A small poor country in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea is one of the most closed and repressive states on the planet, ruled with an iron fist for 30 years by President Issaias Afeworki. "One-man dictatorship (...), Eritrea has no legislature, no civil society organizations or independent media and no independent judiciary", says the NGO Human Rights Watch. tortureThe human rights situation there is "disastrous" with "no sign of improvement", lamented the UN Human Rights Council in March, citing in particular cases of torture and enforced disappearances committed with "total impunity". Hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have left their country, fleeing religious persecution, arbitrary arrests and indefinite national service, considered forced labour by human rights organisations. This border region of Eritrea is led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a party that dominated the Ethiopian government until 2018 and sworn enemy of the Asmara regime.

Source: Ethiopian News May 23, 2023 14:35 UTC