Good Read - The Mesob: Testament to the Artistry, Unity, and Grace of Eritrean Women; by Kidane Shimendi
*"...the Mesob anchors the time-honored cultural practice of communal dining; a tradition through which generations of Eritreans have fostered mutual respect, deep affection, and unbreakable social bonds. This practice of eating together from a single, shared platter is vibrant and alive across all nine of Eritrea’s ethnic groups, each possessing its own beautiful term for this focal point of hospitality: Tigrinya: Meadi (መኣዲ), Tigre: Metaagal, Saho: Maddi, Bilen: Meddira or Gbar, Kunama: Gonta or Nada Gonta, Nara: Gaan, Bidawyet (Hadendowa): Tooda, Afar: Galadda, Rashaida (Arabic): Maida".
*"...The Mesob is far more than a woven basket; it is a monument to the spirit of Eritrea. Through its captivating geometry, its rich national colors, and the nourishing meals served from its crown, it reflects the generosity, intellect, and love of the women who craft it. It is a magnificent testament to a national heritage engraved with beauty. Let us all honor, celebrate, and preserve the brilliant artistic legacy of Eritrea’s women".
https://t.co/JWNszvy7ah
Eritrea's National Service seems to be on the spotlight again by certain quarters.
The "new interest" does not stem from some "benevolent concern" for Eritrea. On the contrary, it is floated, purely and simply, in order to weaponize it as a "convenient" whiplash or cudgel for their unwarranted and malicious policies of perennial witch-hunting and harassment.
Indeed, the logic is simple and straight forward.
Countries and international institutions that were complicit in, or that kept mum, at critical junctures of Eritrea's modern history; when its decolonization rights were compromised to mollify the overriding geopolitical interests of major powers; when they left it to its own devices during the three decades of its long and arduous liberation struggle; who relapsed to their traditional position of hostility or apathy even after independence when successive Ethiopian regimes waged illicit wars, and are still contemplating reckless agendas, of territorial irredentism.. etc. have no legal or moral authority to comment on Eritrea's defense architecture.
Truth is international partnership is, and must be, a two-way street. Those who have traditionally abandoned Eritrea during its cyclical ordeals cannot pose as "good-faith" partners to offer unsolicited "advice" on its defense architecture.
The facts are otherwise unambivalent and crystal clear:
1. First off, demobilization is not a new or novel concept to Eritrea. The GOE embarked, on its own volition, on a demobilization programme in 1992, immediately after independence, to reduce the size of the 100,000-strong army of freedom fighters by 65%. The military doctrine at the time was to maintain a small professional army of 35,000 that would be supplemented by a reserve army (National Service) for reasons of contingency in the event of some grave external threat to the nation.
2. In this perspective, National Service was introduced in the context of this military doctrine. It was and remains limited to 18 months by law. And this was the operational modality until the war of aggression that was unleashed by Ethiopia in 1998 under the false pretext of a border dispute.
3. The GOE again embarked on a much more expansive Demobilization Programme in 2001 pursuant to the signing of the Algiers Agreement. The second Demobilization Programme had various training and reinsertion components as it was also funded by Eritrea's international partners including the World Bank, the European Union and bilateral funds. More than 105,000 National Service members were demobilized in this programme that continued until 2007. But it was ultimately shelved as the Ethiopian regime continued to renege on its treaty obligations; occupy, with impunity, sovereign Eritrean territories including Badme; and further pursued a hostile policy of perpetual confrontation.
4. The mindset of the current Ethiopian regime remains, in many respects, a continuation and aggravation of the misguided and deplorable policies of aggression of its predecessors.
4. But even during these trying and difficult times, the GOE has, and continues to take, various measures to mitigate the shared burden of the National Service. The measures adopted range from introduction of new and much higher Civil Service Salary Scale to deployment of the overwhelming majority of NS members to the public sector.
5. In the event, the new smear campaign on the National Service peddled by certain quarters, and its timing, only amplify a malicious ulterior agenda that has nothing to do with the welfare of the Eritrean people and/or the pursuit of regional peace and security.
The Economist article on Eritrea, (11 June 2026), is again replete with the usual condescending attitude and mindset; and inevitably, presumptive and utterly erroneous portrayal of unfolding events and trends.
The Editor does not only insult a people and nation that he has no inkling about, but even dubs the envisaged lifting of unwarranted sanctions as "sweeteners" to the GOE.
In general terms, the malaise of biased and irresponsible news reporting is not confined to one or two mainstream media outlets or odd articles here and there. It is indeed common in, and visceral to, many, "prestigious", media platforms who have long abandoned their pronounced ethical standards of "objectivity, impartiality and neutrality" to cater for higher financial and geopolitical interests.
In the event, the panacea is crystal clear: the Global South and particularly targeted countries have no option but to focus on their own networks to rectify falsified narratives.
EDF: Admirable Ethos Rooted on Rich Heritage https://t.co/puvnhpL76t
Eritrea has budgeted more 🇪🇷Than 35 billion Eritrean, Nakfa,That is about a dollar. $ 2.33 billion. to develop telephone and internet services the works hard. That is necessary in this modern communication era.