Lifting Sanctions on Eritrea Will Lead to U.S. Strategic Defeat and License To Suppress More by Isaias Afwerkiās Regimešš
Lifting sanctions on Eritrea represents a profound miscalculation that will hand the United States a strategic defeat in the Horn of Africa while condemning ordinary Eritreans to prolonged suffering. Far from promoting stability or reform, this move would effectively grant dictator Isaias Afwerki a free pass to entrench his repressive rule without any incentive to improve the lives of his people. It signals to authoritarian regimes worldwide that defiance, human rights abuses, and regional destabilization carry no lasting consequences if short-term geopolitical expediency takes precedence.
This approach ignores Eritreaās long track record of exploiting international engagement to consolidate power rather than liberalize. Isaiasās government has survived decades of isolation not by reforming, but by militarizing society, enforcing indefinite national service that resembles modern slavery, and suppressing all forms of dissent, independent media, and civil society. Removing sanctions without verifiable commitmentsāsuch as demobilizing conscripts, releasing political prisoners, or allowing basic political and religious freedomsāwould only strengthen the regimeās control over key economic assets and diaspora revenues, further insulating it from internal pressure for change.
Moreover, the humanitarian toll on ordinary Eritreans would be disastrous. Decades of isolation and mismanagement have already produced one of the worldās highest youth emigration rates, widespread poverty, and a hollowed-out economy. Sanctions relief funneled through an unreformed regime will likely benefit military elites and loyalist networks rather than generate broad-based development or job creation. Citizens will continue facing repression, surveillance, and the daily reality of a nation run like a giant garrison, with no pathway toward prosperity or dignity. True progress requires sustained leverage and accountability, not premature rewards that embolden a dictator who has shown zero interest in genuine betterment for his people.
@USEmbassyAddis@SecRubio@us_policy
Formal Request Letter / Message to Ethiopian Embassy in Paris.
Subject: Urgent Request for Assistance ā Repatriation of Bodies of Ethiopian Nationals Yohannes Amare and Hamrawit Beyene. āØ@EthioEmb_Paris
Dear Honourable Ambassador, Mahlet Hailu @HailuMahlet and Embassy Staff,
I am writing to you with deep sorrow and urgency regarding the tragic death of two Ethiopian nationals, our brother Yohannes Amare and our sister Hamrawit Beyene.
According to information received, both passed away while attempting to cross into France. Their bodies are currently in the custody of the French police. The authorities are requesting approximately £14,000 (fourteen thousand British pounds) for the transportation of the bodies back to Ethiopia.
As family and fellow Ethiopians, we are devastated by this loss and desperately wish to bring their remains home so they can receive a proper and dignified burial in their homeland, in accordance with our culture and religious traditions.
We kindly and urgently request the Ethiopian Embassy in Paris to:
1. Take immediate steps to liaise with the French authorities regarding the bodies of Yohannes Amare and Hamrawit Beyene.
2. Facilitate and coordinate the repatriation process to Ethiopia.
3. Provide any possible consular assistance, support, or guidance to the grieving family to reduce or cover the high transportation costs where possible.
4. Ensure that the dignity and rights of our deceased citizens are fully respected.
We are ready to provide any additional information, documents, or family contacts required to expedite this matter. Please let us know what is needed from our side.
We would be immensely grateful for your compassionate intervention in this painful situation. The family is waiting anxiously to lay their loved ones to rest in Ethiopia.
Thank you for your attention and kind support.
With deepest respect and appreciation,
@martinplaut That is dangerous, misguided thinking. Harming innocent, hardworking people will never bring meaningful change to anyoneās life. The government must take immediate action to stop this. šæš¦ Xenophobia
Dictator Issaias offers nothing of strategic value to the United States or the @WhiteHouse. His militarized, tightly controlled regime has driven a sustained exodus of citizens, fleeing systemic repression and indefinite conscription.#EBRF
https://t.co/4ej5JGwcNU
Voices from Eritrean communities and human rights advocates around the world continue to call for justice, transparency, and reform. Their concerns are supported by years of documentation from respected international bodies. These voices should be heard, not sidelined.
@UN@amnesty@hrw@freedomhouse
#StandWithEritreans #Eritrea #HumanRights #KeepSanctions
āBoulos is right that Eritrea is a strategic state, but a better way forward would be to apply the Venezuela model to Eritrea and bring Isaias to justice; a long list of countries would like to try him.ā An interesting article. Not a view I agree with
https://t.co/qHaHMPScYS
@MehariMeng53005 The Eritrean dictatorship operates on zero trust: it distrusts its citizens, its institutions, and all external actors. Such a system can not produce a credible or stable partner #EBRF
@mrubin1971 Inside the country, the DIA trusts no one: not its citizens, not its institutions, not even its own officials. Power is centralized to an extreme degree, dissent is criminalized, and governance operates without a constitution, independent judiciary, or rule of law.#EBRF is viable
Eritrea is a prison state with extreme repression, no constitution, no elections, no parliament, everyone is denied basic human rights, only one person has ruled for over 35 years.
šIn this case, Isaias Afwerki's history shows a consistent regional crisis, conflicts and internationally criticized actions.
Eritrea's role in the #Eritrean-#Ethiopian war, its tensions with neighbors like #Djibouti and #Sudan, should not require negotiations with the Eritrean regime because the country has nothing to offer except dramatically creating conflict multipliers in the region.
šIseyas tyranny is an illegitimate authoritarian empire, #the world's special #USA, must not give a survival advantage.
šThe solution for future stability in the Horn of Africa is that the #USA should invest in youth #BlueRevolution #EBRF vision for regime change for long-term regional stability in the Horn of Africa and security in the Red Sea Corridor.
#BlueRevolution #EBRF #RegimeChangeInEritrea @StateDept@washingtonpost@POTUS@_hudsonc@afric_insde@SenateForeign@SenateGOP@AJEnglish@BradSherman@KjetilTronvoll@CmaDawit@BereketKahsai1@ElizabethTecle@EGerasouli35992@TiborPNagyJr@ErmiLiberty@EriSamrawit@SelemawitKidane@BBCWorld
Rewarding #Eritrean regime that destabilizes the Horn of Africa weakens U.S. credibility & empowers repression. This isnāt peace itās surrendering leverage. We urge @StateDept to review this decision #IsayasmustGo for betterment of east Africa & regional stability. #NomorePFDJTerror #BlueRevolution #EBRF
Eritrea remains under the long-standing rule of Isaias Afwerki, marked by repression, regional tensions, and lack of democratic institutions. Supporting such a regime risks undermining stability and credibilityāreal progress in the Horn of Africa depends on accountability and empowering its people, not sustaining authoritarian rule.
#BlueRevolution #RegimeChangeInEritrea #EBRF @StateDept@POTUS