Eritrea Profile_02092015

Vol. 22 No. 53
Wednesday, september 2, 2015
Pages 8, Price 2.00 NFA
PFDJ Issues statement on the
Occasion of September 1st
The PFDJ has issued a statement on the commemoration of
the 54th anniversary of the beginning of Eritrea’s armed struggle
for liberation and human dignity.
the lofty goals of unity and patriotism. Eritrea’s armed struggle
also became one of the most renowned liberation movements in
our contemporary times.
The statement elucidates that
the people of Eritrea were compelled to take up arms to assert
their inalienable national and human rights when the vigorous legal, peaceful and political protests
that they conducted in the 1940s
and 1950s were callously shunned
by the international community.
The values of social justice and
human dignity that were nurtured
during the long decades of armed
struggle have not only enabled the
Eritrean people to vanquish occupation and achieve Independence
but they also remain pivotal in
inspiring the new generation to
work with utmost dedication to
lay the foundations of a civilized
and modern nation.
The armed struggle of the Eritrean people was not without deficiencies in the early formative
years even though it accentuated, without any equivocation,
the aspirations and choice of the
Eritrean people for independence.
With the birth of the EPLF, however, the struggle was put on the
right track and managed to galvanize the Eritrean people around
The statement emphasizes that
the popular mind-set nurtured
during the arduous armed struggle
remains the key ingredient for the
attributes of Independent Eritrea
that are anchored on independent
political choice, human dignity,
social justice and self-less dedication towards national progress
and development.
African Traditional Medicine Day held in Asmara
African Traditional Medicine Day
was held on the 31st August 2015,
at the Orotta National Referral Hospital. The central theme of the event
revolved around the imperative of
putting in place robust mechanisms to
check undesirable traditional healing
practices’.
The Director of National Medicine
and Food Administration at the Ministry of Health, Mr. Eyasu Bahta, underlined that the event was organized following a thorough assessment of the
impact of traditional medicine in the
overall health spectrum. The overriding objective was to reinforce implementation of the regulations drafted to
ensure the provision of secure traditional healing services.
Preparations finalized to accord a hero’s
welcome to Eritrean Athletes from Beijing
Preparations to accord a hero’s
welcome to the Eritrean Athletes
who participated at the 15th World
Championship in Beijing have been
finalized, according to Colonel
Solomon Sium, Head of National
Olympics Supervision and National Sports Federations Committee
at the Commission of Culture and
Sports.
The formal welcoming ceremony
will commence at 8:00am today
from the Asmara International Airport and will proceed until Bahti
Meskerem Square.
velop the establishment of community based sports culture within the
country.
Colonel Solomon further informed that the Eritrean Commission of Culture and Sports has
opened new bank accounts in both
Nakfa and US Dollars at the Commercial Bank - Liberty Avenue
branch- with a view to further de-
Eritrean National Athletics Team
stood 15th at the international level
from more than 200 nations that participated and Eritrean Athlete Girmay Gebresselasie will be bringing
home the gold medal for his shining
victory in the men’s marathon at the
World Championship.
Mr. Iyasu further noted that traditional healing practices, which
are widely used in Eritrea, have not
been completely reliable principally
because they are often applied without conducting meticulous study on
the advantages and potential side effects. Mr. Eyasu underlined the need
to implement relevant laws as well as
directives concerning the activities of
traditional healers.
Mr. Semere Gebregergis, from the
office of the World Health Organization (WHO,) on his part stated that
the event was vital for creating a conducive platform to ensure the safety
of public health services. The deliberations were critical to encourage
regulated traditional medical practices
with the necessary safeguards as well
as in narrowing the gap between modern and traditional medical services.
Dr. Samson Abbay, pediatrician at
the Southern Region Referral Hospital, submitted a paper that highlighted
the potential health hazards on children by certain traditional medical
practices.
Participants in the event conducted
extensive discussions on the importance of encouraging regulated traditional health practices, enhancement
of public awareness on all aspects of
traditional healing in the country as
well as institutional networking and
ties between modern and traditional
medical services.
The Ministry of Health had conducted an inclusive workshop, bringing together all stakeholders, in July
last month with the aim of drafting
appropriate regulations on traditional
health practices.
News Brief
Central region: A 97% accomplishment
registered regarding malaria control
The Ministry of Health indicated that a 97% accomplishment has been
registered regarding malaria control. It made the remark in connection
with the conducting of a ceremony in Tsaeda-Chrstian sub-zone marking World Malaria Day.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Habte Gebremeskel, Head of information in the Central region’s Health Ministry branch, pointed out that
higher efforts are being put up in a bid to ensuring a still more gratifying
achievement.
Eritrea is in a position to become one of the top four countries that
made exemplary accomplishment in control of the disease, thus attesting
to the effectiveness of the programs implemented thereof.
Various activities depicting the Day were staged on the occasion
Training on Malaria prevalence
A training program aimed at increasing awareness on malaria prevalence was organized for health professionals in Dubaruwa on the
27th of August.
Sister Beletesh Ghebreab, coordinator of information and campaign
at the Ministry of Health branch in the region, noted that the significance of higher public awareness in combating malaria is timely, adding that constant monitoring is however necessary particularly with
the onset of the rainy season.
