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In an extraordinary session held on 21 November 2020, the Central Council of the Eritrean People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) discussed with deep concern the armed hostilities raging in Northern Ethiopia bordering Eritrea.

Recalling the Resolution of the EPDP 3^rd and Unity Congress of 2019 that strongly condemned the Eritrean regime’s policy of unwarranted interferences to aggravate the regional and ethnic tensions in Ethiopia;

And aware of the Congress’s call to the Eritrean people to watch out against the covert accords and treaties being signed and kept in the dark between the Ethiopian Government and Eritrean regime that can be suspected of reversing history and violating Eritrean sovereignty;

The extraordinary of the Central Council thus concluded that the concerns and fears of its Congress Resolutions are now on display:

• The people of Tigray are subjected to likely mass killings and disruption;
• Eritrea has become literally a military base for Ethiopian army, and
• The Eritrean people have once more become victims of a war which was none of their business.

Springing from these realities, therefore, this emergency Central Council resolves as follows:

1. The EPDP condemns in the strongest terms possible this Abiy-isaias on the people and the regional government of Tigray. We know causes of the war to be political and constitutional in nature and we call upon both sides to stop the armed hostilities and find an appropriate political solution.

2. The EPDP supports the calls by international and regional organizations, governments, religious and human rights bodies for ending the war, and we in particular urge warring parties to accept the initiative of the African Union for peace mediation. In the meantime, we call upon the international community to give serious attention to the plight of all refugees and internally displaced persons in the region.

3. Justifiable fears of Eritreans are that one of the objectives of this war is to damage and compromise the hard-won sovereignty of the Eritrean people. We thus renew the call on the Eritrean armed forces and people to redouble their efforts to remove the treacherous dictatorship of Isaias Afeworki before it gets too late.

4. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Eritrea is already endangered by Dictator Isaias Afeworki’s decision to turn Eritrea into a military base for Ethiopian land, air and naval forces. That is why we say it high time for the entire Eritrean nation to rise up against the one-man dictatorship and in the meantime ask for the most immediate withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Eritrean land.

5. The treacherous one-man dictatorship in Eritrea did not only allow the entry of foreign armed forces to Eritrea, but it also reportedly forced Eritrean army units to be exposed to the risks of the war in Tigray forgetting that their sole responsibility isf being the guardians of Eritrean sovereignty and the safety of its people.This emergency meeting of the Central Council therefore calls on the Eritrean armed forces to abandon their unjustified involvement in the war that does not concern them. We reiterate our urge to our own people to help in finding ways for safe return of its sons and daughters forced to join this war.

6. Likewise, our Party calls for an end of the ongoing ethnic killings in Ethiopia and condemns the massive attacks of the Ethiopian Government in Tigray region.

7. We forcefully reject any abuses on civilians and theft of their properties. As such, the reported seizure of people’s property under the cover of war is a criminal act not to be condoned, whoever the actor; it must also be clear to all that such illegal seizures will have consequences.

8. The world is well aware that many Eritreans have long been forced to live in exile due to the 30-year liberation war and, since 1991, because of the intolerable situation under the one-man dictatorship. Ethiopia and the Sudan have been among the generous benefactors supporting our exiled people. To this day, Ethiopia hosts a large number of Eritrean refugees, many of them in camps in the Tigray region. Because of this, the total membership in our party and many Eritreans are deeply concerned about the precarious situation of Eritrean refugees in the war zone.

The EPDP Central Council therefore wishes to draw the attention of all concerned bodies including the international community to provide the necessary protection and support the tens of thousands of Eritrean refugees in the region.

9. Finally, the EPDP wishes to remind compatriots in the camp of justice seekers, both political and civic actors, to redouble our efforts than ever before for unity and joint work and recognize that relatively positive achievements made during 2020 in this regard are NOT enough, NOT at all commensurate to  the challenges of the hour!!

 We in the EPDP therefore ask all fraternal forces in the Eritrean camp of change seekers to enter into a totally new and energized phase of working together.  

EPDP Central Council

21 November, 2020