Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London,March 23፡2025 (Tigray Herald)
The Ideology of the Eritrean Regime and Its Lasting Impact
By press Of Eritrea
The Eritrean regime, under the leadership of Isaias Afwerki, has long operated with a concealed agenda, prioritizing absolute control over the nation rather than the well-being of its people. While publicly leading the war for Eritrean independence from Ethiopia—spanning the 1970s, 1980s, and culminating in 1991—Isaias was simultaneously laying the foundation for a dictatorship that would serve his personal ambitions rather than the aspirations of the Eritrean people.
During the armed struggle, Eritrea saw the emergence of highly educated and visionary individuals—soldiers and intellectuals who possessed the expertise and leadership qualities necessary to guide the country toward democracy and prosperity. However, Isaias perceived them not as assets but as threats to his rule. Recognizing that their presence would challenge his grip on power after independence, he systematically eliminated many of these individuals through targeted assassinations and enforced disappearances. Those who dared to question his propaganda or advocate for a democratic future were silenced.
Even after Eritrea officially gained independence in 1993, Isaias swiftly consolidated absolute power, dismantling any prospects of democratic governance. Throughout the 1990s, numerous high-ranking officials, military leaders, journalists, and activists called for political reform and transparency, only to be met with brutal suppression.
The crackdown escalated following the Ethiopia-Eritrea war (1998–2000), culminating in the infamous political purge of 2001. Dozens of high-ranking officials, military officers, journalists, and religious leaders were imprisoned without trial, their whereabouts still unknown to this day. Families remain in the dark, while Eritrea continues to exist under an oppressive regime devoid of political freedoms, democratic institutions, or fundamental human rights.
This climate of fear and repression has forced countless Eritreans to flee their homeland in search of safety and freedom. Meanwhile, Isaias has continued to use conflict as a tool to maintain his grip on power.
Even after signing a peace agreement with Ethiopia in 2018, his regime returned to war in 2020, collaborating in a brutal campaign against the Tigrayan people—actions widely condemned as atrocities amounting to genocide. However, as history has shown, alliances formed under Isaias’ rule are short-lived, and tensions have once again escalated between Eritrea and Ethiopia, with renewed threats of war on the horizon.
The suffering endured by the Eritrean people and the instability caused by this regime must come to an end. Eritrea deserves true democracy, freedom, and prosperity. The international community, the African Union, and global leaders must take decisive action to dismantle this oppressive system and support the Eritrean people in their pursuit of a just and democratic future.