The Manager of Dubarawa Sub Zone, Mr. Teklemariam Ghebreyesus, on his part said that as the prevalence of communicable diseases
in the region has been reduced significantly in the past years, he called
on participants of the training to apply the skills they have acquired
into effect.
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, september 2, 2015
2
Human Rights Impact Assessment Of
The Bmsc 2015 Audit
Metkel Tesfay
In 2005, the UN SecretaryGeneral appointed John Ruggieas
Special Representative on human
rights and transnational corporations. Ruggie’smandate was, “to
identify and clarify standards of
corporate responsibility and accountability for transnational
corporations and other business
enterprises with regard to human
rights”. This task also included a
request “to develop materials and
methodologies for undertaking
human rights impact assessments
of the activities of transnational
corporations and other business
enterprises”. As part of this process, companies were asked to
conduct human rights “due diligence….In order to identify, prevent and mitigate adverse human
rights impacts, and to account
for their performance, business
enterprises should carry out human rights due diligence.” The
process was designed to“assess
actual and potential human rights
impacts, integrating and acting
upon the findings, and tracking
as well as communicating their
performance.” Subsequently, in
March 2011, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) enhanced its
reporting standards by including
a Human Rights Impact Assessment requirement.
A Human Rights Impact Assessment, HRIA, is designed to
complement a company or government’s other impact assessment and due diligence processes
framed by relevant international
human rights principles and conventions. HRIAs identify, predict
Published Every
Saturday & Wednesday
Acting Editor
Amanuel Mesfun
[email protected]
P.O.Box: 247
Tel: 11-41-14
Fax: 12-77-49
E-mail:
[email protected]
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Azieb Habtemariam
and respond to potential human
rights impacts of a business operation, capital project, government policy, or trade agreement
in an identified area within a
given country. HRIAs are rooted
in the context and realities of the
particular project and incorporate
the context within which the project operates by engaging directly
with those peoples whose rights
may be at risk.
In Eritrea’s case, an initial
HRIA of the Bisha Mine began in
2013 and the findings were published in an extensive report in
April 2014.
The report included a series of
recommendations for strengthening ongoing human rights due
diligence at the Bisha Mine site.
The HRIA was commissioned by
Nevsun Resources Ltd. (Nevsun)
with the support and cooperation
of the Eritrean National Mining
Corporation (ENAMCO). The
HRIA process was conducted by
LKL International Consulting
Inc, an independent firm. The latest in this series, the HRIA 2015
Audit, was just released, on August 5, and it presents the latest
findings and recommendations of
the ongoing HRIA process for the
Bisha Mine.
According to the assessment
team, what makes this particular
case unique is that “HRIAs conducted to date have been one-time
exercises that present a snapshot
of the human rights situation at
a particular point in time.” In the
Bisha Mining Share Company’s
case, however, “the assessment
team’s mandate has been extended to the monitoring and auditing
of the Bisha Mine. In this way,
the HRIA has become an ongoing
process. This represents a potential innovation in HRIA practice
where an ongoing process extends
beyond simply assessing impacts
and supports further elements of
human rights due diligence (i.e.,
integration and acting, tracking,
and communication)”.
According to the HRIA 2015
Audit, the assessment team notes
that “the ongoing HRIA process
continues to build trust, understanding, and relationships with
local stakeholders, workers, and
managers at the site, as well as
with the Government of Eritrea
and other Eritrean stakeholders—
all of which helps to elicit more
nuanced and in-depth information
about the human rights situation
at the Bisha Mine.”
Perhaps in stark contrast to what
is usually reported about Eritrea
by mainstream media – for example, the BBC team that visited the
country recently, as well as the
deliberate media blitz organized
by the UN’s Comission of Inquiry’s (COI) – the HRIA assessment
team emphasizes that “throughout
the four field missions to Eritrea
to date, there has been unfettered
access to people, places, and documentation.The assessment team
has not been assigned “handlers”
nor did it experience interference
by the Government of Eritrea
in any aspect of the assessment
work.”
implementation of human rights
due diligence at the Bisha Mine.”
Furthermore, the report notes,
there has been “substantial engagement with international
stakeholders since the publication
of the initial HRIA report. This engagement has included meetings
with Parliamentarians, government officials, NGOs, academics,
experts, and socially responsible
investors. This has provided an
opportunity to receive feedback
about the evolving approach to
human rights at the Bisha Mine,
as well as feedback on the specific recommendations from the
HRIA.”
•
The Government of Eritrea has reformed its criminal and
civil code and rules of procedure
•
Eritrea continues to be
actively engaged with the UN’s
Office for the High Commissioner on Human Rights as part
of the Universal Periodic Review
exercise
•
Eritrea has received
credit for its achievements on a
number of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—particularly related to health—as the international community takes stock
of progress at the 2015 deadline
for the MDGs
•
The Government of Eritrea as well as Nevsun have publicly objected to the baseless and
unwarranted COI report that was
published in June 2015
The assessment team seems
content to report that “Nevsun
has adopted a stand-alone Human
Rights Policy and integrated a section on human rights into its Code
of Ethics. Furthermore, Nevsun
and ENAMCO have agreed to
adopt a stand-alone Workers’
Rights Policy for BMSC.
