Former Eritrean minister Ali Abdu interviewed with Swedish newspaper

Former Eritrean minister of information Ali Abdu Ahmed

A leading member of the Eritrean government who has not been seen in public since late 2012 has confirmed he has fled the country, a Swedish daily reported Wednesday.

Ali Abdu Ahmed, minister of information, disappeared in November during a business trip to Europe, and was now at an undisclosed location, the newspaper Expressen said, citing an exclusive interview with him.

Since Ali, 47, feared for his security he did not dare to be interviewed over the telephone. One of his brothers, who lives in the United States, served as intermediary.

Ali would not comment on why he defected or his whereabouts, and was "in deep shock" over learning that his father, another brother and 15-year-old daughter had been arrested in Eritrea, shortly after his defection, the newspaper said.

Sweden‘s ties with Eritrea have been strained over the fate of a Swedish-Eritrean journalist who has been held in an Eritrean prison without trial since 2003. Little has been heard from Dawit Issak .
Ali said that only the "president (Isaias Afwerki) and his closest security chief had information about Isaak. Not even the police chief knows."

He said there was "an unwritten law" among government members not to discuss matters "unrelated to your specific brief."

"You carry out orders without asking why," Ahmed said.

Human rights groups and opposition members allege that serious abuses are taking place in the country.

Expressen‘s editor-in-chief Thomas Mattsson called for Isaak‘s release in an open letter. The newspaper is one of several media organizations that have regularly urged Isaak‘s release.

Isaak sought asylum in Sweden in 1987 and became a citizen in 1992. Some eight years later he returned to Eritrea to work for the independent weekly Setit.

This is a short summary of the interview above, with a better translation, by Essential Africa
Eritrea’s missing Minister of Information, Ali Abdu Ahmed has broken his silence about his disappearance, saying he fled the country and is in hiding in a secret location.
In an article published in the Swedish newspaper Expressen, on 30 January, Mr. Abdu confirmed that he had fled the administration of President Isaias Afewerkis. The 47-year-old information minister disappeared during a business trip to Germany in November 2012, and had not been heard from since.
Mr. Abdu was regarded as the president’s close confidant. His disappearance prompted the immediate arrest of his 15-year-old daughter and a brother who  remained in Eritrea. He is unsure of their whereabouts.
In addition, Mr. Abdu addressed concerns about the disappearance of journalist Dawit Isaak and other dissidents in the country. Mr. Isaak’s family, who lives in Sweden, had hoped for news of his location. Mr. Abdu said neither he nor any of the other ministers had that kind of information, as no one dared to ask.
“It is taboo to ask about things that are not related to one’s job. There is an old guerilla culture in the country. It carries out orders without asking why.”
He went on to say that it was routine to round up journalists and others without any kind of court order. He says only the president and his closest security advisers, know where people arrested in this manner are kept. Mr. Abdu also said he was sorry about the arrests.
Mr. Abdu did not answer questions about what prompted his defection from the government nor where he was living. He conducted the interview with the newspaper, via another brother, Saleh Younis, who lives in the United States of America.
“My brother is in shock right now,” Mr. Younis said. “He is sad and feeling disappointed at how an entire generation of Eritrea has been lost.”