The world's enduring dictators: Isaias Afewerki, Eritrea

Isaias Afewerki, president of Eritrea, in 2006

/ Getty Images

This is an installment in the WorldWatch series, "The world's enduring dictators," inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt, in which CBSNews.com takes a look at the men who continue to rule their lands unimpeded by law. See a complete explanation of the series and a list of others profiled here.

Isaias Afewerki, Eritrea

Length of rule: 18 years. Afewerki became the country's first and only president in 1993 after helping achieve Eritrean independence from Ethiopia two years earlier. According to a WikiLeaks diplomatic cable in which the U.S. ambassador there described Afewerki as "unhinged," "cruel and defiant," the former hero of the Eritrea's independence movement announced in May 2008 that elections would be postponed for "three or four decades" or longer because they "polarize society."

Feature page: The world's enduring dictators

Most despotic acts: While misinformation is rife in the Horn of Africa, at least two of Eritirea's neighbors, Ethiopia and Djibouti, have accused Afewerki of "exporting chaos" by funding armed insurgent groups within their countries. Human Rights Watch writes of Eritrea: "Arbitrary arrests, torture, and forced labor are rampant. Rule by fiat is the norm. The Eritrean government refuses to implement a constitution approved in 1997 containing civil and human rights provisions." Afewerki is also blamed for starting a "pointless" war with Ethiopia in 1998 that led to at least 70,000 deaths on both sides and cost two of the world's poorest countries hundreds of millions of dollars. Perhaps as a result of that war, and Afewerki's apparent penchant for needling his neighbors, military service in Eritrea is mandatory for all men, and there is no time limit on the length of their service, which is often done under the cruelest of conditions. This has contributed in part to the refugee crisis in the country, UNHCR reports.

Current level of state: While the aforementioned WikiLeaks cable says Eritrea's economy "appears to be in a death spiral," and internal discontent is high and growing, it is impossible to know for sure what's going on there; Reporters Without Borders ranks Eritrea as the worst place in the world to be a journalist, lower than North Korea. There must be at least some discontent within the country, however, as the U.N. estimates that as much as two-thirds of the population is malnourished. The aforementioned diplomatic cable states that young people are fleeing the country "in droves," so it may just be that there is little resistance remaining to Afewerki's rule.

Eritrea stats:

Population: 5,939,484; Tigrinya 55 percent, Tigre 30 percent, Saho 4 percent, Kunama 2 percent, Rashaida 2 percent, Bilen 2 percent, other (Afar, Beni Amir, Nera) 5 percent; Median Age is 19.

Constitution and the Rule of Law: Transitional government; Everyday law primarily based in the Ethiopian legal code of 1957 with revisions.

Economic Indicators: Overall GDP is $4.2 billion (world rank is 168); Per capita GDP is $700 (world rank is 224); unemployment rate is not available.

Press freedom index world rank: 178

[Simon_yes]

I'm born and bred in London (originally Eritrean) and when I went to Eritrea I sensed no oppression from the people, to be honest the people there seemed a lot happier than in the UK. Lately I've been having serious thoughts about staying there for good. The people that write these articles don't have a clue.

[YohanaUK]

Q: Have you ever visited eritrea? A: NO.
Q: Have you ever interviewed an eritrean? A: NO...
So therefore dont pollute peoples minds with publishing these ill-informed articles such as this one on the internet.

[nonita1992]

says who???

[getrealeri]

This article should be removed. Who did Jashua Norman interview? What research was done? Did he do any fact checking? This article was written on hear say and gossip. I didn't know CBS was a gossip site, I thought it was a respected news source, I guess I was wrong. I wish someone would sue this journalist for defamation of character. Where is your research and evidence? Where is the proof, man? If you are a real Eritrean please let's email and make noise so they can bring this down or force them to remove the lies and post an objective article based on facts not this subjective ******** that states a lie after a lie after a lie. LET'S BRING THIS DOWN!

