Hard to believe one can fight against authoritarian occupation (by Ethiopia) for decades and then turn into a dictator oneself in a matter of a few years. But that is what has happened with the 72-year-old Afwerki, the only president Eritreans have ever known. Perhaps hardened guerilla fighters don’t make the best democratic politicians – too used to snapping out orders and getting unquestioning obedience.
Eritrea was officially founded by referendum in 1991, after a 30-year-war of independence won by the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front. Partisans of the relatively newly minted country will tell you that it is a model of development rectitude and a fierce guardian of national independence. But at what price?
