Mereja Forum

[Zmeselo]

Iranian ‘spy ship’ damaged in ‘attack’ along major Red Sea shipping route – reports

https://www.rt.com/news/520303-iran-shi ... el-attack/

6 Apr, 2021


The Iranian ship Saviz (file photo) was reportedly attacked in the Red Sea, April 6, 2021 © Twitter/screenshot

An Iranian ship that Israel and Saudi Arabia have accused of acting as a base for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces has been damaged, reportedly by a mine, in the Red Sea waters between Yemen and Eritrea.

State-owned Saudi broadcaster Al-Hadath TV reported the attack on Tuesday, citing an unnamed source calling it a “likely” Israeli operation off the coast of Eritrea. An anonymous US official later told https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/worl ... ttack.html the New York Times that Tel Aviv was behind the attack, and had informed Washington of the op early on Tuesday morning. He said the Israelis dubbed the assault

retaliation for earlier Iranian strikes on Israeli vessels.

The vessel was identified as the Saviz, which Israel and Saudi Arabia have long accused of being a “forward base” for the IRGC in the area.



Some Israeli accounts mentioned a “torpedo” that damaged the vessel. The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim confirmed https://www.tasnimnews.com/fa/news/1400 ... 8%B1%D8%AE that there had been an attack, describing it as

[limpet] mines placed on the hull of the ship.

The Saviz

has been stationed in the Red Sea for the past few years to support Iranian commandos who are sent to escort commercial vessels,

Tasnim reported, noting that official Tehran has not issued a statement yet.



According to the US Naval Institute, https://news.usni.org/2020/10/26/irania ... -oil-route the Saviz had “barely moved” for the past three years, and is suspected of providing surveillance of maritime traffic coming through the Red Sea. This is a major shipping route from Asia and the Middle East to Europe, via the Suez Canal that was recently blocked by the stuck container ship Ever Given.

Many world navies have maintained a presence in the area, as it has been one of the favorite hunting grounds for pirates operating from the anarchy-stricken parts of Somalia.

Tuesday’s incident comes as Iranian diplomats met with Russian, Chinese, German, French and British envoys in Vienna to discuss the fate of the 2015 nuclear deal. The US was absent from the meeting, even though the Biden administration has hinted at rejoining the deal the Trump administration unilaterally repudiated in 2018.

The alleged attack on the Saviz also comes amid a “shadow war” on the high seas between Israel and Iran over the past several years that has ramped up in recent months. The Iranian cargo vessel Shahr-e Kord was damaged in the Mediterranean in mid-March. Two weeks ago, Israeli freighter Lori was reportedly hit by a missile in the Arabian sea as it was sailing from Tanzania to India. In late February, the Israeli-owned vessel Helios Ray suffered an explosion in the Gulf of Oman. Both Tehran and Tel Aviv have accused each other of the attacks, and denied any responsibility for them.

An investigation by the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz in March claimed https://archive.is/oxdTj that Israel and Iran have been involved in “economic warfare” for the past two and a half years, with Tel Aviv inflicting “billions of dollars” in damage on Tehran by attacking “several dozen” oil tankers.

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Report: Israel confirms striking IRGC-linked spy ship in Red Sea

American and Arab media cite "senior Israeli sources" as saying the Iranian-flagged Saviz was attacked "in retaliation for earlier Iranian strikes on Israeli vessels." Iran: Incident under investigation.

By Daniel Siryoti, Neta Bar, News Agencies and ILH Staff

https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/04/07/ ... n-red-sea/

04-07-2021


The Iranian-flagged Saviz in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen | Photo: AP via Planet Labs Inc

Israel informed the United States it stuck Saviz, https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/04/06/ ... n-red-sea/ an Iranian-flagged ship, in the Red Sea on Tuesday, Saudi news network Al Arabiya reported on Wednesday, citing a report in The New York Times. The attack reportedly came in retaliation for earlier Iranian strikes on Israeli vessels, as the maritime shadow war between the Jewish state and the Islamic republic has been slowly coming to light.

