Eritrea, the North Korea of Africa, will be the topic of a House hearing next Wednesday entitled “Eritrea: A Neglected Regional Threat.” The hearing, held by Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of a House panel on Africa, will include testimony from Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs as well as leaders of several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

     “For decades, Eritrea has been an antagonistic neighbor in the Horn of Africa region and has been relentless in its denial of human rights and freedoms for its citizens,” said Smith. “In recent months, there have been quiet contacts between the U.S. government and the Government of Eritrea concerning the potential for détente. This hearing will examine how U.S. policy toward Eritrea and the potential for some level of renewed relations between our two governments could encourage the government of Eritrea to provide their citizens the rights they deserve.”

Who:               Chairman Smith (NJ-04), Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations; other members of the committee

Witness:

Panel I
The Honorable Linda Thomas–Greenfield
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Panel II
Father Habtu Ghebre-Ab
Director of External Relations
Canonical Eritrean Orthodox Church in Diaspora

Khaled Beshir, Ph.D.
Board Member
Awate Foundation

Ms. Bronwyn Bruton
Deputy Director
Africa Center
Atlantic Council

When:             Wednesday, September 14, 2016 2:00 PM

Where:            Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172 (first floor)

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