The development and roll out
of this Eritrean, site-level human
rights policy provides a good opportunity to raise further awareness about human rights with
workers, communities, and business partners, as well as to embed
responsibilities for the ongoing
Lastly, the HRIA 2015 Audit
acknowledges key points that
mainstream media often choose
to deliberately ignore, such as:
In short, this latest HRIA 2015
Audit is a context-based, nuanced report that will surely be
welcomed by all stakeholders of
the Bisha Mining Share Company
whose interest is to guarantee due
diligence on human rights issues
and to ensure that human rights
are respected and upheld as part
of the company’s business practices.
3
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, september 2, 2015
The Pillars of Eritrea’s Regional Policy
Eritrea’s regional policy is
anchored on the promotion of
safe neighborhood. For motives
that are not difficult to figure
out, Eritrea’s detractors, and
particularly Ethiopia, however
continue to willfully distort this
policy. Eritrea is falsely accused
of, and maliciously portrayed
as, a purveyor of “regional
destabilization”. In the event,
Eritrea Profile will publish
Eritrea’s official submission
that was sent to UNSC member
States in October 2011 when
these accusations were gullibly
recycled by the Eritrea-Somalia
Monitoring Group.
Eritrea’s Response to the
Specific Accusations
This section will address all
the major specific accusations
contained in the Monitoring
Group. For purposes of simplicity,
the response will follow the
chronological order of the
accusations in the Report.
Support to Armed Groups in
Violence, Destabilization or
Terrorist Acts
On Page 69, the Monitoring
Group alleges: “In the course
of the current mandate, the
Monitoring Group obtained firm
evidence of Eritrean support
for armed opposition groups
throughout the region, including
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and
the Sudan.” As we shall show
in the following paragraphs,
however, the Monitoring Group
fails to produce solid evidence
to support its claims. In fact,
its claims are sometimes (for
example, in the case of Sudan)
bewildering as it itself admits that
the evidence is not strong enough
to substantiate the allegations it
makes.
Front (EPLF) had established
strong ties of military and
political cooperation with several
Ethiopian armed opposition
movements,
including
the
EPRDF, which constitutes the
current Government in Ethiopia.
The political objectives and
aspirations that underpinned
and consolidated these ties were
common ideals and aims of
defeating the oppressive regimes
in Addis Ababa to usher in a new
chapter of regional harmony and
cooperation.
The EPLF was not only pivotal
in forging these broad alliances
but was also catalytic in the
power-sharing formulas that
were agreed in Addis Ababa on
7 June 1991 during the historic
conference for the establishment
of the Transitional Federal
Government of Ethiopia that
brought together the EPRDF, the
OLF, the ONLF and other groups
cited in the Report.
But while the EPLF and the
new Government of Eritrea
ceased all these military ties
with all opposition movements
in Ethiopia who were inside or
outside the coalition government
after 1991 - even when there was
a fall out between the EPRDF
and the OLF in 1994 and armed
clashes erupted between themthe EPRDF continued to give
safe haven and training to small
Eritrean splinter groups during
those years of robust amicable
ties of friendship between the
two governments and political
movements. In those days, Eritrea
repeatedly made clear to, and
pleaded with, the authorities in
Addis Ababa that it saw no useful
purpose in igniting and sustaining
low-intensity conflicts between
the two countries.
In its discussions with the
Monitoring Group, Eritrea did
not only provide it with relevant
information but also stressed
the wider political and historical
context that was necessary for a
proper understanding of Eritrean
policy and practice.
After declaring war against
Eritrea in 1998, the Ethiopian
regime began to pursue this
policy with redoubled vigor and
by funneling greater resources.
In a futile attempt to dismember
Eritrea, it created the Kunama
Liberation Front and the Eritrean
Red Sea Afar movements.
In regard to opposition
movements in Ethiopia, it is
common knowledge that in the
period of armed struggle, the
Eritrean People’s Liberation
It soon began to provide
military, political, financial and
diplomatic support to more than a
dozen Eritrean subversive groups
including the fundamentalist Jihad
outfits. The litany of terrorist
activities perpetrated by these
groups include, among others,
terrorist attacks in Barentu during
the independence celebrations
in 2004 that claimed the loss
of 3 Jives while causing heavy
injuries to 50 others; and assaults
on Canadian and Chinese mining
companies in 2003 and 8 March
2010 respectively.
of origin or chain of custody”.
Since there was no allegation of
any Eritrean involvement, why
mention this under Eritrea’s
alleged violations?
As mentioned earlier, Eritrea
had offered to discuss these
matters in greater depth during
the January 2011 visit of the
Monitoring Group. The latter
declined on the grounds that this
was not “within their mandate”.
Concerning Somalia, given
that the allegations of Eritrea’s
military support to al­ Shabaab
has been the central concern of
the Security Council and the main
impetus behind the imposition
of sanctions under Resolution
1907, it is remarkable that
the Monitoring Group Report
confirms that Eritrea is not in
violation of 1907 in regards to
military support to al-Shabaab or
any armed group in Somalia.
