdown of a highly militarized Eritrea that will bring more suffering to its people, to the region as a whole and go far beyond it.

The vast majority of Eritreans believe that appeasement with the dictatorship in their country will not solve the problem. Supporting the dictatorship, like what the EU is doing now, will only empower the regime and prolong the suffering of the Eritrean people.

Therefore, under the renewed momentum and encouraging attention to the problem in Eritrea, we take the liberty of submitting to Your Excellency, and by copy to the Foreign Ministry, to the German Government, the following modest requests for timely action:

1. The Federal German Government to kindly oppose any gesture of appeasement and support to the Eritrean dictatorship;
2. Germany to start an open engagement with Eritrean non-state actors in the diaspora with the aim of empowering them to take part in a democratic transition in their country;
3. The Federal German Government and your esteemed Ministry, to initiative the establishment of a solid programme for Eritrean refugees in Eastern Sudan and Northern Ethiopia by involving the support of EU and UN agencies. Such a multi-purpose and wide programme for thousands of desperate refugees should include not only the provision of adequate food, shelter, health facilities and security, but also give basic academic and vocational education to the big number of young Eritrean refugees in the Horn of Africa. Additional resources to this package programme can be obtained by rechanneling the development assistance funds long suspended from reaching the Asmara regime because of its bad human rights record.

Hoping that Your Excellency and the Federal Government will give the appropriate attention and timely consideration to the contents of this joint appeal of EPDP and the EHRRA, we remain.

Respectfully yours,

Wolde-Yesus Ammar,                                                                  Tzehaie Kubrom,

Head, EPDP Foreign Relations Office                                         Chairman, the EHRRA

Ammarw12@gmail.com                                                                         This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.