Click here to download as PDF This is an updated version (29 April 2024) of an article published on 29 February 2024. Please find the original version here. The Eritrean ‘Fourth Front’: Festivals as a […]
Riots broke out in The Hague on 17 February 2024. It is the latest in a string of clashes around the world involving pro-democracy and pro-government Eritreans. The latter group organises festivals, proclaimed to be cultural festivals, but which pro-democracy Eritreans state are in reality propaganda events; places were high-level Eritrean officials visit, where diaspora Eritreans go under pressure and threats, where military propaganda and hate speech are spread, and where Eritreans have to pay money to the Eritrean government. Now, a picture is emerging of a highly coordinated effort by the Eritrean government to control the diaspora, which it calls the ‘Fourth Front’, through militia-like structures, including Eri-Blood and Eri-Mekhete.
In this week’s News Highlights: Fighting escalating in Amhara region; Concerns over reports of Eritrean attacks and troops in Tigray; No motion for extension of ICHREE mandate; Chief of WHO was investigated by Federal Government of Ethiopia; At least 18 drought-related deaths in Amhara; Western Tigray banks administered from Amhara; Tigray Interim Administration accuses AU of absence in CoH implementation; New report on the operational status of healthcare facilities in Tigray; Detailed report of UAE’s secret support to RSF; Ethiopian embassy in Khartoum targeted; Humanitarian situation in Sudan worsened by underfunding; Two Eritreans killed in Israel by pro-government Eritreans; US imposes further sanctions on Sudan; EU to start funding again in Ethiopia after aid was previously suspended, despite Amhara escalation; Sea-Watch video shows Libyan coastguard collide into migrant boat; 271 refugees and migrants rescued off coast of Libya; “Fourth Front” announces a ‘revenge demonstration’ in the Netherlands; Poland and Hungary threaten veto as EU reaches an agreement on Crisis Regulation; Migration large part of the European Political Community Summit; EU criticised for lack of human rights in migration policy; and EU and Tunisia clash over funding on controversial EU-Tunisia Deal.