On February 18, the Libyan News Agency reported that the Libyan Embassy in Eritrea celebrated the “first anniversary of the glorious revolution of February 17 [2011]” that finally brought down the regime of Muammer Gaddafi by noting that it was attended by Eritrean ministers of defense, foreign affairs, mining, energy, tourism, social affairs, and different department directors.
What is ironic is that the Eritrean state media, which is the only media allowed to exist in Eritrea, has yet to report on the Libyan revolution or the violent death, on October 20, 2011, of Muammer Gaddafi, a close ally and mentor of Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki.
In the beginning of the Libyan revolution, the Eritrean government had warned teashops and other public places not to show news about “the Arab Spring” fearing Eritreans would be inspired to do the same.
In a speech he delivered, Mr. Hassen Al-Baroni, the charge d’affaires of the Libyan embassy, “prayed for mercy for the souls of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the Libyan people, and wished the wounded to heal and the missing to return to their families.”
Al-Baroni added that Libya is seeking to build a state based on the principle of “free economy and fair competition and the exploitation of natural resources that God bestowed on Libya, and put it to the service of the nation and the citizens and their development to the level of developed countries.”
When the Arab Spring took the world by surprise, Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki downplayed the grassroots nature of the revolution and blamed it on the CIA and other hegemonic powers who are vested in instigating “creative chaos.”
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