TO: MR.MUSTAFA, SDO OF BARENTU

FROM: THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE KUNAMA PEOPLE ABROAD.

Dear Mr. Mustafa,

This letter has been written and sent to you after enough news has been heard, opinions had been widely gathered and decisions had been taken concerning your person, attitude to and deeds on Kunama people.

To your own information, the content of this letter has also been sent, through E-mail and Internet round the world.

Your back-ground history states that you had occupied similar positions in other parts of Eritrea and that your administration has always been marked with failures and complains.

Unfortunately, you have ended up being nominated SDO (Senior District Officer) of Barentu and Gash / Setit / Barka region.

From the very first day, you were reported to have threatened and said that you would eliminate the Kunama people.

Your negative attitudes and arrogance towards Kunama have ever since been growing and have now reached their zenith.

As you may or may not have been informed, the Kunama is, basically, a very democratic (consult the rural population), peace-loving and conflict-avoiding ethnic group.

They are known to be very patient and fair in trying to solve problems, but they are also known to be very firm, frank and determined in their reactions whenever they realize that their rights are repeatedly denied, injustices are contantly done against them and their very existence is thus threatened.

Sadly enough, Mr. Mustafa, all this is, nowadays, taking place under your administration in the whole of Kunama land.

You have brought back, to our people, the very hard times they had to go through during Ras Alula´s rule and the British administration.

Your precedessors, like you, purposely created conflicts between Kunama and their neighbouring ethnic groups by favouring these and discriminating the Kunama people.

The local police, the civil servants or government officials, made up of mostly, Tigrigna speaking highland Eritreans as well as the many civilians of the same ethnic group, now reciding in Kunama territory, are committing series after series of injustices against Kunama people.

There is no need here to recall the number of times the Kunama people had to report their problems to the local authorities in order to have them looked into and the inumerable cases they unjustly lost in favour of the other ethnic groups.

For the first time in their whole history, the Kunama are being gradually deprived on their own ancestral land, as this is easily and cheaply put on sale, by the local authorities, and brought, mainly, by the well-to-do Eritrean highlanders settling „en mass“ in Kunama territory.

Mr. Mustafa, you are well aware of the plights of the Kunama people, but, unfortunately, you have never bothered to listen to their justified complains as you have never had any respect for the Kunama people, for their land, for their culture and for their language.

Very recently, you had summoned your civil servants and held a meeting during which you had your speech translated into Arabic and Tigre but refused to have it translated into Kunama language.

WHY?

Have you forgotten to be the SDO of Barentu, the town right in the heart, of Kunama territory of Gash / Setit where, according to the official policy of the present Eritrean government, Kunama should be the provincial language?

You were also asked to reason why did not have your speech translated into Kunama as many of them could not understand you:

The answer you gave was extremely weak as well as illogical. You, infact stated that it would have taken too long to translate your speech into Kunama, but how about translating it into the two languages instead (Arabic and Tigre) ?

Mr. Mustafa, under your administration, the Kunama people have had and are having so much bitter experience that they are just about to accuse the government in Asmara for letting you still occupy that position. This, infact, mens that you are not only creating conflicts between the Kunama and the other ethnic groups you favour, but you are also ruining the good name of the entire Eritrean government.

If you are either intentionally or unintentionally unaware of what is happening to the Kunama people at the present time, because of the evil activities of the local police and that of the officials of your administration, then you are missing out the very duty you were elected for.

We do not believe, Mr. Mustafa, that you could ever regain the trust and the linking of the Kunama people as you yourself seem to be neither willing nor able to change your attitudes although you were said to have been rebuked by the President himself.

We think you have set enough bad example to the whole staff under your administration which lead us to conclude that you are not and never have been qualified for that job.

We hope only that your present staff members have not been irreparably affected by your negative attitudes towards the Kunama people.

If you are still functioning as the SDO of Barentu simply because of the position you are occupying rather than because of your qualities, then you should immediately resign and ask to be sent back where you had come from and belong.

We shall be taking further actions, even by directly appealing to the President himself, should you not be willing to take into a serious consideration this official letter of complain coming to you from the representatives of the Kunama people abroad.

Remember, Mr. Mustafa, that, at the present times, you are not dealing with the Kunama people of Ras Alula´s times nor with those of the times of the British administration, but with a new generation of Kunama, very proud of their race, mature in their aspirations and ready to defend and protect their rights whenever these are threatened or violated.

Please, do not under-estimate these reactions of the Kunama people coming to you from, not less than, five continents where they are now living.

THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE KUNAMA PEOPLE ABROAD.