Reporters Without Borders has called on the Eritrean authorities, as they approach the 10th anniversary of Eritrea's independence on 24 May, to put an immediate and unconditional end to the illegal imprisonment of 18 journalists, who are being held in an undisclosed location, without being brought to trial and without any official reason ever being given for their detention.

The Eritrean government is to introduce a new school curriculum for the next academic year aimed at boosting productivity. According to the official Shaebia website, Education Minister Osman Saleh said the new curriculum for the 2003-2004 academic year met international standards and "will enable students to be productive citizens once they finish school".

War Child started its program in 3 refugee-camps (Gashbarka) in 2001. It consisted of teacher training and sports and music activities with children. Nowadays War Child also works in Barentu and recently in Debub, where a creative arts and sports program is implemented as a school curriculum. The program is moving into a new community based approach and for this development and expansion War Child is looking for an experienced Head of Mission.

In a letter sent to South African President Thabo Mbeki, Chairman of the African Union, ARTICLE 19 has raised its concerns about the continued detention, incommunicado and without trial, of at least eighteen journalists and eleven political dissidents in Eritrea since September 2001.

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has called on the European Union to intervene on behalf of detained journalists in Eritrea. RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter: "Our organisation particularly calls on the European Union to condition the resumption of economic aid to Eritrea on the release of the 18 journalists it has imprisoned and the re-emergence of a free, privately-owned press in the country."