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Isaias Afwerki is an Eritrean politician and partisan who has been the president of Eritrea since shortly after he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) to victory on 24 May 1991,ending the 30-year-old war for independence from Ethiopia. In addition to being president,Isaias has been the chairman of Eritrea's sole legal political party,the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). As Eritrea has never had a functioning constitution,no elections,no legislature and no published budget,Isaias has been the sole power in the country,controlling its judiciary and military. Hence,scholars and historians have long considered him to be a dictator,described his regime as totalitarian,by way of forced conscription;the United Nations and Amnesty International cited him for human rights violations. In 2022,Reporters Without Borders ranked Eritrea,under the government of Isaias,last out of 180 countries in its Press Freedom Index. In 2023 Eritrea ranked 174th out of 180 countries on the Press Freedom Index.
The People's Front for Democracy and Justice is the founding,ruling,and sole legal political party of the State of Eritrea. The successor to the Marxist–Leninist Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF),the PFDJ regards itself as a left-wing nationalist party,though it holds itself open to nationalists of any political affiliation. The leader of the party and current President of Eritrea is Isaias Afwerki. The PFDJ has been described as totalitarian,and under its rule Eritrea reached the status of the least electorally democratic country in Africa according to V-Dem Democracy indices in 2023.
The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF),colloquially known as Shabia,was an armed Marxist–Leninist organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1973 as a far-left to left-wing nationalist group that split from the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). After achieving Eritrean independence in 1991,it transformed into the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ),which serves as Eritrea's sole legal political party.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front,also called the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front,is a left-wing ethnic nationalist,paramilitary group,and the former ruling party of Ethiopia. It was classified as a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian government from May 2021 until its removal from the list in March 2023. In older texts and Amharic publications,it is known as Woyane or Wayane.
The Eritrean Liberation Front,colloquially known as Jebha,was the main independence movement in Eritrea which sought Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia during the 1960s and the early 1970s. It was established in 1960 after Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie violated a 1952 UN resolution that guaranteed Eritrea the right to an autonomous government. Idris Muhammad Adam and other Eritrean intellectuals founded the ELF as a primary Pan Arab movement in Cairo,but the first attack was led by Hamid Idris Awate in 1961. Over the course of the 1960s,the ELF was able to obtain support from Arab countries such as Egypt and Sudan. However,tensions between Muslims and Christians in the ELF along with the failure of the ELF to ward off Ethiopia's 1967–1968 counter offensive internally fractured the ELF,causing it to split. By the mid 1970s,the ELF and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF),an ideologically Maoist liberation movement,were the key liberation movements in Eritrea. The EPLF ultimately overtook the ELF as the primary Eritrean independence movement by 1977,and the ELF was subsequently defeated in 1981.
The Eritrean War of Independence was a war for independence which Eritrean independence fighters waged against successive Ethiopian governments from 1 September 1961 to 24 May 1991.
Petros Solomon is an Eritrean politician. He was an Eritrean People's Liberation Front commander and played a key role during the Eritrean War of Independence,following independence he served in several positions in the Cabinet,including Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Sebhat Ephrem is an Eritrean military officer and politician who is the Minister of Energy and Mines for Eritrea. He was also the former Minister of Defence and former Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) commander during the Eritrean War of Independence.
Haile Woldense or Woldetensae is an Eritrean politician.
Berhane Abrehe was a prominent Eritrean government official who served in various key positions within the government. Born in 1945 in Quandeba,Eritrea,he had a long and distinguished career in Eritrean politics and public service.
Alamin Mohammed Seid was an Eritrean politician.
The Eritrean Air Force (ERAF) is the air service branch of the Eritrean Defence Forces.
The Eritrean Navy is a smaller branch of the Eritrean Defence Forces. It is responsible for the security of the entire coastline of Eritrea,more than 1,100 km,as well as the Eritrean territorial waters.
The Eritrean Army is the main branch of the Eritrean Defence Forces and is one of the largest armies in Africa. The main role of the army in Eritrea is defense from external aggressors,border security,and developing national cohesion. Historically,the predecessor of the Eritrean Army,the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF),played a major role in establishing and defending the country's independence from Ethiopia in 1991 during the Eritrean War of Independence. Since then,the army has continued to be involved in low-level border conflicts with Ethiopia and several other neighbors,including Djibouti and Yemen,with the most notable one being the Ethiopian-Eritrean War from 1998 until 2000,which ended in a partial Ethiopian military victory and Eritrean boundary line victory. It is widely regarded as one of the largest and more capable armies in Africa,despite the country having a smaller population than most of its neighbors with around 250,000 to 300,000 personnel due to mandatory national service. Conscription became open ended since the war with Ethiopia and no demobilization has taken place.
The Eritrean Civil Wars were two conflicts that were fought between competing organizations for the liberation of Eritrea.
Eritrea–Israel relations are foreign relations between Eritrea and Israel. Both countries established diplomatic relation in 1993 following Eritrean independence. Eritrea has an embassy in Ramat Gan and Israel had an embassy in Asmara,that was closed in 2022. Their ties were considered as very close,but after 2020 the relations worsened. Both Eritrea and Israel have shared access to the Red Sea.
Eritrean nationalism is centered on the fact that the Eritreans share a common history,and as such constitute a nation unto themselves. Even though there is a natural basis for Eritrean nationalism,there is still diversity within Eritrean demographics. Eritrea has nine major ethnic groups,each with their own language and culture and is split between two major religions,Christianity and Islam. However,the Eritrean government seeks to foster Eritrean nationalism through programs such as national service,the promotion of civic nationalism and the formation of the youth organization YPFDJ,as well as curbing foreign influences.
Romodan Mohammed Nur was an Eritrean politician who was the first chairman of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front and a key figure during the Eritrean War of Independence.
Habtezion Hadgu is an Eritrean General who is credited as the founder and first commander of the Eritrean Air Force.
References
- ↑ Killion, Tom (1998). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. ISBN 0-8108-3437-5.
- 1 2 3 Killion, Tom (1998). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. ISBN 0-8108-3437-5.
- 1 2 3 4 Hagos, Mesfin (2020-12-04). "Eritrea's Role in Ethiopia's Conflict and the Fate of Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia". African Arguments . Archived from the original on 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- 1 2 Matthael, Karen (2013-12-09). "Resistance in exile: Eritrean freedom fighter Mesfin Hagos". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2020-12-13.