Eritrean Afar National Congress (EANC)
Assab, Dankalia, Eritrea Email: info@dankalia.org Website: www.dankalia.org
Restoring Indigenous Afar self-determination and autonomy in Dankalia within united Eritrea
Eretriyah Qafar Isim Isih Madqittaamih Cakki Dankaliyal Daabisennama
I. Preamble
The Afar people, an Indigenous nation with a rich cultural heritage in the Horn of Africa, have long fought for self-determination and recognition within the nation-states that were imposed upon their ancestral lands. Their homeland, the Afar Triangle, spans across the borders of modern Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, a division that stemmed from the colonial “Scramble for Africa” in the late 19th century. This fragmentation has had a profound impact on the Afar people, separating them across artificial borders and subjecting them to varying political realities.
The EANC Political Charter (Manifesto) outlines the core principles, values, and objectives of the Eritrean Afar nation. It seeks to address the long-standing grievances and marginalization of the Afar people and promote a decentralized framework, Afar autonomy, democracy, rule of law, indigenous rights, and a broader agenda of regional cooperation, human rights, and sustainable development. The Charter provides historical context on the Afar people’s struggle for recognition, examining the impact of internal colonization and human rights violations.
The charter also highlights the serious threats to the existence of the Afar population in Eritrea and the grave human rights violations they face. These include alleged ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and cultural genocide, as well as the destruction of livelihoods, extrajudicial killings, and denial of access to traditional lands and resources – all indicative of systemic discrimination against the Afar. Furthermore, the Afar’s limited access to essential services and economic opportunities, coupled with land expropriation and forced relocation, reflect a pattern of systemic discrimination by the Eritrean state, contravening international law on equality and non-discrimination.
The grave human rights abuses perpetrated against the Afar people in Eritrea have been extensively documented over the past two decades. These atrocities have been conclusively verified by numerous independent United Nations human rights bodies, with three consecutive UN Special Rapporteurs on the human rights situation in Eritrea determining that Eritrean authorities have committed crimes of persecution and crimes against humanity.
The Afar political charter also focuses on longstanding grievances of the Afar people regarding their right to self-determination and autonomy, framing the Afar grievances within the broader context of international norms and legal frameworks. It emphasizes that the Afar’s claims to self-determination and autonomy align with and are supported by provisions such as Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 20(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) – also known as the Banjul Charter of 1986 – and Article 3 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). These articles affirm that indigenous people like Afar have the right to determine their political status and to pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.
The EANC’s political program critically analyzes the transformative effects of democratic governance, which ensures subsidiarity and autonomy for minority groups. This approach not only affects the Afar people but also reshapes the entire political, cultural, and economic landscape for marginalized populations in Eritrea. The program promotes regional collaboration and significantly influences the aspirations and ambitions of diverse communities, ultimately improving their lived experiences.
II. Introduction
The Afar Nation
The Afar people are one of Africa’s long-established and culturally homogenous indigenous group, who have inhabited the region known as the Afar Triangle—located at the convergence of present-day Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea—since time immemorial. The Afar Triangle is also a significant site for early fossil discoveries, including “Lucy,” Australopithecus afarensis, which dates back 3.2 million years and is considered one of humankind’s earliest ancestors. Many paleontologists refer to the Afar homeland as the “cradle of humanity.”
Colonialism and the Afar Resistance
The Afar traditional territories (Afar Triangle) underwent fragmentation into today’s sovereign states of Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea, which was dubbed as “the Scramble for Africa” or the slicing of Africa by European powers in the 1880s. The Franco-Italian colonialist divided what is known as the “Afar triangle” into three pieces and set up their colonies and international borders separating the Afar nation. Djibouti fell to the French, Eritrea[1] to the Italians, and Ethiopia was, by and large, escaped uncolonized, though the Italians briefly did occupy Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941[2].
