Once a Pariah, Eritrean President Comes Up with Regional Bloc Idea
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2 2020
Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki (L) and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed talk during the inauguration of the Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital in Bahir Dar, northern Ethiopia, on November 10, 2018. PHOTO | EDUARDO SOTERAS | AFP
In Summary
Critics of the revolutionary who led his country to independence accuse him of dictatorship, a charge he denies.
For the past two years, though, Afwerki’s traits appear to be changing.
This week, he hosted Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Mohamed Farmajo, the president of Somalia.
Some analysts told the Nation that the recent meeting points to where Afwerki’s prize is: influence in the Horn of Africa.
By AGGREY MUTAMBO
Isaias Afwerki, the mustachioed Eritrean president, is not usually known for regional integration.
Critics of the revolutionary who led his country to independence accuse him of dictatorship, a charge he denies.
For the past two years, though, Afwerki’s traits appear to be changing.
Even the UN, which had imposed sanctions on his regime, lifted them in 2018. Afwerki mended fences with Ethiopia following two decades of hostilities.
This week, he hosted Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Mohamed Farmajo, the president of Somalia.
It was the third time Afwerki was meeting the two since January 2019. He had also met Abiy during the signing of the historic peace deal in 2018.
Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki (L) and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed talk during the inauguration of the Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital in Bahir Dar, northern Ethiopia, on November 10, 2018. PHOTO | EDUARDO SOTERAS | AFP
In Summary
Critics of the revolutionary who led his country to independence accuse him of dictatorship, a charge he denies.
For the past two years, though, Afwerki’s traits appear to be changing.
This week, he hosted Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Mohamed Farmajo, the president of Somalia.
Some analysts told the Nation that the recent meeting points to where Afwerki’s prize is: influence in the Horn of Africa.
By AGGREY MUTAMBO
Isaias Afwerki, the mustachioed Eritrean president, is not usually known for regional integration.
Critics of the revolutionary who led his country to independence accuse him of dictatorship, a charge he denies.
For the past two years, though, Afwerki’s traits appear to be changing.
Even the UN, which had imposed sanctions on his regime, lifted them in 2018. Afwerki mended fences with Ethiopia following two decades of hostilities.
This week, he hosted Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Mohamed Farmajo, the president of Somalia.
It was the third time Afwerki was meeting the two since January 2019. He had also met Abiy during the signing of the historic peace deal in 2018.
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