23 Facts About Isaias Afwerki

Western scholars and historians have long considered Isaias Afwerki to be a dictator, with Eritrea's constitution remaining unenforced, electoral institutions effectively being nonexistent as well as a policy of mass conscription.

Isaias Afwerki was born on 2 February 1946 in the Aba Shi'Aul district of Asmara.

Isaias Afwerki's father, whose native village was Tselot, just outside of Asmara, was a minor functionary in the state tobacco monopoly, his mother was a housewife.

Isaias Afwerki attended Prince Makonnen High School where he engaged in discussions about nationalist Eritrean politics.

Isaias Afwerki and his comrades had assumed the ELF was an inclusive revolutionary organization, but they soon realized that the movement was sectarian and generally hostile to Christians.

Isaias Afwerki then called for a more unified administration and military force, which led to the emergence of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in August 1973.

Isaias Afwerki denounced his rivals in a publication and mobilized his supporters to arrest Mussie and other colleagues.

In 1977, EPLF held its first congress, at which Isaias Afwerki was elected vice-secretary general.

Isaias Afwerki was elected as the president of the State of Eritrea by the National Assembly and declared the first head of state, a position he has held ever since the end of the war for independence.

On 16 February 1994, the EPLF held its third congress, renamed itself the People's Front for Democracy and Justice as part of its transition to a political party and Isaias Afwerki was elected secretary-general by an overwhelming majority of votes.

Isaias Afwerki implemented a national service program in May 1994 in which individuals would serve for 18 months.

Notwithstanding, during the African Unity summit in Cairo in 1993, Isaias Afwerki had criticized other leaders for staying in power for too long, and he had rejected a cult of personality.

In 2009, Isaias Afwerki advocated for the development of indigenous political and economic institutions, and a strategy that suited Eritrea's internal conditions and available resources.

On 18 May 2012, Isaias Afwerki said in a VOA interview that the country's development over two decades of independence was "a success story".

In June 2015, a United Nations panel accused Isaias Afwerki of leading a totalitarian government responsible for systematic human rights violations in Eritrea that may amount to crimes against humanity.

Isaias Afwerki uses the disputed border to maintain a war footing and justify indefinite mass mobilization and repression.

In 2018, Isaias Afwerki oversaw an unexpected transformation of Eritrea's relations with Ethiopia.

Under international pressure, on 26 March 2021, after a meeting between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afwerki, it was announced that Eritrean troops would withdraw from the Tigray Region.

On 10 May 2014, the state-owned Sudan News Agency announced during Isaias Afwerki' visit to the Al Jeili oil refinery that Sudan had agreed to supply Eritrea with fuel and boost its economic partnership.

On 4 May 2021, Isaias Afwerki visited Khartoum to discuss the ongoing border dispute between Ethiopia and Sudan.

Isaias Afwerki visited Djibouti in 2001, and President Ismail Omar Guelleh visited Eritrea.

Isaias Afwerki' bodyguards were urged to protect him, his palace, and his airport.

Shortly before Eritrea declared independence, Isaias Afwerki contracted cerebral malaria and was flown to Israel for treatment.