The colonialists initially respected Afar authority over their territories by signing various treaties with the Afar Sultanates. However, as time went on, European powers gradually expanded their dominance by encroaching on Afar lands without the consent of the Afar people. This intrusion sparked a revolt among the Afar against the colonial powers. Unfortunately, their resistance was ultimately suppressed due to the superior military strength of Europe, resulting in the deaths of thousands of indigenous Afar people, including Yassin Haysama, the Sultan of Girrifo, who was killed by Italian forces. Additionally, Sultan Laoita was captured by French forces in Goba’ad and taken to French colonies in Madagascar, where he vanished without a trace[3].
Afar traditional rule and internal autonomy
The traditional governance of the Afar people predates the establishment of modern states in the Horn of Africa. The Afar have historically organized their governance into independent Sultanates throughout their traditional territories. These Sultanates—namely AWSA, RAHAYTA, BIRU, TADJOURA, and GOBAD—historically governed the Afar land prior to the imposition of colonial borders and the formation of independent states. The Afar region has maintained a system of autonomous self-governance, with each territory ruled by its own Sultanate, Sheikdoms, and legal customary laws known as “Madqa.” When conflicts arose between the Afar and neighboring nations over territories and resources, Madqa was enacted to resolve these disputes, and peace treaties were established in accordance with Afar traditional customary law.
Geopolitics and strategic significance of Afar traditional territories
The precolonial Afar territories encompass a strategically important region that spans approximately 157,000 square kilometres, which is roughly equivalent to the combined size of four European countries. This area is located at a crucial geopolitical junction known as the Triangle, connecting the coastal waters of the Red Sea with international maritime shipping routes that link the Red Sea to Bab-el-Mandab. Additionally, the region is home to three significant ports: Assab in Eritrea, and Obock and Tadjourah in Djibouti.
Dankalia, the traditional Afar homeland in Eritrea
The southeastern region of the Afar’s traditional homeland, known as Dankalia, is strategically situated along the resource-rich coastline of present-day Eritrea. The traditional territory of the Afar in Dankalia extends from the northern tip of the Bori Peninsula and the Dahlak Islands, adjacent to the port of Massawa, all the way south to the town of Rahyta and the island of Ras Dumera, which borders Djibouti. This coastal region is home to historic villages, ports, and a multitude of islands. Notably, Dahlak Island comprises over 300 islands that have served for generations as a vital fishing base.
The land, coastlines, seaways, and expansive deserts of Dankalia hold immense potential for the region’s economic growth. They are rich in untapped natural resources, including various minerals, precious metals, potash, and natural gas, as well as offering significant opportunities for tourism.
The Afar Nation is regarded as one of the earliest adherents of Islam. Historians believe the religion was introduced to Africa through the Afar region in Dankalia, near the Dahlak Islands, across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia. Presently, approximately 3.5 million Afar continue to practice Islam.
III. Eritrean Afar National Congress (EANC)
The Eritrean Afar National Congress (EANC) is an exiled Eritrean Afar political organization dedicated to self-determination and self-rule of Eritrean Afar people in the coastal homeland of Dankalia, Eritrea, where the indigenous Afar are subjected to marginalization, persecution and ethnic cleansing at the hands of the current Eritrean government. EANC is the voice of the Eritrean Afar people. EANC draws its mandate from the political and traditional Afar leaders, the leadership of Afar women and youth groups, the Eritrean Afar Diaspora and Eritrean-Afar refugees.
Our Vision
EANC aspires to establish a democratically elected autonomous Afar state in Dankalia, Eritrea. Our vision is to foster a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious democratic federation between pluralistic Eritrean societies founded on the principles of ethnic equality, rule of law, fundamental rights and freedoms, and respect for the human rights of all citizens of Eritrea.
Our Mission
Our mission is to prepare the necessary groundwork for a transitional phase leading to an autonomous Afar government in the traditional territory of Dankalia within federated Eritrea.
Our mission is to: –
- Exercise our people’s right to self-determination and to have the right to self-government and autonomy in matters relating to our internal and local affairs, as well as the means to finance Afar autonomous functions.
