@ZekuZelalem@dair-community.social
2026-05-08 06:30 UTC
A decade after becoming a powerful member of Eritrea's government, in November 2012, Ali Abdu had a falling out with President Isaias Afewerki. Over what exactly, we don't know.
He defected & applied for asylum in Australia. The news was groundbreaking in Eritrea, where his was a feared face for years.
President Isaias, who has ruled with a iron fist since Eritrea's independence in 1991, was reportedly livid.
A CPJ article on the minister's disappearance from 2012.
https://cpj.org/2012/12/where-is-eritrean-information-minister-ali-abdu/
Replies (1)
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@ZekuZelalem@dair-community.social 2026-05-08 06:34
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.