Eritrean movement in Israel seeks to create political wing — Jerusalem Post
In Tel Aviv, the Eritrean opposition movement Eritrean Blue Revolution Front (EBRF) is building a diaspora support network and says it intends to move from street protests to creating a political wing. This is reported by The Jerusalem Post in a report from the movement’s office in the south of the Israeli city.
EBRF emerged from Brigade N’Hamedu, a movement of Eritreans in the diaspora whose members held protests against events linked to embassies and supporters of the Eritrean government. Representatives of the organization in Israel say they hold meetings with community members, interact with Israeli police and politicians, and organize football programs, computer courses, and other activities for children. According to them, a recent EBRF congress in Israel brought together 1,300 participants.
Life in Israel and the intention to return
Activist Michael, also known as Atakliti Abraham, said he would return to Eritrea immediately after the fall of the current regime. He said he entered the country’s military system in November 1997 at the age of 14 and remained in it until 2011. According to the activist, he left Eritrea not for work, but to save his life, taking a route through Sudan and Sinai.
Representatives of the movement draw attention to the situation of Eritrean children who were born in Israel or arrived there at an early age. Mulue Sultan, coordinator of EBRF’s Israeli branch, noted that many of them study in Israeli schools, speak Hebrew, and feel Israeli, although they know Eritrea mainly from their parents’ stories.
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From protests to a political structure
EBRF leaders said they have reduced international protest activity and focused on building operational and diplomatic directions. Dawit Teferi, the movement’s finance director and a member of its diplomatic team, called this an attempt to move from a mass movement to creating a political wing. Earlier, Brigade N’Hamedu demonstrations in Europe and North America were accompanied by clashes with supporters of the Eritrean authorities, detentions, and police investigations.
EBRF calls itself a front rather than a traditional party and speaks of a council, a central committee, and a leadership core. Organization representatives gave differing figures on the scale of the network: from 17–18 national branches to about 70 local structures. Teferi said there are about 100,000 supporters and at least 30,000 active members worldwide, but these figures have not been independently confirmed.
According to Teferi, EBRF’s operational direction is based in Ethiopia and has its own command structure. Beyene Gerezger, the movement’s representative for political and diplomatic affairs, said that a presence in Addis Ababa provides access to Eritrean refugees, the African Union, diplomatic missions, and international organizations. He also stressed that EBRF has no authority to negotiate over Ethiopia’s use of Eritrea’s coastline or ports, as such decisions, in his view, can only be made by a future constitutional government of Eritrea.
