Martyr's Day

Today was Martyr's Day in Eritrea, the day of remembrance for all those who died in the struggle against Ethiopia. Just about everyone has a friend, parent or sibling who was lost to this war - either as a soldier or as a civilian.

Last night everyone lit a candle and walked from the city's main square to the martyr's cemetery where many of the war's victims are buried.

There are candle holders up all over town and people selling candles on every street corner - some homemade, some factory-made. And country flags are up everywhere at half-mast. I wonder if anyone else has noted the irony of the olive branch on these flags.

The struggle is not over. There are still men and women deployed on the border where the dispute over town ownership continues.

After the last year of high school all boys and girls are sent to Sawa, a town where they undergo military training. Many of Eritrea's youth try to avoid enlisting in the army. Although service was once limited to two years, the time limit no longer applies. No one has any idea when they will get out.

Enlistment is required for everyone under a certain age. For women the limit used to be 27 years of age. But the age limit has just been increased to 40. So the women who have been hiding, biding their time until their 27th birthday now have 13 more years to wait.

There was a football match between Kenya and Eritrea over the weekend. Entry was free for everyone. It turns out that this was a ploy to get more people to attend. The military used this opportunity to round up thousands of young men at the game who have not yet served and have been hiding from the authorities.

People here are very patriotic and thrilled about independence from Ethiopia. But the dispute over the border has ceased to be important to most. In their minds it is time to move on and focus on re-building Eritrea.

But the government has been able to use the border dispute as an excuse for everything - from shutting down the University of Asmara to limiting government spending on social services. "The struggle" has become an excuse for everything. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

As we approach the middle of the "rainy season" without having had much rain this year the desperation increases. Famine is on the horizon. Opportunities for the future are at an all time low. And no one is given permission to leave.

This Martyr's Day there is a lot to consider. Family and friends are still sorely missed. No one wants them to have died in vain. But everyone wonders how this war will end.