The Saviz, long known to the international intelligence community as a spy shio operated by Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, was attacked in the Red Sea by limpet mines attached to the hull, Iranian media reported.

The vessel Iran Saviz has been stationed in the Red Sea for the past few years to support Iranian commandos sent on a commercial vessel (anti-piracy) escort missions,

the Tasnim news agency said.

The New York Times cites an unnamed American official as saying Israel has informed the US that it had, indeed, struck Saviz.

The Israelis had called the attack a retaliation for earlier Iranian strikes on Israeli vessels, and that the Saviz had been damaged below the waterline,

the report noted.

According to Al Arabiya, the Saviz is officially listed as a general cargo vessel. However, the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy described the 'Saviz' in a report as the

Iranian mother ship on station located in Eritrea's contiguous waters.

It said:

The ship has signals intelligence domes and antennae. It is visited by all Iranian ships moving through the Red Sea, nominally to coordinate anti-piracy measures. At least three speedboats are based on deck, which are used to ferry personnel to Yemen.

Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday that the Saviz had been targeted in the Red Sea.

The explosion occurred on Tuesday morning near the Djibouti coast and caused minor damage with no casualties. The vessel was a civilian ship stationed there to secure the region against pirates,

Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, adding the incident

is under investigation.

[Zmeselo]

እዛ ዓባይ ሃገረ-ኣሜሪካ: ሰብ ዶ የብላን'ዩ? Recycling: ኣብዚሓ እምበር?!

[Zmeselo]

ኣብ ህንዲ ናይ ስራሕ ምብጻሕ ዝፍጽም ዘሎ ብሚ/ር ጉ.ወ. ኣቶ ዑስማን ሳልሕን ኣማኻሪ ፕ/ት ኣቶ የማነ ገ/ኣብን ዝቘመ ልኡኽ፡ ኣብ ምድንፋዕ ቊጠባዊ ምትሕግጋዝ ኣብ ጽላታት ሕርሻ፡ ምስናዕ፡ ትሕተ-ቅርጽን ተሃዳሲ ጸዓትን ዘተኰረ ዝርርብ ከካይድ’ዩ።
Eritrea's delegation, composed of FM Osman Saleh & Pre. Adviser Yemane G/ab is in India for 4-day working visit. The delegation will meet Government officials/business people to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation in agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure & renewable energy
(Yemane G. Meskel: @hawelti)



H.E. Mr. Osman Saleh Mohammed, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea arrives in New Delhi for his official visit.
(Arindam Bagchi: @MEAIndia)

[Zmeselo]

"A Southern Light at the end of the Tunnel"



WORLD
Breaking: British analyst for NYT admits link with TPLF in Ethiopia

awasaguardian

http://awasaguardian.com/index.php/2021 ... -ethiopia/

March 4, 2021

British politician Alex De Waal admitted Tuesday that he has connections with Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters, who sparked a deadly insurrection in northern Ethiopia. He was the key analyst used in a New York Times (NYT) article spreading TPLF propaganda of “ethnic cleansing” in Tigray, without providing evidence. (Alex De Waal also became the Director of the World Peace Foundation (WPF), with TPLF member- Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe- currently the lead Africa researcher for WPF)

In a new commentary defending the TPLF, the British analyst said he received “phone calls” that an Ethiopian army division was destroyed by “Tigray’s defense forces” (TPLF) and they informed him of the existence of “five Eritrean divisions.” Despite DeWaal’s past close relations with members of the TPLF dictatorship who ruled Ethiopia for 29 years, there was no previous evidence he had active links with the TPLF insurgents, until his recent admission.

In January, Mr DeWaal wrote a controversial tribute in honor of the late TPLF leader Seyoum Mesfin, who infamously promised to “turn Ethiopia into Syria” in October 2020. De Waal has also went on a media blitz, publishing Op-Ed articles and allegedly presenting himself as “independent researcher” in various European and United States media outlets. Despite publishing Mr DeWaal’s partisan comments, the New York Times refused to include a response by the Ethiopian government, even refusing to publish the reaction by Washington DC based Ethiopian ambassador Fitsum Arega.

