Three decades, one leader - how Eritreans had their hopes dashed, [BBC]
June 20, 2025 Teklemariam Bekit Editor, BBC Tigrinya
Once hailed as part of a new generation of reformist African leaders, Eritrea's president, who recently marked 32 years in power, has long defied expectations.
Isaias Afwerki now spends much of his time at his rural residence on a dusty hillside some 20km (12 miles) from the capital, Asmara.
With the cabinet not having met since 2018, all power flows through him, and like a potentate he receives a string of local officials and foreign dignitaries at his retreat.
It is also a magnet for ordinary Eritreans hoping in vain that Isaias might help them with their problems.
The 79-year-old has never faced an election in his three decades in power and there is little sign of that changing any time soon.
But things looked very different in the 1990s. ...
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2ekjvg17xo
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