Eritrea: Land ofCan-Do People!

ERI-NEWS

National Service: A toolfor EconomicDevelopment, National
Cohesion and theDefence of Sovereignty

Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to AU
and UNECA
Press Section
President Isaias Elaborated on Eritrea’s Developmental Plan andPosition on Key Regional and Global Issues
In a two-part live interview withnational media outlets held on
27 and 28 January 2017,
President Isaias Afwerki
explained in detail the development projects planned for 2017and Eritrea’s position andperspective on importantregional and global issues.

Vol 4. Issue 62
04 February 2017
Inside this issue:
Senior Eritrean
Delegation
3
Conducted a Visit tothe RussianFederation

Some highlights from the interview:
Human Capital Development

Political Processes

President Isaias stated that humancapital development has always
remained a crucial objective of government intervention in the past years. In
this respect, the Government of Eritrea(GoE) will continue to funnel substantial investment in education and healthto ensure equity, greater access andbetter services to the public.

President Isaias described the broad
contours of the constitution drafting
process underway and associatedefforts to strengthen the PFDJ.

Power Generation
Provision of adequate and reliable
power supply for domestic, industrial
and agricultural consumptions constitutes the GoE’s priority both in terms of
its overall impact for investment and to
Salary Increments
President Isaias also explained the ameliorate the quality of life, President
rationale behind the phased salary Isaias explained. The Hirgigo powerincrements to the Civil Service. The plant that was built in the mid-1990s
overriding objective was to ensure has been grappling with a variety ofandfunctionality
priority in the first phase to those at the maintenancelowest rung in the army and the Civil problems resulting in frequent power
Service (new entrants from the Institu- outages in recent years. For 2017,tions of Higher Education) while concrete programmes that will be
documentation that must take into implemented in this sector include
account seniority, job complexity and installation of 200 Mega Watt powerother vital parameters are worked out generation plants that use fossil fuel(gas) and solar energy respectively.
for the subsequent phases.
(Contd. on page 2)

Vol 4. Issue 62, 04 February 2017

Eritrea andColluli Mining
Company Sign
Agreement

3Eritrean Delegation
Participated at the 428th AU Summit
Eritrean Mining
Sector : A Model to 5
African Countries
Indian Ocean Newsletter: Peddling
6
False News onEritrea
Status of the Harvest 6
this Year
Contact Addresses:
Tel: +251-116620052
Fax:+251-116620011
Email:eritreanaumission@
gmail.com
P.o.Box: 5527
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Eritrean Mission toAU& ECA@EritreaAU

Page 2Eri-News

President Isaias Elaborated on Eritrea’s Developmental Plan (Contd. from page 1)
Water Supply

Regional and International Issues

President Isaias underlined that the GoE has beenchanneling
substantial
investment
fortheconstruction of dams in all three development zones
in the country in the past two years. The Gahtelai
dam in the Eastern Development Zone, is slated forcompletion in 2017. The aggregate volume of water
harvested in these dams so far has reached around
250 million cubic meters, and taking the infrastructural works underway into account, it is expected toreach around 300 million cubic meters by the end of
the year.

President Isaias explained in depth the various
conflagrations that have erupted in the past 25 years in
the Middle-East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa andother flashpoints of war and conflict. Misguided
policies anchored on domination and hegemony in a
uni-polar global order were largely the causes of thesecostly upheavals, President Isaias underlined. Eritrea
has also been ensnared in this whirlwind andcompelled to face unwarranted border wars, sanctions
and harassment under the spurious pretext of “humanrights violations”.

Transportation
Government priorities for this year will be focused on
addressing the challenges and paucity of air and seatransport facilities that the country is facing. Road
transport maintenance and ensuring increased accessto affordable transport to the public will remain areasof government priority, President Isaias stated.
In regard to the political crisis in Ethiopia, President
Isaias stated that the spontaneous and extensive public
protests were spurred by dangerous policies ofinstitutionalized ethnicity and fragmentation pursued
by the TPLF regime and its backers so as tomonopolize power by fomenting division. The
regime’s futile attempts to attribute the crisis toexternal scapegoats and blame Egypt and Eritrea wasHousing
disingenuous and largely meant to deflect attention
President Isaias also described in greater detail from the quagmire of its own making.
current urban housing problems and the GoE’s President Isaias also spoke about the elections in theplanned schemes that are aimed at addressing, US as well as emerging trends in Europe describing
incrementally, the prevailing acute shortages in the these events as a “phenomena” linked to imbalances
capital and other urban centers.
and inherent flaws of a unipolar global order.

