NGOS urge Europe: make sure aid money used well

Four religious liberty agencies have written a strongly worded letter to the European Commission (EC) urging the organisation to ensure that aid money allocated to Eritrea actually reaches and benefits the people of that country.

The letter, signed by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Open Doors International, Release Eritrea and the Church in Chains (Ireland), has been sent to the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid; Louis Michel, the European Parliament Committee on Development (DEVE,) Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DRC.)

It was prompted by reports indicating that the EC may soon begin releasing the 122 Million Euros allocated to Eritrea in May 2007 through the tenth European Development Fund (EDF), despite being aware of ongoing human rights abuses in the country.

The letter states: “We are aware that by allocating this money the European Commission intends to strengthen administrative capacity building, infrastructure, and food aid among other things. Please, be advised however, that all independent construction companies have been closed and conscripts are abused as cheap labour- it is by no means certain that the aid will be used in the manner envisaged by the Commission.”

The agencies also highlight the importance of human rights as a key tenet of the EC’s foreign policy and call for the release of the proposed funds to be linked to discernable improvements in human rights.

The Government of Eritrea is one of the most repressive in Africa. Around 3000 Eritrean Christians are currently detained in life threatening conditions solely because of their religious convictions. Thousands of non – Christians are also detained without charge or trial. Military service is often indefinite with conscripts being used as forced labour in government development projects. Seventy five per cent of the Eritrean population are malnourished and the country is reported to be on the verge of starvation, and the government manipulates the distribution of food aid to strengthen its control of Eritrean society.

CSW’s Advocacy Director, Alexa Papadouris said: “We are now extremely concerned that the European Commission’s generous allocation of aid to Eritrea does not simply provide a financial lifeline to the oppressive Eritrean leadership, but rather alleviates the incredible suffering of the Eritrean people. We call on the European Commissioner to ensure aid is only delivered once the means of closely monitoring its use are in place, and that the aid is firmly linked to a marked improvement in human rights”.