In World War II, the Allies found it necessary to align themselves with Stalins Russia in the fight against Hitlers Germany. Hitler was crushed but Stalin went on to cause the death and suffering of millions of Russians in a magnitude, say some scholars, that exceed those of Hitler: over twenty million.
Similarly, now, in the "war against terror," many regimes that fit the terrorist description to the letter, are aligning themselves as "allies against terror." One such government is that of Isaias Afwerki, Eritreas self-declared president.
The Terror State of Isaias Afwerki
In its modern application, "terrorist" describes an individual or a group of individuals who are politically powerless and use indiscriminate violence to achieve political power. Governments who are branded "state sponsors of terror" (like Libya, North Korea, Cuba and others) earned the description for funding and hosting terrorist organization. The third kind of terrorist organizationsillegitimate governments that rule by employing terrorare never identified and are, in fact, considered "allies" against terrorism.
But this was not always the case. Terrorism as a tool of governing was given notoriety by the French Revolution and its Reign of Terror. Until his execution, Robespiere and his "Committee of Public Safety" used terror to govern and in his brief reign, tens of thousands of French citizens were killed, most of them by guillotine. The executions were carried out in the name of protecting France from foreign invaders, "internal enemies" (enemies of the Revolution) and those who were considered "corrupt." These same "European" arguments of the 18th century were pursued by many tyrants in Africa in the 20th century (think of Ethiopia's "Red Terror" of the 1970s), but Eritrea may be the only state employing it in the 21st century.
Eritrea is a state without a constitution, a rule of law, a private press or even a government. Power is totally concentrated in the person of one manIsaias Afwerki, who rules by "proclamations", declarations and fiat. Having managed to isolate the country from all its neighbors and practically seal the borders, he has employed this power to terrorize a defenseless people and convert the nation into a jail. He governs without any legitimacy but by using force and the threat of force. As with all tyrants who preceded him, the number of those who have been victimized by himthose who have been abducted, tortured, exiled or executedwont be known for as long as he controls all of state media, but it is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. They are accused of being "foreign agents", "enemy collaborators", "internal enemies", "Fifth Columnists", "defeatists", "collaborators," "corrupt" and, as with all the tyrants who preceded him, his words alone are sufficient to deny a citizen his liberty or life. There is no due process, no right to self-defense, no day in court, no appeal.
The Tools of The Terrorist State
The totality of the torture state Isaias Afwerki has created wont be known until he is removed from power. However, from the information provided by those who used to be reporters and members of the government, the following has already been established:
Torture: Torture is inflicted on citizens who are suspected of being "too religious" or too independent. This includes "helicopter", a method whereby peoples hands and legs are tied behind their back and are suspended from a tree, for hours. Sleep depravation and strenuous physical labor are also employed to "break" people. Mental torture includes maintaining an "indefinite suspense": prisoners are not told why they are in jail and how long they will be in jail.
Rape: The spoils system of Isaias Afwerki allows a handful of lieutenants and generals to be accountable to no one except himself. In exchange for ensuring his safety, these military commanders have been granted carte blanche to administer their "zone" in a manner they see fit. In this environment of unaccountability, many young girls were forced to be concubines and, if they resist, to be raped.
Executions: An unknown number of people have reportedly been executed by firing squads.
Solitary Confinement: "Troublemakers" are kept in solitary confinement in 5 x 6 ft cells, many of them underground. They are denied visitation rights by their families: they are not allowed to read or listen to the radio. Some are held in metal "sea containers", window-less boxes designed for transporting cargo, in extremely hot environment. Many have died from dehydration.
Religious Ban: Citizens who are found practicing "non-traditional" religions (Jehovahs Witnesses, Seven Day Adventists, Evangelical, etc) are arrested, their religious books confiscated and given indoctrination classes on how to be "traditional" Christians. Muslims who are suspected of being "fundamentalists" are accused of being "Jihadists" and made to disappear.
The fight against terrorism is not just a military engagement; a key component in the fight is the fight to win the hearts and mind of people. The hearts and minds of people can always be won when the goal is freedom and civil liberty. These are values with universal appeal. In Eritrea, and, indeed, the Horn of Africa, this fight to win the hearts and mind of the people cannot win if Isaias Afwerki and the terror he represents is considered an ally. Simply put, he is a force against freedom and civil liberty and he pursues his goals with the same zeal and the same tool as those used by terrorists. It is long past due for the United States to add another category to the enemies of freedom: it is not just the terrorist organizations and the states who sponsor and export terror. It also includes governments, like that of Isaias Afwerki, who govern by using sheer terror.