- Establish a decentralized federal constitution in Eritrea and safeguard our national unity, justice, equality, and democratic governance.
- Restore and preserve the rights of indigenous Afar in Dankalia, including the restoration of their land and cultural identity.
- End human rights violations against Afar in Eritrea, strive to end forcible displacement, achieve capacity building, and enable the right of return and reintegration for displaced Eritrean Afar.
- Develop economic policies that empower the Eritrean Afar people, end economic marginalization and poverty, and contribute to peace, security, and economic growth in the region through fair trade and equitable employment.
IV. Eritrea’s human rights violations against Afar people
After Eritrea’s independence in May 1991, the Eritrean government under President Isaias Afwerki and the military ruling party, the People’s Front for Justice and Democracy, enacted systematic and ruthless policies to colonize and persecute the ethnic Afar population within the Dankalia region. These policies involved widespread killings, forced disappearances, and a series of land proclamations and measures designed to displace indigenous Afar people from their traditional coastal territories, thereby jeopardizing their survival and cultural identity.
The Eritrean state has engaged in a systematic campaign to undermine the autonomy and cultural identity of the indigenous Afar people. Through the use of militarized courts, the state has sought to impose a singular cultural vision based on the majority Tigrigna-speaking culture, suppressing Afar customary law and traditional way of life. Racist policies have destroyed Afar identity through forced assimilation, denying them the right to own and live off their ancestral lands, territories, and natural resources. This has devastated Afar economic activities such as fishing, as the state has deliberately prevented them from accessing the sea for their livelihoods.
Furthermore, the excessive militarization of Afar territories and the illegal confiscation of Afar businesses and properties have led to a campaign of ethnic cleansing, forcing tens of thousands of Afar to flee their homeland. The state’s colonial agenda has subordinated the Afar language, customary law, and land rights, eroding their cultural heritage. This concerted effort to erase minority identities in favour of a homogenized national culture amounts to a form of cultural genocide and repression that threatens the very existence of the Afar nation within Eritrea.
V. Human Rights Violation: Crimes of persecution and crimes against humanity
A decade-long and extensively detailed reporting by UN independent investigators and experts has revealed the unique nature of the crimes against the Indigenous Afar people in Eritrea. The UN Commission on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Eritrea thoroughly examined how Eritrean authorities have systematically persecuted the Afar population, including forcibly removing them from their ancestral lands near Assab port through acts of violence, murder, and mass killing.
Below are key excerpts and reports from United Nations human rights publications spanning extensive documentation.
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Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, 2013 [i]
The United Nations Special Rapporteur report 2013 (Sec K, para, 75-78):-The Afar are subjected to extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and rape, as well as the destruction of their traditional means of subsistence and livelihood, and businesses.
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Crime of persecution, a crime against humanity, 2015[ii]
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (COI) 2015, (independent experts, Chair Mike Smith, Victor Dankwa, Sheila B. Keetharuth, confirmed that Eritrean officials have committed the crime of persecution, a crime against humanity against Eritrean Afar population since 1991. (Para, 1121,1122):-The killing of members of the Afar ethnic group and reports of the existence of mass-graves.
- The Afar people have been subjected to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearance by the Eritrean Government since 2000.
- These killings have also triggered their displacement from their lands within the country and across borders to Ethiopia and Djibouti.
- This has posed great difficulty to their livelihoods as they depend on their traditional lands for their sustenance as an indigenous ethnic group.
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Lang grab, dispossession, forcible displacement and destruction of economy and livelihood, 2018[iii]
UN SR report 2018 para 90-93 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Sheila B. Keetharuth
- Eritrean Government continues to actively pursue a land policy which has legitimized forcible displacement and dispossession of indigenous populations and minorities.
- Its land policy has led to arbitrary and uncompensated evictions. The Special Rapporteur was informed that forced evictions continue in particular in the area around Assab, the port city in the Southern Red Sea Region, an area traditionally belonging to or used by the Afar.