This is the backdrop of the
low-intensity
conflicts
that
were principally precipitated by
Ethiopia and that unfortunately
permeate the relationship between
both countries. These low
intensity conflicts serve no useful
purpose but will not likely be
extinguished until and unless the
larger and much graver breaches
by Ethiopia of international law
are redressed….
Regarding Djibouti, although
the report presents two allegations
of what it calls “Eritrean support
of limited scale,” its sources are
dubious to say the least. A “former
FRUD commander”, detained
by the Djibouti government, can
hardly be expected to be a credible
source.
Although the detainee claimed,
according to the report, that Eritrea
provided ‘‘food, medicines and
treatment for wounded fighters,”
he denied receiving any weaponry
or military equipment. He said
that FRUD uniforms, arms and
ammunition were purchased from
Yemen. This contradicts claims
by Djibouti authorities that the
detainee had admitted that Eritrea
provided arms. In addition, this
SEMG allegation relates to the
period prior to December 2009,
as the latest claim of any Eritrean
involvement was October 2009.
There is only one other allegation
in the report, which claims that
in February 2011, the Djibouti
military seized 50kgs explosives
hidden in a cave. The SEMG said
the explosives were of Soviet
era manufacture, and that it “has
been unable to trace their place
It is therefore clear that by
the Monitoring Group’s own
admission, there is no evidence of
Eritrean violation of Resolution
1907 in regard to Djibouti.
The report mentions claims
from unidentified sources of
Eritrean arms shipments to
Kismayo (in fact Ethiopia had
publicly made those accusations),
but states categorically that it
“could not independently verify
the reports.” Regarding fmancial
support, the Monitoring Group
states that it has documentary
evidence of Eritrean payments to
individuals linked to al-Shabaab,
but admits that these relate only
to 2008, a year before the cutoff date of December 2009.
It mentions “allegations” that
financing continues, one source
claiming to the tune of US$
80,000 per month, but it does not
present a shred of evidence.
As to Sudan, the Monitoring
Group Report again acknowledges
that it is not possible to conclude
that Eritrea has provided direct
military assistance to groups
engaged in the destabilization of
South Sudan in violation of 1907.
Local News
Training program for
NUEYS members
The National Union of Eritrean
Youths and Students (NUEYS) in
cooperation with Eritrean Centre
of Professional Excellence has organized a training program for its
functionaries assigned in different
posts of the union.
The training was focused on
Leadership, Administration and
Counseling service.
At a seminar he conducted,
Mr. Yemane Gebreab, Head of
Political Affairs at the PFDJ, underlined the nurturing of skilled
youth is a prerequisite for the nation building process, and called
on NUEYS to enhance its endeavors towards the strengthening of
concerted action to realize the
goal of building a nation in which
the citizenry enjoy the benefits of
progress and social justice.
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, september 2, 2015
4
The Ponderer’s Corner
Shifting Nature of Our Dancing
Semir Seid
Well now, this is a fascinating
topic to talk about. While I’m used
to express it in its full package, that
is in action, I thought it was to time
say something. My favorite among
the Eritrean dances is Tigrigna,
whose varieties in beats, tones, lyrics keeps making people enjoy it
ever more.
In the Tigrigna language, the term
Wenam, which means passionate, is
given to someone who dances with
excitement (and is in turn exciting
to watch).
Our dancing comprises a lot of
art starting from the beginning till
the end. It has been evolving from
time to time and now has somehow
a new form. The nine ethnic groups
practice their own different eyecatching dances. As a result, their
dances have become a means of attracting tourists. In doing so, they
are also preserving their own cultural norms/traditions.
Dancing is an entertaining activity without which our people barely
have weddings, birthdays, parties,
graduation ceremonies and other
formal or informal celebrations.
This is because dancing was a common sign of joy and happiness since
the days of our forefathers.
However, the dancing that we
used to practice in earlier days has
somehow been changing and giving us the new forms we see today.
While it’s fine to make changes to
what we had, forgetting traditions
and sometimes using routines that
do not conform to existing techniques should however not be encouraged.
Dances like ‘Kuda Areza’ (a style
of dancing among the Tigrigna’s
ethnic group) for instance are not
practiced anymore. They were nice
to watch but they have simply become things of the past, or limited
only to traditional dancers in the
rural areas.
But just because we are saying
the way of dancing has evolved, it
doesn’t mean it has negatively affected the culture. It rather made the
dancing more attractive to watch.
Besides, it is inevitable for modern songs to feature new and modernized dances. We can also see
some modifications being applied
to routines in some traditional
songs. This is what we call choreography and it’s part of the progress
being registered in the field.
And what’s more, it would have
been a bit boring and monotonous
to watch the same dance routines
all the time. But it goes without
saying that these modern dances
need to be complemented with the
original traditional techniques. And
of course, having skilled dancers
is of paramount importance for the
entertainment factor.