Vol 4. Issue 62, 04 February 2017

Page 3Eri-News

Senior Eritrean Delegation Conducted a Visit to the Russian Federation
Senior Eritrean delegation headed by Foreign
Minister Osman Saleh conducted a visit to theRussian Federation from 29-31 January 2017.
During its stay in Russia, the delegation handed overPresident Isaias' message to President Putin and held
wide-ranging discussions with Mr. Sergei Lavrov,Russian Foreign Minister.
Minister Osman Saleh expressed that Eritrea believes
a strong Russian Federation under the leadership ofPresident Putin can play an important global role inthe interest of peace, stability, sustainable economic
development as well as fighting terrorism.
Minister Osman further underscored Eritrea’s desire
to develop comprehensive and mutual cooperation
with the Russian Federation in the areas ofinvestment, trade, mining, higher education as well as
sharing of skills in the fields of engineering, energy,technology and medicine.
Minister Lavrov on his part said that Russia values its
relations with Eritrea and reiterated that bothcountries share similar views on many global andregional issues. He also expressed his country’s
readiness to develop cooperation with Eritrea in thesectors of trade, investment, education and otherareas of development.

The Delegation also met Agriculture Minister andVice-Minister of Education and heads of Trade
Ministry and heads of various companies. In themeeting with Mr. Alexander Tkachov, Minister ofAgriculture, the delegation discussed on reinforcing
technicalcooperation
intheagriculturalsector. Minister Tkachov commended Eritrea’s principled positions and support to Russian position in a
number of regional and global issues and reiterated his
country’s readiness to enhance cooperation withEritrea.
In a briefing they gave to media outlets, MinisterOsman Saleh and Minister Sergei Lavrov underlinedthat the recent visit of the Eritrean delegation to theRussian Federation is expected to strengthen theexisting ties of cooperation between the two countries
which has been growing over the past years.

Eritrea and Colluli Mining Company Sign Agreement
The Ministry of Energy and Mines of Eritrea andColluli Mining Share Company (CMSC), on 31 January 2017, signed an agreement to engage in potashmining operations in the Bada area of the Northern
Red Sea Region.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Energy andMines, Gen. Sebhat Ephrem, Minister of Finance,
Mr. Berhane Habtemariam, representing the Eritrean
National Mining Company (ENAMCO), andMr. Seamus Cornelius, Chairman of the Australiabased Danakali Mining Company.
Gen. Sebhat Ephrem commended CMSC for its
unwavering determination to partake in mining
operations in Eritrea and affirmed that the GovernmVol 4. Issue 62, 04 February 2017

(Contd. on page 4)

Page 4Eri-News

Eritrean Delegation Participated at the 28th AU Summit
An Eritrean Delegation headed by Ambassador Araia
Desta, Permanent Representative to the African
Union and UN Economic Commission for Africa,
participated in the 28th Summit of the AU held from22 to 31 January in Addis Ababa.
The Eritrean Delegation shared Eritrea's position andperspectives on the various issues discussed at theSummit.
Regarding peace and security, the Delegation
underlined that the recent proliferation of terrorism inAfrica came in the wake of regime-change exercisesby external powers resulting in State failures; andunderscored the need for strong cooperation for therestoration of the statehood of the affected countries,
and to resist the recurrence of such destructiveinterventions.
The Eritrean delegation also reaffirmed Eritrea’s
commitment to contribute its share for the promotionof peace, security and cooperation in the Horn ofAfrica and the Red Sea Regions, and across the The Summit elected Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat,
Foreign Minister of Chad as Chairperson of AU
African continent.
Commission replacing the outgoing Chairperson
The Summit adopted reform plan aimed at focusing Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. New Deputy Chairperthe activities of the AU on important issues, to bring son and Commissioners were also elected.
about structural changes and to reduce dependence
its membership inon external financing in the implementation of the Morocco which had withdrawn
th1984 has been accepted as 55 member of the AU.
work of the Union.

Eritrea and Colluli Mining Company Sign Agreement (Contd. from page 3)
ent of Eritrea and the Ministry would extend strong Mr. Cornelius praised the strong support given to theproject by the Eritrean Government. He also expressed
support in all its activities.
his desire for the company to engage in operations thatserve the interests of all parties to the agreement.
Mr. Alem Kibreab, Director General of the Mining
Department at the Ministry of Energy and Mines,
underlined that proximity to sea routes and shallowness of potash deposits gives the project uniquecommercial advantage relative to other projects.
CMSC is jointly owned by ENAMCO and the Danakali Mining Company.

Vol 4. Issue 62, 04 February 2017

Page 5Eri-News

Eritrean Mining Sector : A Model to African Countries
The Mineral Proclamation N°68/1995, The Mining
Proclamation 165/2011, the Proclamation of taxes on
mining revenue and the Regulations on Mining OperaReceived ideas are having a hard time. And a lie has
numerous versions, especially when someone denies tions N° 19/1995.
it. The truth, on the contrary, has only one version. It
may shock us, but it is neutral by nature. The person
who told the truth and the subject of that truth merely
confirm this sole version. Listen to this:This article was published on the January 2017
issue of Hommes d’Afrique Magazine.

