Post by @ZekuZelalem@dair-community.social

2026-05-08 06:34 UTC

Ali Abdu doesn't appear to have coordinated his defection with his family. Because weeks later, in December 2012, his daughter Ciham, then aged 15, tried to flee from Eritrea by crossing the border on foot into Sudan. She was caught and taken into custody. She hasn't been seen since. Human rights orgs have slammed the US for the lack of urgency on her case. The girl who dreamed of being a fashion designer, is paying the price for what Eritrea's President deems to be her father's betrayal.

Replies (2)

@ZekuZelalem@dair-community.social 2026-05-08 06:46

Every few years, stories like this surface...either on the Dec 8 anniversary of her arrest, or on her birthday April 3. But no new information has emerged. Her father, truly a coward, has disappeared into obscurity in Australia & had been silent ever since. Eritrea is a country literally at the bottom of the RSF press freedom index (behind even North Korea). If you are made to disappear, you may never be seen again. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-eritrea-prisoner/4690807.html

Open ##2264687
@ShiitakeToast@beige.party 2026-05-08 14:40

@ZekuZelalem@dair-community.social I had a work colleague years ago who, at 15 managed to escape to Sudan with her teenage brother. They ended up as refugees in the US but it took two years from leaving home to settling in the US. I think most Americans haven’t even heard of Eritrea, let alone know what goes on there.

Open ##2264706