The shifting nature of our dances
has definitely brought on itself a big
following from the audience. You
see the order, the smile, the turning,
the pauses in between, the passion,
the make-up and so on of the dance
crews to be harmonious, delivering
in turn a beautiful and entertaining
show. And that’s one of the reasons why television programs like
Hirmet and Mozaik on Eri-Tv are
some of the most watched.
The dances that are practiced
by dance crews from the different
zones are adopting unique styles
and choreographies. The selected
dancers on their part play a vital role
in beautifying these dance shows,
because one can see the dance practices and classes they take and the
efforts they make to display their
capabilities. They should obviously
be offered more training so as to
keep the trend flourishing further.
A saying in the Tigrigna language
goes ‘N’shiros Tesmi ente atewetas
meqeret,’ approximately telling that
an additive to an already tasty dish
would only give added flavor. Accordingly, wisely adding some elements to what we had before would
definitely make our dances more
impressive to watch. People are always eager to watch new variations
in our Kudas, Sibras, Dirbs (these
are some patterns within a typical
Tigrigna guaila dance).
Reading the mind of people and
offering the fresh things they need
would guarantee the delivery of the
intended amusement. Because people always enjoy something different. Thus shifting the nature of the
dance won’t be a problem. It would
not go anywhere bear completely
disappearing. After all, we can never lose the dance’s true nature as the
beat will always be there to remind
us and drive us right back.
Of course, what I’m talking about
also takes into consideration the
dance patterns we have borrowed
from the West (Hip-Hop, Reggae,
Latina dances...) and incorporated
into our dance routines.
Even though we may have songs
that reverberate foreign beats and
feature foreign dance elements, our
identity remains intact within the
context of our culture. The bottom
line is that regardless of the foreign
adoptions, the dances will always
be from the culture itself.
And when it comes to culture,
we have an interesting, rich and
very diverse culture that provides
its people with so many varieties of
dances to choose from.
Meanwhile modernizing these
dances should not be labeled as
“shifting” in nature but rather as
“shaping” the nature of our dancing.
And that is a testimony of how
much more we can do in the ground
if we devotedly worked for it.
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, september 2, 2015
5
September 1:
A Reflection from Eritrea
Fikrejesus Amahazion, Ph.D.
Yesterday, as I walk the sunny
streets of Asmara, highly grateful
for the nice, cool, periodic breeze,
I cannot help but notice the great
number of banderas (flags) waving
elegantly atop city buildings, from
apartment balconies, perched upon
storefronts, and from streetlight fixtures. Likewise, taxi-cabs and merchants’ windows are adorned with
stickers or posters of the red, green,
blue, and gold. Today is not just
another day on the calendar. It is
September 1st; a national holiday, an
occasion filled with patriotism and
utmost pride, and amongst the most
significant days for Eritreans of various ethno-religious stripe, young
or old, male or female, and within
the country or across the world.
And why exactly is September
1st such an important day for Eritreans? Quite simply, it marks the
beginning of the tortuous, winding,
sacrifice-filled road that ultimately
ended with independence and Eritreans having a bandera that they
could proudly call their own. There
is no May 24th without September
1st.
On September 1st, 54 years ago,
the Eritrean independence movement transitioned from street demonstrations, non-violence, and
peaceful protest, to active, armed
resistance – going against all logic.
September 1st is a day to reflect upon
and remember the monumental contributions and immensely heroic exploits of the thousands of freedom
fighters – those mythical, legendary
men and women who spent over
thirty years in the barren, dusty,
rocky deserts and harsh mountains
of Eritrea, persevering in the face of
adversity and ultimately delivering
freedom against all odds.
As I walk, I think.
September 1st is about confronting adversity and overcoming it. It
is about being faced with challenges
or problems and persistently seeking solutions. It is about perseverance, contribution, and sacrifice.
Of all the independence movements throughout Africa in the
1900s, only two emerged “victorious” militarily, Zimbabwe and
Eritrea. Furthermore, of those two,
only Eritrea was able to do so via
an outright military destruction of
its colonial oppressor (rather than a
negotiated settlement, ala the Lancaster Agreements). Importantly, not only was Eritrea’s struggle the longest African
independence war of the 1900s,
the three decades long struggle
targeted far more than just political emancipation. Rather, it sought
to usher in a complete and radical
socio-economic and cultural transformation of society, destroying all
outdated, harmful, traditional structures within society. As just one example, women would no longer be
viewed as inferior and subservient,
but as fully equal and key contributing members of society.
Today, although a large number of
African states have been “politically” independent for decades, many
are still mired in economic dependency and shackled by the oppressive chains of neocolonialism. Corruption, nepotism, and theft reign,
while tyranny, subjugation, persecution, and repression are all unfortunately far too common. Moreover,
even with an abundance of precious
Flags waving elegantly atop city buildings in Asmara
natural resources, the African continent has remained poor and continues to suffer from the many blights
of underdevelopment. Across the
continent, resources, which could
promote development, have instead fueled conflict and bred vast
inequalities, while foreign exploitation has sustained debilitating poverty. Sadly, independence has only
translated to being in-dependence.
