The wife and two children of Mr. Mesfin Hagos, a prominent figure in the exiled Eritrean opposition, have managed to cross the Eritrean border into neighboring Sudan and, subsequently, to Ethiopia.

Mesfin, a veteran of the Eritrean armed struggle and co-founder of the Eritrean Democratic Party, has not seen his family since September 2001 when his diplomatic passport (and that of two of his colleagues, Mr. Adhanom Gebremariam and Mr. Haile Menkoirous), was revoked while he was abroad for medical treatment.

All three were part of the PFDJ Reform movement commonly known as Group of 15 (G-15), a collective name for 15 parliamentarians and government officials who wrote an open letter to President Isaias Afwerki demanding immediate implementation of the constitution.  Eleven of the members of the G-15 have been held in prison, without charges, since September 18, 2001 and there have been credible reports that some have died in prison.

Shortly after arriving in Sudan, Mesfin’s family detoured to Ethiopia.  According to our sources, Sudan’s security forces are so compromised by the Eritrean regime there were legitimate fears that Sudan was not a safe place for high-profile sought-after exiles. 

A friend of Mesfin said, “it is sad that I have to call Mesfin for the escape of his family from Eritrea, when I should be congratulating him for his safe return to Eritrea.  But I am happy that he will have a chance to be reunited with his family.” 

It is not clear how the escape was facilitiated, but it is common knowledge that corrupt officers within the Eritrean armed forces have set up a network for smuggling people out of Eritrea in exchange for hefty fees. They are having a flourishing business in a country where more than five hundred people leave every week to both Sudan and Ethiopia.

Mesfin, who recently resigned his chairmanship of the Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) currently resides in Germany. Along with Mr. Woldeyesus Ammar, Mesfin is the co-chairman of the Joint Coordination Committee which was tasked by the Eritrean People’s Party (EPP), the organization that Woldeyesus chairs, and the EDP to facilitate the merger of the two opposition organizations.

Mesfin Hagos, who fought for the liberation of Eritrea for 25 years (1967-1991) and built a reputation as a very capable military strategist, was named Eritrea’s first defense minister after Eritrea’s independence.  By 1994, he had developed irreconcilable differences with President Isaias Afwerki on the organization of the armed forces and had requested a civilian service and was named the governor of what is now known as the “Southern Zone.”