Bereket በረኸት ተኽለ

Welcomed Ms. Elena Piriondi, Chief of the Executive Board Branch, and Mr. Robert Stevens for a briefing and exchange on the development of the new @UNFPA Country Programme for #Eritrea. Discussions focused on the programme's substantive elements, strategic orientation, development process and alignment with Eritrea's national development priorities. The briefing provided an opportunity to review the proposed areas of cooperation, expected results and the framework for UNFPA's continued engagement in #Eritrea. Emphasis was placed on ensuring national ownership, meaningful consultation with relevant national institutions and coherence between the programme's objectives and Eritrea's development priorities. The exchange also took place against the backdrop of wider UN reform discussions, including system-wide concerns surrounding the proposed mergers of UN entities, institutional restructuring and the broader implications of the reform process for the UN development system. Issues of particular relevance include the potential implications for institutional mandates, accountability, governance arrangements, resource allocation, country-level presence and the delivery of development assistance. The importance of ensuring that reform does not undermine specialized mandates, diminish Member State oversight or compromise the ability of UN entities to respond to the distinct priorities and circumstances of programme countries was highlighted. The UNFPA representatives outlined the next steps in the programme development and approval process, confirming that the new Country Programme for #Eritrea will be presented to the @UNFPA Executive Board in 2027.

Welcomed Mr. Guang Cong, Special Envoy of the @UN Secretary-General for the #HornOfAfrica, to the Permanent Mission of #Eritrea for an exchange of views on developments in the region. Discussed situation in #Sudan, #SouthSudan, and #Somalia, highlighting how external interventions are aggravating conflicts, deepening divisions, and undermining prospects for peace. Emphasized respect for national sovereignty, nationally owned political processes, and constructive international engagement. On #Eritrea–#Ethiopia relations, made it abundantly clear that any prospect of engagement with #Ethiopia's leadership on any level, requires a prior, public, unequivocal, and unconditional renunciation of coercion, threats, and the use of force, alongside unambiguous recognition of Eritrea's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. These are fundamental principles. Neither the @UN nor the @African_Union should normalize threats, entertain territorial claims, or reward coercive rhetoric. Dialogue must not legitimize the PP's conduct or create false equivalence. Also cautioned against the inadvertent instrumentalization of international representatives to advance #Ethiopia's political narratives, manufacture external endorsements, or portray diplomatic engagements as tacit approval of its conduct. The PP's ongoing photo-op diplomacy must not camouflage realities on the ground or obscure the consequences of impunity. Carefully staged diplomatic encounters and high-profile international appearances are not endorsements of government policies, conduct, or regional ambitions, nor should they shield the #Ethiopian leadership from scrutiny and accountability. The international community must look beyond diplomatic optics and confront the deteriorating situation within #Ethiopia, where the PP government continues to employ deadly force against its own population. Civilians have been killed, livelihoods and infrastructure destroyed, and communities subjected to violence and displacement across #Afar, #Amhara, #Benishangul-Gumuz, #Somali, Tigray, and Oromia regions . Civilian protection and accountability demand urgent international attention. Stressed that regional peace cannot be built by externalizing #Ethiopia's internal crises or pressuring Eritrea. Meaningful engagement requires trust, mutual respect, sovereign equality, and good faith, conditions that do not currently exist. The immediate priority must be to address the PP's threats and conduct that have undermined regional peace. #Eritrea will neither be drawn into #Ethiopia's internal political and security crises nor allow itself to become a convenient distraction from the challenges confronting the Ethiopian leadership. Those challenges must be addressed within Ethiopia, not externalized onto its neighbours.

Getachew Reda’s latest remarks about H.E. President Isaias Afwerki reveal far more about his own political predicament than about the self-less Eritrean leader he seeks to criticize. He could not walk a single day in President Isaias’s shoes. He can’t possibly comprehend the sacrifices, strategic resolve, and political endurance required to defend a nation's hard-won independence and sovereignty in a neighborhood where political servitude has become all too familiar… and independent-minded leadership an increasingly rare commodity. Abiy Ahmed has cultivated a political culture in which generals, senior officials, and even members of his own Prosperity Party are systematically emasculated, stripped of independent judgment, political dignity, and the courage to challenge his authority. They are expected to submit, conform, and echo his dictates. ኣንጃል Getachew Reda appears to have embraced this role with little hesitation. What kind of political leader watches his own countrymen being slaughtered by short-range ballistic missiles, guided rockets, surface-to-air missile systems, and drones; women being raped; civilians brutally assaulted; and communities subjected to the systematic pillaging of their homes, businesses, and industries…and yet finds his voice only when commenting on the President of #Eritrea. This is more than political opportunism. It is an appalling abdication of moral and national responsibility. A leader who cannot confront the suffering of his own people, demand accountability for their destruction, or defend their dignity has forfeited any credible claim to principled leadership. The people of #Tigray, #Afar, #Amhara, #Oromo, #Somali, #Benishangul and other suffering people of #Ethiopia deserve leaders who defend their lives, dignity, and interests, not political operatives who trade independent judgment for proximity to power.