“Where is your brother” manifesto is a testimony on how Eritrea’s social fabric, namely faith, truth, trust, justice, communal responsibility, and caring for the sick and the elderly that used to weave Eritrean society into a whole, as well as that used to hold Eritrean household and parenthood intact has been dissolved under the PFDJ regime.
Importantly, “Where is your brother” is a national and historic call to account for the current political, social, and economical crisis that is deeply and rapidly eclipsing the nation and its people under the tyrannical system of the PFDJ regime. The letter is an echo that reverberates throughout the country’s incomprehensible state of existence that the bishops articulately described it as going downhill fast not only to the determent of our individual and collective dignity, humanity, and freedom as Eritreans, but also the dire consequences of the mass exodus of the generation of Eritrean children and young that sees their country as inherently unlivable and hopeless, which this represents and intertwines both with the survival of the country and with the loss of irreplaceable human and social capital in our country. Truthfully, the letter heeds us that the continuity of the nation is in real danger unless we take a drastic measure to end the ongoing carnage in our country.
“Where is your brother” also raises a critical and fundamental question about the role of the Eritrean opposition forces (from political to civil groups/institutions and to individual Eritreans) and their failure over the last two decades that helped tyranny to flourish unfettered. The message that the four bishops underscored is for us to ask questions like ‘where is the part of me, where is the part of you, and where is the rest of us’, an indisputable declaration of truth and an attempt to making Eritrean opposition forces responsive to the current crisis by disengaging from their narrow organizational interests/rhetoric and designing an aggressive measure, with immediate time, effort, and focus devoted to addressing the national crisis.
In writing “Where is your brother”, the four bishops have given us a historic path to rise and called upon Eritrean voices of reason to recognize the necessity and urgency of preventing the nation from a total collapse. They have given us courage and we must sustain this courage. EPDP is grateful to the four bishops, Bishop Mengisteab Tesfamariam, Bishop Thomas Osman, Bishop Kidane Yebio, and Bishop Fikremariam Hagos.
Note: This press release was written following the publication of “where is your brother”, but it could not be posted on time due to our website upgrading.
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