Within Eritrean society, there exist questions of ownership of land that are frequently raised among people in villages and towns and which create some kinds of societal frictions. These questions are minor in nature and can easily be resolved through arbitration, with the help of village elders. However, in the last 29 years, the regime in Eritrea has been using such frictions as an excuse to arbitrarily and cruelly punish en masse a certain group of people targeted by the regime. Such actions are not only irresponsible but illegal.

What happened to the people of Kuazien on 30 August, 2020 was totally unexpected. The regime issued a notice inviting the people of Kuazien to make themselves present in a field so as to help get rid of locust swarms. The unsuspecting public, in the belief that the government was keen to protect the interests of the people, made their way to the field in great numbers, in accordance with the notice issued.

But the Eritrean regime has perfected ways of deceiving and ambushing people. The gathering was not about getting rid of locust swarms. Instead, in order to execute its cruel intent upon the people of Kuazien, the regime had already arranged for members of the Eritrean Defence Forces from Adi Abeito Military Camp to be present, with many big army trucks. By the time the people gathered in the field, the soldiers started beating the people with sticks and forced them to jump into the trucks.

As a consequence of that fateful event, many people – all male – between the ages of 14 and 80 or even older -were taken to an undisclosed location. None of them were told why they had been forced into the trucks. And if they asked, the response was more beatings. A number of them sustained injuries as a result of the beatings, but none of them received any medical help. Since then, nobody knows their whereabouts.

On this black day, the women of Kuazien were unable to stay silent when their sons, husbands and fathers were cruelly beaten and shipped off in 8 big trucks. They instead cried aloud and very clearly voiced their objections to the unlawfully rounding up and detention of their menfolk. In addition, they organized themselves and, waving the flag of Eritrea, marched towards the Headquarters of the Eritrean Ministry of Defence in Beleza, in order to lodge a formal complaint.

A similar fate befell the mothers, wives and daughters of Kuazien. They did not even reach the gates of Beleza. Although they were presenting their case legally and peacefully, the regime responded against them with cruel force similar to that used against their fathers, husbands and sons. The regime beat them with sticks and, according to reports obtained from credible sources inside the country, some were left with broken arms and other injuries requiring them to be taken to hospital. As a result, the women of Kuazien were forced to return to their village before even reaching Beleza.

The issue behind these events is a dispute over a piece of land between the people of two neighbouring villages – Kuazien and Adi Angoda. These villagers have never been involved in physical fighting or rioting over the disputed piece of land. Nor has any blood been spilled as a result of the dispute.

If arriving at a just settlement was the purpose of the regime in Eritrea, one would expect the authorities to have embarked on one of the following ways to address the dispute: (1) to encourage the villagers to employ their traditional ways of resolving their issues, in accordance with their culture and customs, or (2) to make possible the presentation of the issue in a local court in order to arrive at a full and fair legal decision. However, the regime opted to support one side and take unjust and cruel action against the other. This was done to create a sustained conflict between the two villages, fuelling the feeling of injustice and the need for vengeance on one side.

Basically, no one now expects the regime in Eritrea to take a noble initiative to resolve issues amicably between villages. This is the same regime that has turned the whole country into one large prison, and continues to force its people into exile, causing undue suffering and the deaths of many. The cruel actions taken against the people of Kuazien – the biggest village in the surrounding area – ensure that Kuazien is terrorized into submission, thereby sending a stern warning to smaller villages in the area.

On this occasion, we would like to express our solidarity with the more than 1200 courageous mothers, wives and daughters of Kuazien, whose sons, husbands and fathers remain forcibly disappeared. We share their anguish and suffering, and we strongly support the legal and peaceful actions they have taken.

To provide a further perspective of the gravity of the matter, the kidnapping of the people of Kuazien has been deliberately enacted at a time when locust swarms are threatening their crops. The rest of the Karneshim villages are currently engaged in the fight to get rid of such swarms. But because inexplicably all its male population have been kidnapped from their village, the farms of Kuazien have been left to the mercy of the locust swarms. This is a very cruel punishment that ensures the people of Kuazien remain exposed to extreme hunger for the rest of the year. Such actions are a testimony to how the regime in Eritrea employs its terrorizing tactics on the people of Eritrea.

We recognize that the suffering of one village is the suffering of an entire country, and hence we call upon our fellow country people and the international community to strongly condemn the cruel actions and arbitrary kidnappings imposed upon the people of Kuazien.

Human Rights Concern – Eritrea (HRCE) has been exposing and opposing all the injustices committed by the regime in Eritrea upon the people and the country. And similarly, today, we strongly oppose the cruel injustices suffered by the people of Kuazien.

It is our firm belief that the individuals and groups who have committed these injustices will be legally held accountable for their actions in the not too distant future.

–

Human Rights Concern – Eritrea (HRCE)

19 September 2020