Isaias Afwerki

Isaias Afwerki (sometimes spelled Afewerki;Tigrinya: ኢሳይያስ ኣፈወርቂ^?[isajas afwɐrkʼi]) (born February 2, 1946), is the first President of the State of Eritrea, a position he has held since its independence in 1993. He led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) to victory in May 1991, thus ending the 30-year-old armed liberation struggle that the Eritrean people refer to as "Gedli". The EPLF adopted a new political party name, People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) to reflect its new responsibilities. The PFDJ, with Isaias as its leader, remains the only governing party of Eritrea today.

Personal life and education

Isaias Afewerki was born in 1946 in Asmara, Eritrea, to parents Afwerki Abraha and Adanesh Berhe. Isaias grew up in Asmara and graduated from Prince Makonnen High School in 1965. Scoring good grades in the General School Leaving Certificate Exams enabled him to secure admittance to the highly competitive College of Engineering at Haile Selassie I University (now called Addis Ababa University) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, a year later he interrupted his studies to join the Eritrean liberation struggle.