Eritreans hope for democracy after the peace agreement with Ethiopia

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With Eritrea, the only single state party in Africa, many of its citizens hope that President Isaias Afwerki will introduce radical political reforms after the end of "the state of war" with neighboring Ethiopia.

million. Afwerki has been in power since he led Eritrea to the independence of Ethiopia in 1993.

He was strongly influenced by Marxism at the beginning of his political and political career. , unlike other African leaders, has resisted multiparty pressures. democracy.

His grip on power was strengthened following the outbreak of a border war with Ethiopia in 1998. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the conflict,

M. Afwerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a declaration last week. "the state of war", and resume links between the two nations.

Desta Gebremedhin of the BBC Tigrinya writes about the fundamental freedoms that many Eritreans aspire now:

The vote

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Eritrea has no opposition parties and has never had national elections.

In fact, there is no limit to the powers of the president. Some of his critics say that he is like a supreme leader more powerful than the ruling party, the national badembly or the parliament.

They point out that the National Assembly met for the last time in 2002 and that the only legally recognized party of Eritrea, the Popular Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) , held a national convention in 2002.

Central Style Committee – its 75 members automatically qualify for seats in the National Assembly while another 75 are chosen mainly from elected regional bademblies.

Many Eritreans aspire to the constitution, which envisions multiparty democracy.

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It was written when Eritrea was still seized by the euphoria of independence, and ratified in 1997.

It was filed the following year after the outbreak of the border war with Ethiopia.

Eritreans have been living in a state of virtual emergency since then.

Several government ministers, military generals and senior officials demanded the implementation of the constitution, after the signing of an earlier peace agreement with Ethiopia, in 2000.

The Government ignored their request and retained 11. They include three former foreign ministers – Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo, Petros Solomon and Haile Woldetensae. They have never been charged or convicted and their whereabouts are unknown.

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The 11 are the most prominent political detainees in Eritrea, but thousands of others languish in jail, many of them for more than a decade.

Activists exiled in Europe and North America claim that Mr. Afwerki should release the prisoners as a first step towards recognizing Eritrea as a multi-party democracy.

They point out that Mr. Abiy has also released thousands of prisoners in Ethiopia. was sincere about achieving national reconciliation with opposition groups.

The Eritrean government rejected the Amnesty report as "wild accusations" and the Ministry of Information issued a statement claiming that the report that Eritrea had imprisoned at least 10,000 prisoners political was "unfounded"

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Introduced in 1995, national service is mandatory for all Eritreans.

At the beginning, all citizens were expected to perform 18 months of national service – including six months of military training. However, conditions of service became unlimited in 2002 as the government declared that the country was still threatened by Ethiopia.

Young Eritreans start their national service when they finish their penultimate year at school. Then they go to Sawa camp, where they finish their last year at school and receive military training at the same time.

More about Ethiopia and Eritrea:

Students live according to military rules and regulations. As a result, the national service, once a source of pride for Eritreans, led many young people to flee the country, risking their lives to reach Europe via the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.

Many young people want indefinite national service to be shelved so that they can continue their studies and realize their career dreams.

A free press

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Eritrea has one of the worst world records in media freedom.

Media Observatory According to Reporters Without Borders, the world index of press freedom is 179, just above North Korea.

The government shut down all private media in 2001 to suppress calls for multi-party democracy.

At least 10 journalists were arrested as a result of press repression, according to the International Media Monitoring Committee, the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The government said these newspapers were funded by foreign governments to distort the political situation in the country.

He also stated that some of the journalists had been arrested because they had not performed national service.

Only public media are active in Eritrea: TV-Ere; Radio Dimtshi Hafash and four newspapers published in the most spoken languages ​​- Tigrigna, Tiger Arabic and English

Religious Freedom

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The government recognizes only four religions: Orthodox Christianity, Sunni Islam, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea.

Other religious groups are considered illegal. The government says they are instruments of foreign governments

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom estimates that thousands of Eritreans have been detained because of their faith.

The prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses began shortly after independence. to vote in the referendum that led to Eritrea to separate from Ethiopia.

Jehovah's Witnesses were denied citizenship, identity cards and business permits because of their refusal to participate in "land" political affairs

Eritreans hope to see a nation where its citizens can freely practice their faith.