Afwerki, Issaias (1945– )

Eritrean soldier and politician, president 1993– . He was appointed head of Eritrea's provisional government in 1991, after Ethiopian president Mengistu was overthrown, and was then elected president by the National Assembly when the country became independent in 1993. President Issaias quickly established a highly centralized, tightly-controlled state, emphasizing wartime discipline and self-sacrifice. Since Issaias became president in 1993, Eritrea has gone to war with Sudan, Yemen and, in 1998, Ethiopia, and even found itself at odds with its smallest neighbour, Djibouti.

For President Issaias, the renewed conflict with Ethiopia in 2000 served as a valuable distraction from domestic concerns. There had been growing criticism of Eritrea's internal problems, the lack of democracy, food shortages and limited development, and the fact that Eritrea's much vaunted self-sufficiency had not been working. Known as unostentatious and accessible, he was often found chatting to customers in a bar near the presidency in Asmara. But, strong in his own certainties, he also saw himself as the embodiment of Eritrean pride, castigating the Organization of African Unity (OAU; later African Union), the United Nations (UN), and the USA for failing to agree with Eritrea.

Originally trained as an engineer, Afewerki joined the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) in 1966. He received military training in China that same year. By 1968 he was leader of the Fourth Regional Area of ELF, and was promoted to general commander the following year. In 1977 he was a founding member of Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), renamed People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). He was appointed assistant secretary general in 1987, secretary general of the provisional government of Eritrea in 1991, and assumed power in May 1991.