Eritrea - Ministry of Information

I am writing this article on in the early morning, well before the sun will rise. The birds are beginning to sing their beautiful songs. They are perched on the lemon trees which dot the landscape in Sawa.

The Gash Barka region is known as the breadbasket of Eritrea. Some sub-zones of the region border Ethiopia and Sudan. This region is blessed with rich, fertile land. Riverbanks and various strategic dams are also assets of this region. This region is also rich in livestock. Being a sub-zone of this region, Tesennei possesses great agricultural assets. The sub-zone is also well known for its trade activities. Agriculture, tourism, trade and industry, and aquaculture activities are among the dominant activities within the sub-zone. Notably, the sub-zone has also registered steady economic development.

Goluj subzone is found in the southwestern part of the Gash Barka region and it is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, Laelay Gash sub-zone in the east, and Tessenei sub-zone in the north. The town of Goluj is about 45 km southeast of Tessenei and 400 km from Asmara. There are 52 villages located within 16 local administrations in the sub-zone. A total of 120,000 people live in the sub-zone and 6,000 people reside in the town of Goluj. The majority of the people (about 90%), depend on agriculture and herding for their livelihood, while the rest are engaged in trade.

Located in the southwest of Eritrea, at a triangular intersection bordering Sudan and Ethiopia adjacent to the Setit River, Omhajer is a semi-urban center inhabited by about 9500 people who live in two administrative areas, Kachero and Omhajer. Omhajer is a multiethnic town and people from eight of Eritrea’s ethnic groups reside there.

Editor’s note: Each November, countries around the world commemorate World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW). WAAW aims to increase global awareness of antibiotic resistance and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers, and policymakers in order to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. This article recaps World Antibiotic Awareness Week activities in Eritrea.

There is one place that Eritreans cherish and greatly respect. Sawa. For their final year of high school, Eritrean students head to Sawa. Navigating the roads through Keren, the rich Gash Barka region, Agordat, and numerous other beautiful towns, you may begin to think that the desert has no end. But it does.