Open Letter To The Fifth EstateIs economic development bad for Eritrea? The Fifth Estate’s “Nevsun In Eritrea: Dealing With A Dictator”, CBC Feb 12 2016, investigation of a controversial mining operation in a poor East African country does not make any sense of the situation. The Fifth Estate fails to realize the corner stone has been laid for the countries future economic development. Eritrea has found its way out of poverty and a Canadian mining company will profit from it and being done in an ethically and environmentally responsible manner!
In the program The Fifth Estate mentioned about 4X that the government wanted 40% of the project and Nevsun gave it to them – as if that was bad. What was bad is that The Fifth Estate did not say the government is paying their share of the project expenses. It was a good deal! It showed the government was behind the project and that expedited its development. Nevsun was accused of using slave labour in a law suit filed by 2 men at about the same time as a company from Dubai tried to take Nevsun over. If you’re looking for human rights abuses take a look at construction companies in Dubai or some other mining companies operating in Africa. You want slavery? Take a look at our house prices. Anyone buying or renting ends up giving most of their wages to the banks. The Fifth Estate did say Nevsun is now providing its employees with good housing, health care and well paying jobs.
The evidence The Fifth Estate provided that the Eritrean government is supporting terrorism was questionable. They found an ex gun runner in Kenya, who may have been Ethiopian, who told them what they wanted to know, that he ran guns from Eritrea. Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia and fought a subsequent war with the country. If he was Ethiopian he may have been trying to implicate Eritrea with terrorism. The Eritrean Wikipedia page says tensions remain with Ethiopia, each country supports opposition leaders in the other country. The UN says 400 000 Eritreans have fled the country in recent years. That is about 7% out of a population of 6 million. Most head north along the Red Sea and find their way to the Mediterranean. Eritrea is a poor country, people always search for a better life. Here in Canada people from the Maritimes went to the oil sands in Alberta for work, people in Mexico head north, in central Africa many head to South Africa. Maybe some of the Eritreans are political refugees. I don’t think all of them are.
Footage was shown of a tour of the Bisha mine by African government ministers and ambassadors. They were impressed with the mine. They thought Bisha was a template for mine development and a great benefit to Eritrea. The mine was seen as a new path forward for the country. Is economic development bad for Eritrea?
Letters to: CBC + The Fifth Estate
Stephane Dione, Minister of Foreign Affairs