Eritrea

David Moore — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:26:25 +0000

After much internal debate, Grassroots International closed its in-country Eritrea Program in 2005. The program, one of Grassroots' oldest, had become untenable because of the political situation in Eritrea, where long-promised democratic elections have been repeatedly postponed and journalists and political and religious dissidents jailed or exiled. The ruling party maintains uncontested control of virtually all aspects of political, social and economic life in the country. While any decision to end partnerships or programs is a difficult one, this was particularly painful for us as an organization, given our long-standing ties to Eritrea and to the movement that led its liberation.

Human Rights in Eritrea: Why Do They Matter

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:27:11 +0000

A public lecture on “Human rights in Eritrea: why do they matter” was held at the University of Pretoria on the 15th of January 2008. The lecture was organized by Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (EMDHR) and the Center for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria. It aimed at raising the awareness of international actors in general and African youth in particular about the growing human rights violations in Eritrea.

The guest speaker was Dan Connell, a lecturer in Journalism and African Politics at Simmons College, Boston, USA [and founder of Grassroots International].

Restoring Human Rights and Democracy in Eritrea

Daniel Moss — Wed, 16 May 2007 21:58:45 +0000

The Horn of Africa has become the source of much disturbing news. Mogadishu has become Africa’s Baghdad. There is genocide in Darfur, there are bombings in Ethiopia, and there is unremitting repression in Eritrea.

Democracy and Human Rights in Eritrea

Jake Miller — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 16:18:00 +0000

Earlier this fall, Grassroots International founder and current board member Dan Connell was the keynote speaker at the Symposium on Human Rights in Eritrea, where he said:

Grassroots International Backs Human Rights for Eritrea

Jake Miller — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 14:07:00 +0000

For more than 20 years following its founding in 1983, Grassroots International worked with both Eritrean government ministries and nongovernmental organizations, supporting alternative development, health-care initiatives and empowerment projects for women and youth. That program was closed in January 2005 to protest the suppression of democracy in Eritrea under its current president, Isaias Afwerki.

Democracy and Human Rights in Eritrea

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 05:00:00 +0000

Grassroots International founder and current board member Dan Connell teaches journalism and African politics at Simmons College, Boston.

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Eritrea: From Dictatorship to Democracy and Back Again

Nikhil Aziz — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 20:36:00 +0000

By Dan Connell
Eight months ago, Grassroots International ended its longest-running overseas aid program–that in Eritrea. The decision was an agonizing but necessary one. The story of how Grassroots arrived at this point closely tracks my own evolution as a writer and an activist for social justice.
Thirty years ago I set out with a back pack, a notebook, a few pens and a small wad of cash and travelers checks to explore Africa. Several months into it and spurred on by reports of a fierce but largely unreported counterinsurgency, I hitched into Eritrea to witness the massacre of dozens of civilians by Ethiopia's U.S.-supported military regime.

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Eritrea/Ethiopia War Looms as Washington Watches & Waits

Wed, 21 Jan 2004 06:00:00 +0000

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