Page "Isaias Afewerki" Paragraph 1

Having ruled for 18 years, Eritrea's first and only President has been described by critics as a dictator, and the neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Djibouti have accused Afewerki of " exporting chaos " by funding armed insurgent groups within their countries.

Human Rights Watch has noted that arbitrary arrests, torture, and forced labor are rampant in the country, and that the Eritrean government refuses to implement a constitution approved in 1997 containing civil and human rights provisions.

According to a WikiLeaks diplomatic cable in which the U. S. ambassador there described Afewerki as " unhinged ," " cruel and defiant ," Aferwerki announced in May 2008 that elections would be postponed for " three or four decades " or longer because they " polarize society.