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Discrimination, harassment, arbitrary arrests, disappearance, violence and widespread persecution, 2023[iv]
The United Nations Special Rapporteur report May 2023, Special Rapporteur Dr. Mohammed Babakir, notes: “the Afar are one of the most disenfranchised communities in Eritrea. For several decades, they have been subjected to discrimination, harassment, arbitrary arrests, disappearance, violence and widespread persecution.” Sec IX, Paras, 58 to 62
- The Eritrean Afar Indigenous communities who continue to be subjected to discrimination, persecution and interference in their traditional means of livelihood
- The Afar Indigenous ethnic group has also been prevented from carrying out their traditional occupation, namely fishing. These violations and abuses have interfered with their traditional means of livelihood, eroded their culture, caused displacement and threatened their way of life.
VI. Political program of the Eritrean Afar National Congress (EANC)
a) A decentralized federal constitution shall govern Eritrea
- Our plan will eliminate the PFDJ’s excessively centralized unitary system once and for all.
- Our plan will establish a decentralized federal constitution for the future Eritrean government to preserve our national unity and democratic governance of Eritrea.
- The decentralized, power-sharing constitution shall devolve power between Eritrea’s federal government and its eight(8) provincial states(regions): Akale-Guzai, Barka, Dankalia, Hamasien, Sahel, Semhar, Serae, and Senhit.
b) Democracy and rule of law
- Democracy is our guiding principle for all our institutions and all our governance.
- The application of the rule of law to all equally.
- The rights of freedom of religion, conscience, political opinion, expression, assembly, association, mobility, liberty and equality, shall be guaranteed.
c) Sovereignty of Eritrea
- Eritrea is a sovereign state and a new member of the United Nations.
- The Afar people are dedicated to protecting Eritrea’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and traditional borders by any means necessary. However, it is crucial to emphasize that Eritrea’s sovereignty should not be used as a tool of oppression against the indigenous Afar nation.
d) Rights of Self-determination of Afar and Autonomy of Dankalia
- The Afar people and Dankalia, the traditional territory of the Afar nation, shall have an unquestionable and inalienable right to self-determination and autonomy within Eritrea.[4]
- Each of Eritrea’s provincial states, including Dankalia, shall be granted the right to self-government and political autonomy within their respective regions as part of the Eritrean Federation.
- Dankalia and each province (region state) of Eritrea 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.
e) Indigenous people’s rights
- The rights of the indigenous Afar[v] nation and other minorities shall be guaranteed and protected in the constitution of Eritrea.
- Afar nation and other Indigenous peoples of Eritrea, in exercising their right to self-determination, have the right to autonomy or self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, as well as ways and means for financing their autonomous functions.[5]
- Our Indigenous policy aims to unlock the potential of Dankalia’s natural resources and its strategic coastal region for cross-border trade, benefiting border communities throughout the region. This initiative will improve access to Dankalia’s ports and islands for trade, business, and cultural exchanges, particularly with our immediate neighbours, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Our approach will ensure mutual benefits while avoiding conflicts related to sovereignty issues in the region.
f) Land and natural resources
- Our land policy will end the current government’s ownership of traditional lands and natural resources belonging to Indigenous peoples, cease any unlawful expropriations, and restore control of these lands and natural resources to the Indigenous population as guaranteed by the constitution of Eritrea.
- Our land and natural resources policy will seek to address the inequalities and marginalization experienced by disadvantaged groups and regions in Eritrea.
- We will prioritize the creation of jobs and socio-economic programs to alleviate the neglect and economic marginalization of local communities and regions, ensuring their needs are adequately addressed.
- Our land and natural resources policy will establish a national strategy for the equitable distribution of natural resources and revenue sharing among the Eritrean provinces and the federal state. This will help eliminate disparities between resource-rich and resource-poor regions in Eritrea, thereby preventing future conflicts over resources.
g) Economic Policy and Development
The current Eritrean regime is deliberately destroying the foundation of the traditional Afar economy, including coastal fishing, indigenous salt mining, animal husbandry, and pastoralism.
