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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| March 5, 2005 |
Citizens for Peace in Eritrea |
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| After more than 30 years of war, in 1993 Eritrea became an independent nation. |
Building a Nation
In 1991, after more than 30 years of war for independence, the people of Eritrea finally defeated the Ethiopian forces that had been trying to maintain control over this strategic area along the Red Sea. The area had been the victim of occupation, colonization and annexation for hundreds of years; Egypt, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, Great Britain, and Ethiopia have all at one time laid claims to this area, which is roughly the size of England. In 1993, 99% of the people of Eritrea voted to establish complete independence and the independent nation of Eritrea was born. For the next five years, the Eritrean people worked to recover from the damage that 30 years of war had inflicted on its infrastructure and society. |
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| Citizens for Peace in Eritrea (CPE) worked to help the thousands of children were separated from their parents from 1998 and 2000. |
In 1998, however, a border dispute began in the area near Badme, and open hostilities began once more. It was at this time that Ethiopia began to act against people of Eritrean descent who were legally living and working in Ethiopia, citing the necessity of maintaining increased security as its reason. Over the next two years, more than 70,000 ethnic Eritreans were forcibly deported from Ethiopia, most without prior knowledge.
Citizens for Peace in Eritrea (CPE), is a non-governmental organization that was formed during this time in order to collect and disseminate information about this situation, as well as to serve as an advocate for the victims of this mass deportation. Just one of the major problems that required immediate attention was the forced separation of families. As a result of the mass deportation, thousands of children were separated from their parents; some were deported without their parents, others were left behind in Ethiopia with no one to care for them. During the two years of the conflict, CPE petitioned the international community for help with this, and many other situations that arose from the gross violation of human rights experienced by those displaced during this time. |
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| While Eritrean citizens still receive assistance from the international community, CPE is making great efforts to help them earn an independent living. (photo by Todd Frank) |
A peace agreement with Ethiopia was signed in 2000, bringing peace to the area once more; however, CPE’s work has continued in other areas. While there is no longer open fighting, the border dispute has still not been completely settled. Additionally, one of the things that CPE members noticed when they were working with displaced people was that these people were constantly searching for ways in which they could help themselves, rather than simply waiting for assistance. It was this proactive attitude that spurred CPE to begin programs helping to educate these new citizens in ways in which they could make a living, such as beekeeping, handicraft, or sheep care. Additionally, the group is engaged in landmine removal programs, human rights and awareness, health education, and an initiative working to stop the traditional practice of female genital mutilation. |
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| “Find out what Eritrea is and how you can be involved to assist.” |
When asked what people should know about Eritrea, a representative of CPE responded, “I would like to stress that people don’t know much about Eritrea. It’s a new nation and, secondly, I think for most people, it’s not significant. It’s very small. Whenever you bring up the issue of Eritrea, people would rather talk about Ethiopia. That should change. … there should be a way to get out of the situation with Ethiopia. The border dispute needs to be settled. At the same time, we have a lot of problems. We have the landmine problem; we want to better our education system; we want to better our health care system. We want our country to develop. |
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“We hope people will learn more about Eritrea – its history and why it is in the present situation. We have a reason for fighting for our independence. When Italy colonized us, we were an independent nation. The way in which we were treated was unfair. Try to learn more – try to find out about Eritrea. In your area, there are likely Eritreans living there as a result of the independence struggle. Find out what Eritrea is and how you can be involved to assist.” |
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