| Isaias Afwerki |
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Isaias Afewerki (born 2 February , 1945 ) is the first president of Eritrea . Born into a prominent Eritrean family of the Hamasien Latos (Judaic-Christian) aristocracy, Isaias Afewerki was the nephew of Dejazmatch Solomon, who served as the administrator of Wollo province for Ethiopian Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen . Isaias was a member of one of the more influential Eritrean families during the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia . He became an engineering student in Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia), and left to join the forces fighting for Eritrean independence in the mid 1960s after the federation of Eritrea with Ethiopia was dissolved. He joined the he became the Secretary General ( and has been elected to that position twice in 19 years) of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF). Isaias Afewerki is recognized as the architect of the strategy that eventually allowed the EPLF to surpass and eliminate the ELF as the foremost liberation movement of Eritrea, while at the same time increasing the effectiveness of his group against the forces of Emperor Haile Selassie's and then the Derg regimes of Ethiopia. In 1982, together with Meles Zenawi of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front , the combined forces of the EPLF and the TPLF (Tigrai People's Liberatiin Front (Ethiopian) he assaulted the ELF forces and drove it out of Eritrea. That mutually beneficial alliance eventually brought the forces of both movements into Addis Ababa toppling the Derg regime in 1991 and achieving Eritrean independence by referendum two years later. After Eritrean independence was gained in 1993 , he became its first president, under a reorganized EPLF, now called the People's Front For Democracy And Justice . His once-firm friendship with the new Ethiopian government however deteriorated into a fierce border and economic dispute that turned into a long and bloody Border War with Ethiopia , 1998 - 2000 . Armed conflict with Ethiopia claimed more than 70,000 lives from both sides and ended with the signing of the Algiers Agreement on December 12 , 2000 . Isaias was heavily criticized by many of his cabinet of ministers and party members (the G-15 ) for the way he handled the border conflict with Ethiopia. He reacted by accusing them of treason and defeatism and eventually jailing them incommunicado. Eritrean national elections were held in 1995 between PFDJ candidates and independent candidates while regional elections have been held every five years with the last round in 2004. The Administration has prosecuted the editors of all but three local newspapers for failure to adhere to the Press Law. According to Reporters Without Borders , Eritrea has imprisoned 13 journalists. The Eritrean constitution was ratified in 1997 by a constituent assembly but never implemented nine years later. In May 2002 all Christian Denomination s apart from the Catholic , Orthodox and Evangelical Lutheran churches were ordered to close their churches in respect of the religious regulations in effect since Colonial Eritrea. Hundreds of Christians, and Muslims have been arrested without visitation rights and were never presented to a court. Due to his frustration with the stalemated peace process with Ethiopia, the President of Eritrea wrote a series of Eleven Letters to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The ruling PFDJ, which controls large financial, construction, transportation, communication and agricultural intersts, is the only party allowed to operate in the country. However, the Administration has openly expressed the hope of laying down the foundation from which an effective multi-party state can evolve. Isayas has expressed the belief that many African countries have failed to implement a successful multi-party system mainly because they move to quickly in their attempts to mimick the West. He expressed such belief when he addressed the nation and referred to the old Eritrean proverb: "move like the grand turtle." NOTES |
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