The Afar Constitutional Model for Eritrea

 The Afar Constitutional Model for Eritrea

Declared and agreed at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, this 1st day of July 2023

THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE ERITREAN DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION GROUPS OF THE DIASPORA (POLITICAL PARTIES, CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS, INDIGENOUS AND MINORITY GROUPS, TRADITIONAL LEADERS, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, AND INDIVIDUALS) CONTAINS OUR UNWAVERING STATED PRINCIPLES AND VALUES FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE IN ERITREA

PREAMBLE  

WE, the signatories to this Memorandum of Understanding, are uniting together to oppose the authoritarian regime in our homeland of Eritrea. We are working together to forge our common vision and understanding between our various opposition movements of the political and civil society for the purpose of democratizing our nation during the post-Isaias Afwerki period, and the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).

TROUBLED by the thirty-two (32) year long sufferings of our helpless citizens inside the country, by the catastrophic situation of violations of rights of the Eritrean people under the brutal ruling of the PFDJ, by the endless atrocities including gross human rights violations, by the crimes against humanity, by the repressions of democracy, freedoms, justice and equality, and by the suppression of individual and group rights of our people;

CONCERNED about the disunity and divisions of democratic opposition groups, and committing ourselves to put an end to our disunity, divisions, and the intolerance characterizing our opposition Diaspora; 

RECOGNIZING Eritrea’s multi-national, multicultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic, and multi-regional heritage and recognizing that our diversity is neither a curse nor a burden, but is a blessing;

DETERMINED to build an Eritrean society free of violence, fear, discrimination, intimidation, hate, corruption but instead founded on justice, fairness, openness, transparency, dignity and equality;  

WHEREAS the United Nations investigations on Human Rights in Eritrea have found that the Government of Eritrea and Eritrean officials have committed gross human rights violations, crimes of persecution, and crimes against humanity; 

AND WHEREAS the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes that Indigenous Peoples have the right to self-determination and that in exercising their right to self-determination Indigenous Peoples have the right to autonomy and of self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs

WE CONDEMN the persecution, crimes against humanity, murder, torture, rape, disappearances, expulsions, forcible confinements, forcible displacement, the destruction of our national, ethnic and cultural identities, our religious and economic freedoms, the destructions of our people’s economic way of life, and uncompensated land expropriations.

THE SOLEMN WILL OF THE ERITREAN DIASPORA OPPOSITION GROUPS

WE, the Eritrean people, the political and civil diaspora opposition, the Indigenous People of Eritrea, the minorities of Eritrea, the traditional and religious Elders, the representatives of Eritrean women, the refugees, the youth groups, those assembled together today in the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., and those participating from various locations globally, hereby declare to the World the solemn will of the Eritrean People as follows:

WE, together:

Resolve to protect Eritrea’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and traditional borders by all means at our disposal; 

RESOLVE to commit ourselves to establishing a decentralized federal democratic Eritrean government to preserve our national unity and democratic governance of Eritrea;

RESOLVE to establish a power-sharing constitution, that distributes power between Eritrea’s central government and Eritrea’s eight (8) provinces(states) (Akale-Guzai, Barka, Dankalia, Hamasien, Sahel, Semhar, Serae, Senhit);

RESOLVE that each province (regional state) shall exercise their rights to self-government and political autonomy in their respective regions within the Federation of Eritrea; and

RESOLVE that each province (regional state), through the governments that they shall freely elect, shall have the right to own and to control their lands and natural resources.

WE NOW DECLARE that it is the solemn will of the Eritrean People, to unite our democratic opposition for transitional process for decentralization of Eritrea on the basis of these following principles: 

The application of the rule of law to all;

 That Democracy be our guiding principle for all our institutions and governance; 

The equality of Eritrea’s ethnic nationalities, cultures, religions and geographic regions;

That each province (regional state) shall, through the governments that they freely elect, have the right to own and control their lands and natural resources, including surface rights and sub-surface resources and shall enjoy the profits therefrom under conditions established by law;

That the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities shall be guaranteed and protected;

That each province (regional state) shell, through the governments that they freely elect, have the right to protect and preserve the vitality of their language, culture, way of life and economy;

That the rights of freedom of religion, conscience, political opinion, expression, assembly, association, mobility, liberty and equality, be guaranteed;

That the Eritrean people shall be secure in their person and be free from arbitrary search, seizure, arrest, detention and charge;

That no conviction shall occur except by due process of law before an independent and impartial tribunal; 

That the judicial branch shall be independent and secure in its tenure; 

That all Eritrean refugees who have fled Eritrea shall have the right to return to their homes and properties in Eritrea, to be compensated for the persecution and for the other losses that they have suffered, and to have and enjoy Eritrean citizenship.

We, by our names and signatures, pledge our commitment to the principles stated above solemnly.