By Peter Martell
BBC News
10 March, 2008


Deep inside the tall towers of Eritrea's Ministry of Information, the battle-scarred war veteran leaned towards me across his desk.


His finger pointed towards a heavily-underlined copy of a report I had written the day before.


"Why," he said, spluttering with rage, "do you say we silence critics?"


The former rebel, now a top official in the information ministry, was angry because I refused to name two ex-freedom fighters I had quoted expressing disillusionment at life in Eritrea today.


"You will not work again, until you tell us the names of the people," he added.


Given Eritrea's grim record for jailing its critics, I declined politely to reveal the names. 


I was then made to surrender my work permit.After just over a year reporting from Asmara, it was my last official story from inside Eritrea.


Read the rest here.

BBC News, Asmara
11 September 2007


Western governments once held Eritrea up as a beacon of hope for Africa.


Eritrea is accused of supplying weapons to Somali militant groups


Fiercely self-reliant, the continent's youngest nation was hailed at its independence in 1993 for its determination to rebuild after its devastating 30-year liberation war from arch-foe Ethiopia.

It developed close links with the west.

Asmara swiftly offered support in 2001 to the United States to tackle international terrorism, while Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki was called a "renaissance leader" by then US President Bill Clinton.


Not today.


Relations have soured between Eritrea and Western nations - especially the US - further than ever before, analysts say.


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