Financial Times Interview with Eritrea's Isaias Afewerki

Published 09/18/2009

Financial Times: Well, you say it’s not a problem but there does seem to be some resentment over two things. One is that people receive very low salaries and, two, is that the national service can be indefinite. So, why the…?

Isaias Afewerki: It’s not indefinite. If the United States can deploy troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and those who served one year ago are again obliged to come and serve again, what do you call that?

Financial Times: No, but these people volunteer to join the army in the first place.

Isaias Afewerki: They never volunteered. No one volunteers. They were enticed. They were lured in in a very sophisticated manipulation and they suffer the consequences. I don’t want to talk about that. That’s a very long story. You tell me these are voluntary people. Do you know how people are recruited in the United States? Do you know the mechanism of manipulation that takes place there? Do you know the abuse that they have in recruiting people in the United States? Do you know that?

Financial Times: No.

READ FULL INTERVIEW: FINANCIAL TIMES