De Waal is one of the top western analysts who have abruptly sprung up since the November TPLF insurrection; often ignoring or downplaying the massacre of Amharas and other minorities in Tigray by TPLF; while blaming only the government’s response to the insurrection. Another analyst, also British, is Martin Plaut who has allegedly overtly declared his allegiance to the TPLF and in some cases went on TPLF-affiliated media to provide military strategy in order for the rebellion to succeed in overthrowing the Ethiopian government.

Reacting to the unverified New York Times article, top US official Anthony Blinken outraged many Ethiopians, by demanding Amharas leave the Welkait region of Ethiopia, a place Amharas have lived in for over a millennia. Amhara officials of PP called the US State Department’s anti-Amhara comments “reckless” and an “incitement” that legitimizes the ostracizaton of ethnic minorities in Ethiopia. In light of the inclusive policies of the Democrat Party of the United States, several Ethiopian-Americans were also shocked of Anthony Blinken’s comments and some expressed regret online for voting for Joe Biden.

Both Tigrayans and Amhara have lived in Welkait peacefully for hundreds of years, before the TPLF annexed the land in 1991 and made it part of “Western Tigray.”

Eritrean Refugees “Shot”

European anthropologist Natalia Paszkiewicz, reported the plight of Eritrean refugees since TPLF trigged the war and ignited a massive humanitarian crisis. Up to 300 Eritrean refugees in Hitsats camp were “shot” by a Tigrayan militia and the women were robbed by local Tigrayan “villagers,” according to Paszkiewicz. The villagers told the refugees

you are all Shabia anyway

as they plundered the camp.

The term “Shabia”, refers to the current ruling party of the Eritrean government.

Such incidents add to the pattern of Tigrayan civilian active involvement in the conflict as TPLF leaders like Debretsion and Getachew Reda illegally demanded that all “Tigray people” raise arms in order to use a whole population as human shield, a violation of the Laws of war. Amnesty International’s latest report has also confirmed that even Tigrayan civilians were urged to use “improvised weapons” to join the war; which has exasperated the humanitarian crisis.

[Zmeselo]

According to IMF's WEO released today, in 2020 only 2 Horn of Africa countries achieved a current account surplus, Djibouti (2.9% of GDP) & Eritrea (10.7%). Sudan (-17.5%) & Somalia (-13.3%) exhibited large deficits. For Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan deficits averaged: -4.5%

The main reasons, cited, for Eritrea's surplus:

1 Eritrea exports gold, and that has solidly contributed to the economy's health. 2 The country, being free of corruption. 3 Eritrea has, modestly, managed to diversify its economy. 4 The country, having achieved food security.

Another reason cited is the price of petrol being very low right now, plus the steady inflow of diaspora money; which is now under proper handling. All the hard currency illegal laundering, is off. Plus because of covid almost all Eritreans do wire money home; instead of spending it on an air ticket home & on oneself when reaching there; for instance. The diaspora is not to be forgetten, is simply a very large money source. The other issue mentioned, was that government expenditure is down & was already going down starting from 2018

Eritrean expenses are expected to go down more in 2022, than before. Eritrea doesn’t have any open books, with the IMF and WB . Its creditors are ADB and China, which by the way, demand much lower interest rates for their loans.

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Commendable progress in the Health Sector in Eritrea, after independence. Access to healthcare up, from 40% to 78% & 60% of the population lives within a 5km radius of a healthcare facility. Doctor–Population Ratio increased, from 1:37,000 to 1:15,000. #WorldHealthDay @WHO

[Zmeselo]

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN ERITREA

Mikal Tesfay

https://shabait.com/2021/04/07/traditio ... n-eritrea/

GENERAL

Apr 7, 2021



When I recently suffered from that painful acne, one of my friends advised me to use cinnamon as treatment. So I crushed the cinnamon to form a powder and added a teaspoon of honey, to make it into a face pack. I applied it and after 15 minutes, I washed it off with water and it really worked wonders on my face. My intention here is not to tell you how the face pack worked on my face but to share with you that some medicines are in our kitchen, although we may not be aware of that and that the cultural practices; including traditional medicine, have deep roots.