In stark contrast however, Eritrea
has maintained control of its considerable resource endowments, firmly
grasped the reins to its national and
economic development, and is navigating a pragmatic, peaceful path
towards true national emancipation,
social-based development, and a
tangible, sustainable improvement
in the lives of its people.
As I sit in Shida square, I realize
how it is in this context, as well, that
September 1st is so very significant.
Not just as the mark of the beginning
of the struggle towards freedom, but
also as an important reminder of the
continuation of the work towards
independence and development.
Thus, September 1st is additionally
about understanding the immense
example set by those before us, and
striving to bring about the prosperous, harmonious nation that was
sought so many years ago. Reflecting on September 1st here in Eritrea,
one quickly sees how the journey
toward that vision continues.
It is apparent when visiting the
dozens of dams that are found across
the country. Small and large, these
are filled not only with the muchappreciated rains that fall from the
sky, but the sweat of thousands of
upstanding, hard-working young
men and women.
It is apparent on the long, winding paved roads, so critical for development, that connect the towns,
villages, and cities. Driving along,
one may overlook how these roads
were not always there, their place
being assumed by mountains, rock,
desert, and bushes.
After only a moment’s reflection, one understands how these
vital roads are only possible as a result, again, of the great efforts of so
many who remained (and still are)
dedicated and perseverant.
It is apparent in the classrooms,
in the elementary schools or institutions of higher learning, filled
with young minds eager to learn
and acquire the means to improve
themselves and their country. As per
an anecdote told to me by a proud
professor with experience teaching
across Africa, the West, and Eritrea,
The long struggle that brought freedom . . .
“The students here (Eritrea) are
hungry. In other places, ten minutes
prior to the end of class, papers begin to shuffle, books begin to close,
bags and zippers are opened, and
students’ eyes peer anxiously towards the clock. In Eritrea however,
no matter how early or late the class,
the entire classroom remains utterly
transfixed upon my every word and
movement, right until the very last
second. Not just that, even after the
bell rings, they plead to forego recess or break-times, in order to be
able to continue the lesson!”
It was also quickly apparent when
I had the opportunity to speak with
a young, recent Sawa graduate,
weighing no more than 130 pounds
soaking wet, and a nearly forty-year
veteran of the independence struggle. After separately asking them
each how it felt to have played such
a positive role in the country, both
smiled and confidently responded
(nearly verbatim), “I am not done…
there are still so many things I hope
to do in order to contribute to building my country.”
“Yes. Yes,” I think to myself,
now traversing the narrow lanes of
the shouk (marketplace), absorbing a wide-ranging array of sights,
sounds, and smells.
September 1st is about confronting adversity and overcoming it. It
is about being faced with challenges
or problems and persistently seeking solutions. It is about perseverance, contribution, and sacrifice.
Not just within the context of the
long struggle that brought freedom,
but also in terms of the ongoing
work that seeks to produce a prosperous, harmonious future.
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, september 2, 2015
ADS
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
6
Other skills and abilities
Bisha Mining Share Company PLC is inviting interested applicants for the positions of;
1. Catering Supervisor (01)
Major Duties and responsibilities:-
•
Demonstrated Skills in Planning,
analysis and problem solving.
•
Good interpersonal skills together
with effective communication skills.
•
Demonstrated skill in use of supply
computing software.
•
Knowledge of freight forwarding
would be an asset.
•
Strong influencing skills.
•
Ability to speak to a larger group pf
people.
 Supervise all Catering staff to ensure that catering standards are met.
 Provide guidance and assistance to Catering staff on catering methods and cleaning
chemicals to be used.
 Supervise the required working hours of the staff and ensure that breakfast/lunch/
dinner breaks are adhered to.
 Provide training, guidance to existing and new staff.
 Ensure that spot checks are done in order to ensure that catering requirements are
adhered to.
 Check on bar beverages which are reported as inadequate. (Spoilage & damage)
2.
Chef (01)
Major Duties and responsibilities
•
Conduct daily shift briefings to kitchen colleagues.
•
tive.
Planning and development of Menu to keep their establishments fresh and innova-
•
Preparing best meals every day at the right time.
•
Train, lead and motivate kitchen staffs.
•
Ordering different supplies needed for the Catering.
 Supervise and manage all maintenance requests forwarded to Engineering department to ensure that all requests have been finalized.
•
Supervise kitchen staff from dishwashers on up, oversee food safety, and work with
the front of house staff.
 Ensure that function preparations done is adequate and as per the required catering
standard.
•
Managing kitchen budget, ensure weekly orders are placed and accurate according
manpower plan.
 Supervise and control absenteeism of Catering staff and report on a weekly basis to
Human Resources.
•
ment.
 Check and sign time sheets of Catering staff.
 Check the meal report on a daily and weekly basis and capture on a weekly report.
 Check bar sales on a daily basis and record the sales for the monthly report.
 Plan an annual Shift roster for Catering staff.
 Manage the Shift roster for Catering staff.
 Knowledge of Health and Safety standards to be applied specific to Catering area.
 Ensure and supervise to ensure that safety talks are scheduled on a daily basis to
create awareness on health and safety.
 Report a hazard or potential hazard to Catering Superintendent.
