Tag: eritrea
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The Horn of Africa’s Catch-22: War Without End
This episode is dedicated to the bereaved—to the ordinary people who pay the price for wars they neither start nor control. In the Horn of Africa, bloodshed has become a grim ritual, as predictable as the ancient sacrifices once offered to appease imagined demons. But the victims are real. The slaughter benefits no one except…
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The Moment the Ghedli Lost Its Soul (Part II)
A detailed historical analysis of the demographic surge, battlefield pressures, factional politics, and organizational breakdown that transformed Eritrea’s liberation struggle in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in the institutionalization of giffa and the emergence of a hybrid fighter that redefined the ghedli.
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The Moment the Ghedli Lost Its Soul
A rigorous historical and philosophical exploration of Eritrea’s liberation struggle, tracing the rise of the tegadalai as a moral category, the country’s deep martial inheritance, and the gradual erosion of voluntary participation as coercion and organizational necessity reshaped the ethos of the ghedli.
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LEAP OF FAITH
History does not simply move forward; it circles, it spirals, it returns to its own wounds until the repetition becomes unbearable. Eritrea and Ethiopia have lived inside such spirals for generations – spirals of domination, resistance, liberation, betrayal, war, and the long, bitter aftermath of mistrust. These spirals have shaped identities, hardened narratives, and carved…
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One Year Later: Why This Column Exists—And Why It Must Continue
On July 25, 2025, after a long hiatus, I published my first column at Awate.com under the simple title Semere’s Sunday Perspective. I did not know then that I was embarking on a year‑long intellectual journey—fifty‑two consecutive weeks of writing, reflection, and argumentation. I only knew that Eritrea’s crisis ran deeper than politics and that…
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Widow of the Late Mohammed Ali Alamin Murdered in Her Home
Asmara July 27, 2026 — The mysterious murder of Mrs. Setoum Mousa Naib, the widow of the late Mohammed Ali Alamin, has shocked many Eritreans. She was found brutally killed with an axe inside her home in the Tira Volo neighborhood of Asmara. She is survived by two sons. Setoum, who was in her mid-seventies,…
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Redefining the Mission of the Eritrean Opposition
Abstract This study critically examines the current trajectory and mission of the Eritrean opposition, arguing that its original vision—the establishment of a constitutional, democratic state—has become increasingly unattainable under prevailing circumstances. Through an analysis of the evolution of the opposition’s purpose, the strategies of the regime, and the challenges facing political and civil actors, this…
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Who Owns the Legacy of the Martyrs?
Inspired by a Sufi parable and Dante’s imagery of flickering flames, this episode examines the meaning of sacrifice and political memory. Drawing lessons from Algeria’s civil conflict and Eritrea’s post-independence experience, it explores how ruling elites can appropriate the legacy of martyrs while genuine remembrance belongs to the people who continue to honor their ideals.…
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Eritrea’s Vanishing Youth: A Demographic Crisis and a Nation on the Brink (Part 1)
A comprehensive analysis of Eritrea’s demographic collapse, mass youth migration, shifting religious demographics, Muslim‑led civic resistance, and the political consequences of decades of authoritarian rule.
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From center to periphery: Eritrea’s forced disengagement from Ethiopia
Disparate notes on the long and short history of Eritrea Introduction: A great deal is being said and written about Ethiopia’s loud claim of access to the Red Sea. Ever since 2024, the Ethiopian prime minister has on numerous occasions warned his neighboring seacoast countries, namely Eritrea and Somalia, that they ought to allow Ethiopia…
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Deposit Your Money or Else: Eritrea’s Banking Ultimatum
Eritrea’s latest directive orders citizens and businesses to deposit cash into banks by July 31 or face legal action. This analysis examines the official notice, its implications, and what it reveals about state control, banking policy, and citizens’ rights.
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The Gettysburg Lesson Eritrea Never Learned
What separates genuine leadership from the exploitation of sacrifice? Using Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address as a historical reference point, this essay examines the moral power of leadership during times of national crisis and contrasts it with Eritrea’s post-independence experience. It explores freedom, citizenship, remembrance, national unity, and the responsibility owed to those who sacrificed their…
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From Geneva to the Present: The Long Arc of International Scrutiny on Eritrea
When Eritrea appeared before the United Nations Human Rights Council for its first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in November 2009, the atmosphere in Geneva carried a charged mixture of anticipation, unease, and unmistakable excitement. For many of us in the Eritrean civil society delegation—supported by the Norwegian Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF)—it was the first…
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Dr. Kebire, The Man We Called Uncle Camera
Last week, we lost an exemplary and peaceful person endowed with a kind heart and a beautiful soul. He was reconciled with all that life gives and takes, both from himself and from others. He lived a spiritually and physically content life. But like every creature, his time was up, and after a long struggle…
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The Extraction of Heroic Capital in Eritrea
Abstract: This essay examines how the Eritrean state converted the moral authority of the armed struggle into a durable political resource. It argues that the category of tegadalay (fighter) flattened unequal wartime experiences into a single claim of equal sacrifice, allowing ruling elites to extract legitimacy from the suffering of ordinary fighters. By separating fighters,…
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Sarigoble, the Woven Shield of Siolidarity
What can a song teach us about belonging? Through the celebrated Saho composition Sarigoble by Ali Abdullah Ahmed, this essay explores the enduring ties that bind people to one another across landscapes, generations, and continents, revealing how music becomes a portable homeland and a living architecture of solidarity.
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A New Political Imagination for Eritrea
A compelling call for a new political imagination in Eritrea, outlining how the opposition can overcome fragmentation through structure, discipline, and a practical roadmap for unity, transition, and national renewal.
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The Merchants of Division: Faith, Fanaticism, and Rationality
For decades we have appealed for national unity, peaceful coexistence, and rational public discourse. Yet fanaticism, intolerance, and hate continue to poison our civic space. Is religion truly the problem—or is it those who misuse it? A personal reflection on faith, reason, and the politics of division
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Eritrea at 35: A Regime Out of Words, Out of Time
A sharp, uncompromising critique of Eritrea’s 35th anniversary narrative, exposing the regime’s empty propaganda, extractive elite, and decades of national stagnation while calling for a new political imagination beyond Isaias Afwerki and the PFDJ.
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Archived Interview With Mohamed Taha Tewekel
Introduction The following interview with Mohamed Taha Tewekel was originally published by Awate.com on Sep 12, 2003, at a time when Eritrean politics, regional alliances, and opposition movements were evolving rapidly. The interview captures Tewekel’s recollections, political assessments, and personal experiences as they were expressed at the time. It reflects the atmosphere, assumptions, debates, and…