Democratic Front of Eritrean Nationalities Formed By Afar, Kunama Rights Activists Print E-mail
Awate - Gedab News
By Gedab News - Jun 19, 2009   


Following a two-day congress which was held on June 18 -19, 2009, the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) and the Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Eritrean Kunama (DMLEK) have announced that they have created the Democratic Front of Eritrean Nationalities (DFEN)  ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር ብሄራት ኤርትራ (ዲግብኤ)

The two organizations had held a preliminary congress in Samara, the capital of the Ethiopian Afari region on May 14, 2009 where they expressed their intent to merge their organizations.

In the concluding statement it issued after the congress, DFEN reiterated its commitment to work under the umbrella of the Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA) as well as with Solidarity (“Tedamun”) the newly formed coalition of four Eritrean fronts; expressed its desire to limit pluralism to political and not military activities and thus invited all organizations with military wings to co-ordinate their efforts; and made a “special call” on the “Tigrigna nationality” to turn its back on the opportunists and chauvinists who espouse “one heart, one people” and organize on the basis of its nationality.

The merger move by DMLEK and RSADO continues a trend that has emerged in the Eritrean arena recently.  Last month, four Eritrean opposition organizations (Eritrean Liberation Front, Islah, AlKhalas and the Eritrean Federal Democratic Movement) formed the Eritrean Solidarity Front. Also in May, the Eritrean People’s Party (EPP), which is conducting merger talks with the Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP), announced that it had merged with the Democratic Movement of Gash-Setit. The Eritrean opposition landscape now is aligning into three blocks, with a number of opposition organizations now being wooed by the three blocks. 

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