Eritrea Celebrates — but Its President Is Somewhere Else
I. A Preface of Reluctance and Recognition For more than two decades, I avoided President Isaias Afwerki’s speeches.…
Semere T Habtemariam11 min read
Eritrean Diaspora
Nothing here yet.
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Reengaging Eritrea: A Path Beyond the Stalemate
Michael Rubin has written about Eritrea for many years, and in a region that often flickers in and…
Semere T Habtemariam8 min read
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Renewing Awate Without Losing Its Soul
Awate.com is back—with a cleaner, faster, and less intrusive experience after the removal of the excessive pop-ups and…
Saleh "Gadi" Johar6 min read
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Eritrean Refugees and the Burden of Visibility
Eritrean refugees are a demographic minority in Africa’s displacement map, yet they occupy an outsized space in the…
Semere T Habtemariam9 min read
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The Grammar of Promise: How Eritrean Political Thought Became Trapped Inside Its Own Logic
“The most dangerous moment for a bad government is when it begins to reform.” – Alexis de Tocqueville…
Dr. Filmon Wolde18 min read
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The Anatomy of State Failure in Eritrea
I. The Origins of Authority States do not fail in a single dramatic moment. They unravel slowly, beginning…
Younis Omer (Ali Salim)11 min read
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Ustaz AbdulHamid: Among the Few Left from the Umma Generation
It was Mendefera, on a January morning in 1929. The wife was expecting; soon, the child refused to…
Saleh "Gadi" Johar6 min read
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The Day After: Preparing Eritrea for its Most Dangerous Transition
There comes a moment in the life of every nation when denial becomes a luxury it can no…
Semere T Habtemariam11 min read
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OUR NATIONAL UNITY: Why Eritrea’s Political Imagination Fails Reality
I. The Illusion We Keep Rehearsing In recent weeks, I have been reading a series of essays on…
Younis Omer10 min read
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The Limits of Rupture, the Promise of Reform: Rethinking Eritrea’s Transition
When a nation emerges from prolonged authoritarian rule, it eventually confronts a foundational question: do we discard everything…
Semere T Habtemariam10 min read
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The Unsung Heroes of Our National Unity
There is a Tigrinya saying I learned from my mother: “One who does not do small deeds should…
Semere T Habtemariam11 min read
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The Normalization of Self-Censorship in Eritrea
When self-censorship becomes pervasive, a society forfeits more than the right to open dissent; it forfeits the very…
Dawit Mesfin13 min read
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National Unity Cannot Be Rebuilt One Community at a Time
Eritreans everywhere recognize the same painful truth: our nation is in deep crisis. Political paralysis, social fragmentation, and…
Semere T Habtemariam4 min read
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The Echoes of Stagnation: Reclaiming Eritrea’s Future
Through Internal Reckoning and Diaspora Strategy Unity has long eluded Eritreans. The word is invoked so frequently—and so…
Semere T Habtemariam7 min read
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Why the PFDJ Is Afraid of Us: The Strategic Threat of Nationalist Unity
The ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) has not endured through popular consent. It has survived…
Semere T Habtemariam5 min read
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Eritrea at Year’s End: Between Endurance and Exhaustion
As another year closes—the thirty‑fourth since independence—Eritrea stands as a nation defined by contradiction. It is a country…
Semere T Habtemariam8 min read
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Emperor Haile Selassie and President Isaias Afwerki – Part Six
Giants and Lilliputians: Power, Image, and Machiavellian Survival Emperor Haile Selassie and President Isaias Afwerki – Part Six…
Semere T Habtemariam20 min read
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The Tenth Anniversary of the ELF Reunion and Reflection
Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future Dallas, Texas | October 3–5, 2025 In a hall radiant with camaraderie,…
Semere T Habtemariam21 min read
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A Return of Sorts to Religion
In a much-publicized recent religious event at the Anda Mariam Tewahdo church, many of the top Eritrean officials…
Ismael Ibraheem Al-Mukhtar6 min read
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A Shepherd, A Tiger Cub, and A Village
A shepherd boy, bored while tending his goats on the edge of a village, cried, “HELP! A tiger…
Saleh "Gadi" Johar4 min read