Enforcing health and safety regulations at all times. Ensure proper hygiene require-
•
Ensure quality standards are met by actively participating in kitchen with kitchen
staffs..
•
Ensure all VIP visitors are handled and prioritized properly.
•
Preserving food quality and timelines of service.
•
Minimize food wastage and spoilage.
•
Research all ethnic foods to have an understanding of items and cooking methods.
•
Advising standard manpower needed for quality service.
Profile: Qualifications and Experience
 Ensure that catering staff participate in daily cleaning of his/her work station area.
•
Diploma in Food Preparation and Hotel Management.
 Supervise and ensure that all chemical stock is stored in a safe manner.
•
Certificate in Food Hygiene.
•
Certificate in Cook Training.
•
Minimum 5 years as Chef, and 5years as assistant and/or Demi Chef
•
Sensitive palate, creative, cooperative team worker and determinant.
Profile: Qualifications and Experience
General Information and other requirements:
•
High school Complete.
Formal
Education,
•
Certificate in Food and beverage will
Certifications or Equivalents be an advantage.
Working Experience
Nature & Length
–
•
3 – 5 years in catering environment
including store and stock control.
Leadership Experience –
•
High level of interpersonal skill,
Nature & length of time
supervisory skill, communication, innovative/
creative coach/ Mentor and Flexibility.
•Place of Work: Bisha site.
•Type of contract:
Temporary
•Salary: As per Company salary scale.
•Additional requirement for Nationals:
•Having fulfilled his/her National Service obligation and provide evidence of release paper
from Ministry of Defense.
•Present clearance paper from current/last employer
•Testimonial documents to be attached (CV, work experience credentials, a copy of your
National Identity Card etc.).
•Only shortlisted applicants would be considered as potential candidates for an interview.
•Application documents will not be returned back to sender and.
•All applications should be sent through the post office
•Deadline for application: 10 days from the day of publication in the Newspaper.
•Address: Please mail your applications to;
Bisha Mining Share Company,
P. O. Box 4276 Asmara, Eritrea
Note to Eritrean applicants:
Please send a copy of your application to
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare
Department of Labor
P.O.BOX 5252, Asmara, Eritrea
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, september 2, 2015
ADS
7
Desert Locust Control Organization
For Eastern Africa
Organization de Lutte Contre le Criquet
Pe´lerin Dans I´Est Africain
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Established by International Convention signed by the Governments of
Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan,Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
and registered with the United Nations
Asmara, Eritrea
Tel. 111493/111494
P.O. Box 231
When replying please quote
Asmara
Ref. No. and Date : 14th August 2015
Eritrea
INVITATION TO BID
1. DLCO-EA invites interested bidders to buy four (4) second hand duty free Land
rovers and one Bed Ford Lorry with Spare Parts.
2. The Vehicles can be inspected at DLCO-EA Asmara Base, near or behind Catholic Church San Francesco any time in the morning between 09:00 – 12:00 A.M. and
O2:30 – 05:30 P.M. in the afternoon.
3. Bid Offer will be quoted in Nakfa
4. Any Bid Offer can buy the list of the spare parts with non refundable of Nfa.
100 upon request.
5. Bid will remain open for 10 calendar days of this notice published in Haddas
Eritrea and Eritrea Profile and closed at 05:30 P.M. of the cut off date.
6. Bid should be submitted in sealed envelope.
7. Final payment for custom office and for the DLCO-EA will be 10 days after the
winner is declared.
8. The properties should be collected immediately within 10 days after all payments are executed.
9. DLCO-EA reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
DESERT LOCUST CONTROL ORGANIZATION FOR EASTERN AFRICA,
ASMARA CONTROL RESERVE BASE (ACRB).
Invitation for Tender
The Ministry of Trade and Industry of the state of Eritrea invites eligible consultants to
submit their bid offer for “Micro and small Industries Statistical Survey” as follows:
Bisha Mining Share Company is inviting applicants for the following
position for its Bisha Site Project.
1. Crane Operator(01)
Duties / Functions
Safety awareness and inspections on mobile cranes.
Read load charts on mobile cranes.
Operate cranes according to safety standards.
Must be able to have good eye sight and physical fit to operate
a crane.
Must have basic experience of Slinging and Rigging
equipment.
Do prestart checks on cranes.
Be able to identify ground stability for setting up cranes.
Profile: Qualifications and Experience
Formal Education,
Certifications or
Equivalents
If he have similar experience on
operating cranes and working with
lifting equipment it will be an
advantage.
Must be very safety conscious.
Working Experience –
Nature & Length
Minimum of 5 years’ experience.
Demag and Terex crane experience
will be an advantage.
Leadership Experience –
Nature & length of time
Not required for this job.
Other Skills and abilities
English language skills and ability
to work well with load charts and
operations manuals written in
English.
Sealed bid should be addressed to the
Ministry of Trade and Industry
Department of Industrial Development
P.O. Box 1271
Asmara, Eritrea
Tel: 291 – 1- 116210 or 291 – 1- 120034
Fax: 291 – 1- 124555
Bid offer to be submitted not later than September 7, 2015, 11:00 hrs, local time, and will
be opened on the same date, 16:00 hrs, in the Ministry’s conference Hall, in the presence
of the bidders or bidders representatives.