“For me, the visit was a real eye-opener. The Bisha
Mine is a modern, well-run facility that currently
employs 1400 people, of whom 90% are Eritrean.
20% of the employees are women and the Bisha facility is creating employment opportunities for people in Here are a few key elements of the contents of theseneighboring towns and villages, who otherwise four texts:
would never have opportunities to work in the wage • There is no tax in Eritrea on dividends in the mining
sector.
economy.” Whose words are these? Where is this• A tax of only 0.5% is applied on the import ofbeautiful mine in Bisha?
mining equipment.
Let’s continue to listen: “Most people in neighboring• Freedom of repatriation of the benefits.
towns and villages are subsistence farmers and herd• Possibility to have accounts in different currencies
ers. One woman, who began as a cleaner at the mine,in Eritrean banks.
is now driving one of the heavy Caterpillar trucks• One Stop licensing system to undertake mining(American made!) that carries copper ore to theactivities, from establishment to operations.
crushing plant. That is what I call creating opportu• All mining resources in Eritrea belong to the State.
nity!” That’s not all.
• Possibility for a mine with foreign capital operating“The mine also pays some of the highest wages in thein Eritrea to open an account in a bank overseas.
country and employees at the mine have Western • The need to protect the environment.
protective gear and safety rules equaling anything
you would find in Canada or the USA.”You never hear this version of the truth about Eritrea.
Why not? The answer can be summed up in one word:
propaganda. What is its aim? To weaken a target, toThese are the words of Louis Mazel, [former] Head organize chaos not only in its mind, but also as muchof the US Mission in Asmara, Eritrea, the country as possible in the surrounding territory. “The organizawhere this admirable mine is found. This evidence, tion of chaos” is precisely the title of the first chapter
which you don’t expect to come from the mouth of a of a book published in 1928, by the pioneer in theYankee official speaking about Eritrea, proves that study of propaganda, Edward L. Bernays, which hedespite the tornado of propaganda, the truth never simply called “Propaganda”.
dies.
Many African countries are victims of the propaganda
The truth is that the Eritrean mining sector in dumped by the media which dominate the world,many respects is a model, which many African western media. In Africa all they see is misery,
countries should emulate. That’s why this edition of corruption, war and famine. Don’t let’s worry any
our magazine, Hommes d’Afrique, has zoomed in on more. They’re used to it. It’s up to us, just like this
this sector of the Eritrean economy.
mining enterprise in Bisha, to concentrate on what wehave to do for the good of our continent, Africa.
In Eritrea, mining is governed by a set of four texts:Vol 4. Issue 62, 04 February 2017

Page 6Eri-News

Indian Ocean Newsletter: Peddling False News on Eritrea
Fake News is the daily staple, the bread and butter soto speak, of the Indian Ocean Newsletter in its
periodic “news stories” on Eritrea and the region as awhole.
The Newspaper has also the habit of packaging its
fabricated stories as “factual events” emanating from“knowledgeable” intelligence sources. This is a
simple ploy to imbue credibility to its false stories
that are mostly based on innuendos and/or
deliberately floated at times for the purposes of puredisinformation.

Services, Gen. Mohamed Abbas, “conducted a secretlightening visit to Asmara”, on 10 January this month,
to meet with his Eritrean counterpart in “Khartoum’sefforts to persuade Eritrea, at the bidding of Saudi
Arabia, to break with Iran and the Houthis”.
This story is glaringly at odds with the actual facts,
current realities, and the political dynamics of theregion. But the Indian Ocean Newsletter is not in thebusiness of publishing validated and verifiable stories
and will continue, as ever, to churn out patently falsenews.

In keeping with this pattern, the Newspaper alleges in Ministry of Information
its edition of 27 January 2017 last week (No 1443) 31 January 2017that the Director of Sudan’s Intelligence and Security Asmara

Status of the Harvest this Year
Annual precipitation levels in Eritrea, and the Horn ofAfrica region in general, are not always plentiful. The main rains tend to be erratic both in terms ofspatial distribution and frequency particularly incyclical years when the overall volume is below ornear normal. There are also years when the region isstruck by severe, even if localized, droughts.
The ecological fragility of the region thus makes it
incumbent on governments to funnel public
investment on water infrastructure for irrigation,
pursue multi-layered programmes and packages offood security as well as engage in purposeful andplanned storage/prepositioning of supplies for lean
years.
These considerations have indeed prompted the GoE
to chart out, especially since 2005, a comprehensive
and long-term programme of food security to ensure,at the minimum, adequate/surplus food supplies bothat the house-hold and national levels in normal years
and to mitigate the effects of drought in badyears. This coherent and multi-faceted strategy has
helped the country offset crop shortfalls in a couple ofyears in the past decade when the harvest wasessentially poor.
Nonetheless, the harvest in Eritrea has been bountiful

this year for a variety of reasons. The Bahri (easternescarpment) rains in autumn 2015, the short rains in
the highlands in the Spring of 2016 and, more importantly, the main Kremti rains between June and
September 2016 were abundant in terms of geographical distribution, frequency and timing. Thesetallied well with crop harvesting cycles and patterns
contributing to almost a bumper harvest.
In the event, it is baffling to see grossly inaccurate
and bleak projections and reports of the food situationin the region that also portray a “severe crop shortfall
in Eritrea”. Benign concerns are of course always
welcome. But there are also reasons to believe that
this seemingly innocuous campaign may have been
conceived by certain quarters for malicious ends.
Ministry of Information
2 February 2017
AsmaraVol 4. Issue 62, 04 February 2017