Furthermore, the government is confiscating Afar businesses and valuable natural resources, such as lucrative Potash mining. This has subjected the Afar people, who are the legitimate owners of these resources, to persistent poverty and the destruction of their livelihoods and economic prospects.
The current government of Eritrea has no business interfering in the traditional economic way of life and cultural practices of indigenous peoples.
- Our comprehensive economic development plan will seek to empower local communities and leverage their traditional knowledge and expertise, including in such traditional economies as fisheries, livestock, import/export, agro-pastoralism, salt mining, farming and cross-border trade. This aims to address the historic marginalization and poverty experienced by nations like the Afar people.
- Implement development initiatives that target the investment needs and capacity-building of local economies, and assist them with micro-financing and loan programs to support local small business ventures.
- Prioritize funding for vocational training and programs, educational initiatives, healthcare facilities, clean water infrastructure, and agricultural technologies to support and benefit local communities.
- Prioritize infrastructure investment in Dankalia, including enhancing ports, refineries, and roads that have deteriorated due to neglect and heavy military presence.
- Explore the historical sites of Dankalia for tourism, ocean and deep-sea exploration, and cultural offerings globally.
h) Equality of Nationalities
- Eritrea has at least nine (9) plus diverse cultures. The Eritrean government has no business introducing a single national culture for the state.
- New Eritrea shall recognize equality and uphold the cultural diversity of its various ethnic groups, demonstrating equal respect for their unique identities, religious beliefs, and regional affiliations.
- All languages of the people of Eritrea are equal. Each Eritrean province shall govern the official language policies within its borders and collaborate with the federal government to facilitate communication at the local and international levels.
i) Rights to return (Refugees and displaced people)
- All Eritrean refugees who have fled Eritrea shall have the right to return to their homes and properties in Eritrea.
- All Eritrean refugees shall be compensated for the persecution and for the other losses that they have suffered and to have and enjoy Eritrean citizenship.
- Develop policies to empower the right of return and facilitate the successful reintegration of displaced Eritrean refugees.
- Work collaboratively with the United Nations agencies, UNHCR, and other non-governmental organizations to provide assistance and skills-based training to support refugees during their transition phase.
j) Human rights and security
- The Eritrean people shall be secure as individuals and in their collective identities.
- All citizens of Eritrea shall be equal before the law, regardless of their race, ethnic origin, language, colour, gender, religion, disability, political belief, or opinion.
- All citizens shall be free from arbitrary search, seizure, arrest, detention and charge.
- No conviction shall occur except by due process of law before an independent and impartial tribunal.
- The judicial branch shall be independent and secure in its tenure.
k) External Policy of Dankalia
- Dankalia’s strategic location on the Red Sea and its geopolitical significance in the region will be leveraged to promote free trade, investment, economic growth and foreign assistance.
- Our policy will prioritize the interests of Dankalia by forming cooperative agreements with the federal government of Eritrea. We will focus on attracting international investment and development and renegotiating contracts with multinational resource extraction companies. We aim to hold these companies accountable for meeting their corporate and governmental responsibilities while adhering to ethical extraction practices.
- Our policy will end hostilities against our regional neighbours, promote regional peace and security, and an economic development agenda in our region and globally.
- Ethiopia, as an immediate and crucial regional partner, is the focus of our policy, which aims to enhance bilateral ties and address the increasing need to secure access to the Red Sea.
- The Dankalia region and the Afar nation on both sides of the border were particularly devastated by the Eritrea-Ethiopia war of 1998-2000 and they continue to suffer economically and culturally.
- The policy will cooperate closely with the Eritrean federal government to secure Ethiopia’s access to the Port of Assab and negotiate an economic program that guarantees mutual advantages for all parties while upholding Eritrea’s sovereignty.
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GICLO BISOH
Together we will establish an autonomous Dankalia within the decentralized federation of Eritrea.
Map of pre-independence Eritrea with the Afar traditional territory (Dankalia) in Blue