Traditional medicine (TM), which is embedded in the beliefs of a community, is the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to a given community, and it is used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of physical and psychological ailments. It has played a great role in managing and curing both communicable and non-communicable diseases, for millennia. TM is popular across African populations, that rely on it for their primary healthcare needs. TM is commonly practiced in Africa because of its acceptability, perceived efficacy, affordability, accessibility, and the psychological comfort it gives patients along with the acute shortage of conventional health professionals in much of Africa.

The Eritrean society, uses several herbal medicines. One of the most common traditional medicines used by Eritrean mothers is: rue. Rue, known as Chena Adam in Tigrigna, generates heat and is widely used on babies suffering from a common cold, stomachache, and diarrhea. To use rue as treatment Eritrean mothers first grind the rue finely, fry it in oil and cool it down before they use it. I once saw my mom applying the same procedure, and rubbing my little sister’s chest with it. My sister woke up well and sound, the next morning.



Another traditional medicine commonly used among Eritrean societies is- ginger- which is believed to give relief from stomachache, cough, and depression. To serve as medicine, ginger is crushed up and put in boiling water. Aloe Vera is used in treating hepatitis, and Fenugreek leaves are commonly used as medicine for diarrhea. One teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, boiled and fried in [deleted], should be taken with a cup of [deleted] in the treatment of diarrhea. There are also traditional medicines such as “Saero-saero” and “shtora”, known for healing people suffering from some form of a sunstroke, known as “weqeii”. Other common herbs used as medicine are: neem and linseed.

People do not seek traditional treatments, for no reason. There are reasons, that push the community to seek treatment from TM. For instance, many parents believe that TM is the safest way to cleanse the children’s gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Besides, many members of society believe that the only remedy for illnesses related to mental instability is traditional medicine.

In choosing a traditional health practitioner, the society bases their decisions on the popularity of the traditional health practitioner, nature of their illness, accessibility of the healer, concordance between the healer’s and their cultural identity or religious belief, and affordability of the services. The problem here is that the healers do not use sterilized tools, especially during circumcision, uvulectomy, and injecting herbs. As a result, the risk is heightened and many patients become subject to disabilities and transmitted diseases; as these practices are often associated with poor hygienic procedures and the use of unsterilized tools.



The Ministry of Health (MoH) acknowledges the fact that TM is filling an important vacuum in terms of providing basic health services, in remote parts of the country. But it is also keenly aware of the potential drawbacks since some, if not all, of the TM practices, may inevitably expose patients to avoidable hazards due to unqualified practitioners and unsafe practices.

TM, being as old as humanity itself, is embedded in the beliefs of the communities, and people will continue seeking treatment from TM as it is readily accessible and accepted by communities. It touches the issue of the culturally constructed notion of illness and health. Therefore, the MoH should promote more studies to assess the benefits and risks of TM practices, establish their safety, and understand traditional health and conventional health practitioners’ attitudes towards integration to successfully integrate TM into the health system and attain universal health coverage.

TM almost always disregards professional safety, standards, and regulatory control. It inadvertently causes serious health complications that sometimes lead to death. Aware of the vexing role and challenges that traditional medical practices pose to modern health services, almost all national health systems in the developing world have devised several global and regional mechanisms and protocols to optimize TM’s benefits while mitigating its unintended adverse consequences.

Eritrea, too, has been handling this delicate balance with the requisite prudence. In a speech delivered at the opening session of a multi-stakeholders workshop a few years ago, the Eritrean Minister of Health, Ms. Amina Nurhusien stated

….traditional medicine has a long history in our society and is widely practiced. It originates from a strong historical and cultural heritage at the local level and is practiced by well-known and respected members of the community. The community had – and has – confidence and strong beliefs in the practitioners’ abilities and remedies….

The Eritrean people are the result of their history and culture. They have developed and used TM and traditional medical practices, way before the emergence of modern health facilities and medicine. So, asking them to totally abandon their traditional practices, including TM, may not bear desirable results. What is needed, instead, is to enlighten them about the positive and negative consequences of TM and find ways of using TM in a regulated manner.