News Release: Horn of Africa Policy Center
New Report Exposes Eritrea’s “Absolute Power” Regime and Role in Regional Atrocities
Date: November 13, 2025
Source Report: Eritrea Country Report, Genocide Watch (November 2025) Author: Grace Harris
ADDIS ABABA/ASMARA — A damning new report released in November 2025 by Genocide Watch has classified Eritrea as a state currently exhibiting signs of Discrimination (Stage 3), Organization (Stage 5), and Polarization (Stage 6) of genocide. The report details a grim picture of a nation suffering under the “absolute power” of President Isaias Afwerki, whose regime is accused of severe domestic repression and continuing crimes against humanity in neighboring Ethiopia.
Decades of Domestic Suffocation
The report highlights that President Afwerki, who has ruled for 30 years, continues to refuse to implement the 1997 constitution or hold elections. Under this administration, media suppression is absolute, preventing information from leaving the country.
Political Eradication: Dissidents, journalists, and political opponents are subjected to arbitrary detention lasting years or decades. Notably, the “G-15” group of politicians and journalists who criticized Afwerki have disappeared without a trace.
Persecution of Minorities: The regime strictly recognizes only four religious groups; followers of other faiths face detention and denial of liberty.
The Afar Crisis: The Indigenous Afar people are identified as one of the most disenfranchised groups. Government policies have forcefully removed them from their lands and banned their traditional fishing livelihoods, forcing 57,000 Afar to flee to Ethiopia as refugees.
Systemic Slavery: The report cites forced labor and indefinite military conscription as “significant issues” plaguing the Eritrean population.
Destabilizing the Horn of Africa
Beyond its borders, Eritrea constitutes a major threat to regional peace. The report confirms Eritrea’s heavy involvement in the Tigrayan genocide, a conflict that has resulted in an estimated 600,000 deaths.
Despite the 2022 peace agreement between Ethiopia and the TPLF, Eritrea refuses to be a party to the deal. Genocide Watch reports that Eritrean troops remain in Tigray, where they continue to commit “crimes against humanity,” including civilian massacres and systemic sexual violence.
Urgent Recommendations
Genocide Watch calls for the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Tigray and suggests that the United States or a UN Member State bring a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to try Eritrea for genocide and human rights abuses.