Asmara: Government cadres finding it difficult to convince people the none involvement of Demhit (TPDM Mercenaries)

(Asmara 01-11-2013) PFDJ Cadres have since Sunday been busy calling meetings all over Asmara in a bid to convince residents that last week’s raids of young people and the mass arrests that followed, weren’t conducted by Tigrayan mercenaries from Demhit,  an Ethiopian opposition group based in Eritrea , but were in fact carried out by members of Eritrean Defense Forces, some of whom were born and raised in Ethiopia and had Ethiopian accent (locally nick named Amiche).

Meetings were held in local administrative areas for residents as well as factories and all other government ministry institutions (banks, police, security etc), the only item on the agenda seemed to be refuting the news that Demhit officers were engaged in operations in Asmara.

However the propaganda campaign, was met with stern opposition and serious challenges even from former freedom fighters (tegadelti) who said  they were all too aware of what was taking place and are not going to accept the ‘explanation’ on offer from the government.

In various meetings in the areas of Sembel, Akria and Abashawel, Asmara residents questioned the officials conducting meetings and ventured serious opposition to what the government is doing.

Nearly a week of serious propaganda campaign to the contrary later, the issue of Demhit engagement in Asmara continues to be volatile.