Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki: Three decades, one leader

Once hailed as a reformist leader, Eritrea’s president Isaias Afwerki has ruled for over 32 years without ever holding elections, consolidating power at his rural residence while hopes for democracy faded after his initial promises in the 1990s. Following the 2001 crackdown on dissent, including the arrest of reformist officials, Eritrea has remained an autocracy, quashing freedoms and dissent.