Martin Plaut, School of Advanced Study, University of London
He’s a brooding, taciturn figure, who has dominated Eritrean politics since the 1970s, and there are few signs of an effective challenge to his rule.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (left) and Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki at the re-opening of the Eritrean embassy in Addis Ababa.
EPA-EFE/Stringer
All Eritrean men between the ages of 18 – 50 have to serve in the army for more than 20 years, forcing thousands to flee. But things look set to change.
An abandoned tank by the roadside in Eritrea.
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