A/HRC/41/53 groups, are excluded from the Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty and achieve economic development. 51. According to information received, the situation of Afar communities in the coastal regions of Eritrea remains precarious. Since the establishment of the United Arab Emirates base in Assab, the rights of Afar communities to conduct traditional livelihood activities, such as salt production and fishing, have been seriously curtailed. In addition, current projects to redevelop the port of Assab and expand road infrastructure in the area are having an impact on the ancestral lands of this community. As the authorities do not recognize the land rights of the Afar, these projects are reportedly being carried out without involving or consulting them. Additionally, the Special Rapporteur has received various reports of attacks on Afar fishermen in Eritrean coastal waters. In separate incidents between October 2016 and August 2018, at least 10 Afar fishermen were reportedly killed and several others injured after United Arab Emirates helicopters fired on their boats at sea. In one incident in February 2018, 10 fishermen from the coast of Bori, close to Massawa, went missing after they set off to sea. In early February 2019, three fishermen from the coast of Makkaka, near Assab, reportedly went missing while fishing and, in March, relatives are said to have found the bodies of two other fishermen at sea. Over the years, many Eritrean Afar have fled. Some 20,000 Eritrean Afar currently live as refugees in Ethiopia. 52. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to promote the rights of ethnic minorities, including through policies of equitable development and social inclusion. She calls on the Government to ensure respect for the rights of ethnic minorities by guaranteeing their participation in decision-making that will affect them and their integration in strategies for economic development and poverty reduction. G. Promoting freedom of association and peaceful assembly 53. The Special Rapporteur expresses concern about the restrictions placed by the Eritrean authorities on the freedom of association and peaceful assembly of independent human rights defenders and civil society organizations. The Government maintains that civil society organizations can operate freely in Eritrea. However, in practice, existing regulations23 limit the activities of civil society organizations and of relief and rehabilitation organizations. Civil society organizations can only implement projects in partnership with government ministries and only those aligned with the Government are allowed to operate. The sole legally recognized political party is the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice. 54. Civil society actors who express dissent are subjected to arbitrary arrest, illtreatment and prolonged detention. For example, in October 2017 the security forces arrested the board members and community leaders of Al Diaa Islamic School in Asmara after they protested against the Government’s decision to take control of the school. In January 2019, one of the board members and an elder, Haji Ibrahim Younis, who was in his seventies, died in prison. He had been arbitrarily held, without charge, at Mai Serwa prison. His death followed that of Haji Musa Mohamednur, the 93-year-old chairman of the school, who had died in custody in March 2018. The Special Rapporteur is following up on reports that several parents and students from the school remain at Adi Abeito prison, having been arrested after taking part in Haji Musa Mohamednur’s funeral procession. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that all those in custody deserve due process, that deaths in custody must be investigated promptly and that the families of those who have died in custody must be informed about the cause of death. 55. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government of Eritrea to create and maintain a space for civil society, in particular for organizations promoting freedom of opinion and expression and the protection of human rights. She also urges the Government to support diversity in civil society and to prevent threats, attacks, arbitrary arrests and detention and any other form of reprisals. She recalls that creating and maintaining a safe environment in which civil society can operate free from hindrance and insecurity will assist the 23 12 Proclamation to Determine the Administration of Non-Governmental Organizations (No. 145/2005).