[Erilove]

This article loses its credibility by first mentioning that Eritrea is the most secretive nation in the world and yet coming with some thing supposedly happening in the country.. if u dont know what is happening in the country then u r telling us ,that u wrting some thing about Eritrea, coz u had to, while not knowing a single thing about the Nation,...and a sensible person will says then u r lying...this is not the first article of this kind that am reading but there is so much ironey that makes u to say something even tho u dont want to,,Eritrea raised to a nation hood with out anyones help and became an example to be followed,and somthing to be bashed for, and where were this guys talking this and that, during our bad moments, during our strugle for independens, when we were suffering, when all the bad things possinble was raining on us, they chose to keep quite and watch from a far, yet when we strat to make huge development strides, and when the bad days are all gone, they come and say u do this and that how dare they!!! i would like to advise the Authore or Editor or whatever of this article, to go to Eritrea and see for him self that when he mentions Our president then it means the people of Eritrea, am sure the article might have some evil purposes but not with Eritrea, Evry thing is different when it comes to Eritrea, we were left to do things in our way and we should be left to do them now our own way too, we dont ask for any thing more than to be left alone! and people might ask the question of refugee.. as a tangible proof then ma friends lets not be naive it is the burtal regimes like that of Ethiopia which for my surprise was seen as a democratic one by not making to this list, that is creating more refugees in the world, coz let me tell u mister writer, 60-70% of those who seek assylum all over the world as Eritreans are Infact Ethiopians,and those who call them selves Eritren opposition are well they are either the Woyane(Ethiopian regime in power)thugs or Unionists, Ethiopians obssessed with Eritrean Ports, they want all the bad things possible to happen to us coz for the woyane to have their Greater Tgray dream to come to reality and for the other group to colonize us again, u should have made ur selfe familiarized with simple details of this type instead of writing ******** about something u dont know!

[selameta]

Well this article appears to be shallow report i.e. without any sense of deep research in the country of Eritrea. I understand you can dislike individuals such as the president but that does not give one right to demonise the whole country. There is always a wrong perception among Jews journalist that topography of Eritrea could be a problematic to the Nation of Israel security. As Eritreans, we do love Israeli and long to see peace rains in the State of Israeli. Finally, I would like to advice to Joshua please visit Eritrea and talk to the Eritrean people face to face then your article will have more value.

[EritreanAmerican]

"MG4262" or whatever your name is, SO WHAT? SO WHAT? people from England flee to the USA only difference is that the US allows them to do it easily. If The international community with it's network of organizations such as the UN and others don't allow LEGAL issues to be implemented and in the process HOLD nations like ERITREA hostage from advancing their economies faster, then the young people will be lured into thinking there is a brighter future elsewhere, but guess what after HUMAN TRAFFICKERS profit and the parents of these people spend their money to only allow these children to come to the west to live a miserable life, then they realize that ERITREA is a better place. These young people are leaving for purely economical reasons. But now thanks to the great ACHIEVEMENTS of ERITREA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ISSIAS AFWERKI, the Tide will be turning because ERITREA is blessed with natural resources that will enhance it's people lives. Already many young people who have lived in the diaspora are making a move to Eritrea and live peacefully. Meanwhile ETHIOPIANS are suffering from the worst disaster of genocide, famine and the robbing of their land and CBS does not acknowledge the ZENAWI REGIME as one of the worst DICTATORS.
Shame! Marketing Specialist Joshua Norman has failed along with his big bosses at VIACOM and along with their big bosses like the SOROSes and the few handful feudalistic wealthy folks running the foreign policy of America. We Americans who truly care about our country will take back AMERICA and we will learn to respect and admire nations like ERITREA who under a great LEADER LIKE ISSIAS AFWERKI have made miracles in building a nation from scratch. America under an honest and caring leadership one that should simulate the Eritrean model would be an amazing country.

From: An Eritrean American and very Proud of both my countries. Like my American family who came from Ireland, Italy, China, Iran and many other places before me, I stand strong with the principle that has made this country of ours a great one.

[mg4262]

Sorry, for some reason the link didn't work. It is currently on the front page of www.democracystandard.com

[mg4262]

Many Eritreans are fleeing the rule of Afewerki and heading to, surprisingly, Israel. Read more about it at <a href="http://www.democracystandard.com/2011/06/05/israel-africas-beacon-of-hope/">Democracy Standard</a>

[logic-checker]

The author obviously has never set foot in Eritrea. That is a huge question mark & major disqualifier. He has no qualms about relying on incompetent state dept. and other self-serving institutions who are known to lie thru their teeth; they demonize independent-minded, AID-free, self-sustaining nations like Eritrea in order to protect their selfish hegemonic interests and decandent images of puppets regimes.