The bid offer must be accompanied by a bid bond of 5% of the bid price in the form of a
cheque draw on and certified by the Commercial Bank of Eritrea (CBE) or in the form of
any other instrument accepted and confirmed by CBE.
A complete set of Terms of Reference (TOR) can be obtained, during office hours, from
the Department of Industrial Development, Room No 217.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry reserves the right to accept or reject this tender wholly
or partially.
Ministry of Trade and Industry
General Information and other requirements:
Place of Work: Bisha.
Type of contract:
Indefinite
Salary: As per Company salary scale.
Additional requirement for Nationals:
Having fulfilled his/her National Service obligation and provide
evidence of release paper from the Ministry of Defense.
Present clearance paper from current/last employer.
Testimonial documents to be attached (CV, work experience
credentials, a copy of your National Identity Card etc.).
Only shortlisted applicants would be considered as potential
candidates for an interview.
Application documents will not be returned to sender.
All applications should be sent through the post office.
Deadline for application: 10 days from the day of publication in the
Newspaper.
 Address: Please mail your applications to;
Bisha Mining Share Company,
P. O. Box 4276 Asmara, Eritrea
Note to Eritrean applicants:
Please send a copy of your application to
Aliens Employment permit Affairs,
P. O. Box 7940 Asmara, Eritrea.
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, september 2, 2015
8
“Towards Making Eritel Services
More User-Friendly”
billion temesghen
In Eritrea, colleges are made with purposes that go far beyond ‘just delivering education’. Starting from Sawa to all the other institutions of higher education
spread across the country, the biggest achievement each student attains is the chance to share ideas with fellow students.
We’ve seen trough years that colleges in Eritrea create platforms of interaction in which students implement what they learn. While at school, students very
often share and gain thoughts and ideas, experiences, virtues and knowledge for lifelong purposes.
Today we will converse about an application developed by a group of 6 computer engineering students, who just like many more Eritrean college students have
came up with an efficient idea.
The group…
Ebtisam Hussain (21): “My
group mates are Bilen Alem (21),
Daniel Goitom (age 22), Elyud
Michael (23), Mehari Huruy (23)
and Winta Issak (21). We all are
fourth year computer engineering students. We developed an
android application for our junior
year project.
The mini project…
Bilen Alem: “Android applications have been developed many
times before. For instance, some
of our classmates developed a
tour guide application. And we
just wanted to think outside of the
box and look into how we can apply what we learned in way that
would serve for local use.
As we all know, the telephone
services in our country are not
linked to the Internet. So we
planned on developing an android
application that would make some
of the phone services easier.
The app provides easy ways of
recharging phone balance, checking the balance, renewing the balance, transferring money, speed
dialing, and placing emergency
calls with direct access.”
A bit about android…
Ebtisam Hussein: “Nowadays it
is hard to find anyone, especially
amongst the young folks, who is
not aware of android. But just for
the sake of information, it is a free
and an open-source operating system that activates all sorts of middleware in an electronic device.
So applications can be easily
built and installed, and eventually
made accessible for other users to
run. These days, smart phones are
highly popular with lots and lots
and people using Android applications.”
5th year computer engineering student
Daniel, Mehari, Bilen, Eluyud, Ebtisam, and Winta
The journey while working on
the app…
Ebtisam Hussein: “If you are to
develop something you first need
to be well acquainted with it. So
when we first came up with the
idea, we had to do a lot of reading,
studying, referencing, and experimenting to provide ourselves with
all the knowledge we needed.
We knew it was not going to
be easy but we found the ride towards our finished project thrilling every step of the way.
Since we needed to be active at
school, sometimes we would be
tight on time and there were times
when we had doubts and argued
about whether to go through with
it or not.
But we are very glad now that
we accomplished what we initially set out to do. It was an eyeopening experience.”
The feedback…
Bilen Alem: “People loved it.
You know, at the beginning we
simply wanted it to be of help to
old people because sometimes
they might find recharging or
checking their balances troubling
but afterwards we saw that even
people of our age were satisfied
with it.
Apparently, “easy” is a word
that a lot of us are looking for
nowadays. And we are glad to
have it in our gadgets!! For our
senior year project next year, we
are looking for ways to take what
we have started to the next level.
”
Last words
Ebtisam Hussein: “As long as
we are students, we are required
to do our jobs right. No excuses. I
have always seen myself working
with computers.
Since Eritrea is a developing
country, there’s so much left for
us to do. It is a good place for us
to practice our knowledge.”
Bilen Alem: “I believe in implementing what has been learned.
Personally this experience has
been one of the most constructive I had. As a part timer, I have
been working with networking
at TFanus Computer Center so I
am planning to learn more on networking and work with it.”
In expressing how the other
team members felt Ebtisam Hussain says “Happy and proud”.
These young students just like
many more students in different
departments of various colleges
are very much aware that they are
more than capable of efficiently
applying what they learn. And
as a new academic year is just
days away, Eritrea Profile wishes
all the students a successful year
ahead.