Isaias Afwerki

Isaias Afwerki, born in 1945, first president of Eritrea (1993- ). Afwerki devoted his early adult life to the guerrilla war aimed at ending Ethiopian control of Eritrea. During the war, he distinguished himself as a rebel leader in the field. Afwerki also served as secretary general of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), developing considerable diplomatic skills in seeking to win assistance for the movement, especially in the Islamic world. In 1991 the EPLF's defeat of Ethiopian armies in Eritrea coincided with the capture of Addis Ababa by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and led to the downfall of the regime of Ethiopian military president Mengistu Haile Mariam. Afwerki, as head of the Eritrean administration, then worked with EPRDF leader Meles Zenawi to ensure that the new government in Ethiopia would recognize Eritrea's right to secede. Eritrea seceded in 1993, and a provisional assembly chose Afwerki as president of the new state in May. As president, Afwerki has faced the task of helping Eritrea recover from decades of warfare and devastating famines.