Declaration of the Afar Nation Conference Dec 29-30, 2025

Declaration of the Afar Nation Conference
(The Final Declaration)
Location: Samara, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia Date: December 29–30, 2025

“Political Pathways and Legal Frameworks: Towards Securing the Future of Dankalia”

Within the framework of the first edition of the “Horn Vision 1” conference series, and
under the gracious sponsorship of the “Horn of Africa Policy Center,” the Afar Nation
Conference was convened in the city of Samara, the capital of the Afar Regional State in
Ethiopia.

WE, the Indigenous Afar People hailing from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, assembled in
the spirit of unity and common destiny, hereby declare our unwavering adherence to the
rights of the indigenous Afar Nation. We affirm our resolve to secure Autonomy and Self-
Determination for the Red Sea Afar in “Dankalia,” the historical homeland of the Afar in
Eritrea.

AND WHEREAS we represent the present and supportive Afar Sultans, traditional leaders,
religious and cultural authorities, women, youth, and Eritrean Afar refugees; and with the
leading participation of the political organizations representing the legitimacy of the struggle,
namely:

1. The Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO)
2. The Eritrean Afar National Congress (EANC)

WE HEREBY DECLARE to the world the decisive will of the Eritrean Afar People, based on the following foundations:

• WHEREAS the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea has proven that the         Government of Eritrea has intentionally dispossessed the Indigenous Afar People, and has deemed             these acts to constitute a “crime of persecution” and a crime against humanity;

• WHEREAS Article (4) of the “United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (2007)         grants Indigenous peoples the right to “Autonomy” in matters relating to their internal affairs;

• AND WHEREAS the Right to Self-Determination is enshrined in the two International Covenants as an       inherent right of all peoples;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Afar Nation Conference and its Delegates have decided the
following:

I. Categorical Condemnation of the Regime

1.  WE CONDEMN, in the strongest terms, the persecution and crimes against humanity perpetrated by         the Government of Eritrea and its officials against the Afar people.
2.  WE CONDEMN the systematic destruction of the Afar identity, culture, economy, and traditional way         of life.
3.  WE CONDEMN the confiscation of traditional Afar lands without compensation, and the exploitation         of natural resources in our historical territories (Dankalia) by the Eritrean regime.

II. Decision on Self-Determination (Autonomy and Self-Government)

The Conference resolves that the Red Sea Afar in Eritrea possess an inherent and inalienable right to Self-Determination. We announce our firm resolve to exercise this right by establishing a fully empowered “Autonomy and Self-Government” within our historical territories in Dankalia. We do not demand mere symbolic representation, but rather real authority to manage the land, resources, and internal affairs, within the framework of a decentralized Federal State of Eritrea, while committing to economic and cultural cooperation with the Afar Nation in Ethiopia and Djibouti.

III. Legal Victory and the African Ultimatum (60 Days)

The Conference welcomes the significant legal progress represented by the acceptance of the complaint filed against the Eritrean regime by the “African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights” (ACHPR). The delegates emphasize the importance of the binding decision which has granted the Eritrean government a final legal deadline of sixty (60) days to respond to the documented accusations. We consider this deadline a final opportunity for the regime before it faces continental and international justice, and we affirm that we will continue to pursue the perpetrators of these crimes until our full rights are attained.

IV. Outcomes of Day Two (Afar Customary Law and Identity)

The Conference dedicated its second day to discussing the pillars of Afar identity, specifically “Afar Customary Law” (Mad’a), and reached the following decisions:

1. Tasking the Institute: To entrust the Afar Language, Culture and History Study Institute with the responsibility of receiving the materials on Customary Law collected over the years, and to finalize the technical and academic touches upon them.

2. The Comprehensive Cultural Conference: The Institute is committed to holding a specialized “Cultural-Social” conference within a maximum period of one month, to review the final draft of the Customary Law and secure its community ratification.

3. Internationalization (UNESCO): To immediately commence coordination for the preparation of a file to enlist “Afar Heritage and Customary Law” on the World Heritage List of UNESCO, to protect it from extinction.

V. Appeal to the International Community

We call upon the United Nations, the African Union, and States parties to relevant human rights instruments to support the political, cultural, and economic freedom of the Afar People,
and their right to exercise Autonomy functions in Dankalia within a Federal State of Eritrea.

WE CALL UPON the Government of Ethiopia to recognize and affirm the Indigenous rights of the Eritrean Afar as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and to condemn the ongoing persecution and crimes against humanity being committed against Afar Indigenous People in Eritrea.

We, the Afar Nation, led by our traditional and political representatives, pledge our unwavering commitment to these principles.

Issued by: The Delegates and the Organizing Committee December 30, 2025

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