The opposition's bizarre infatuation with Abraham Isaias

Abraham Isaias attending the funeral of the late Woldemichael Gebremariam. The red arrow is pointing towards Abraham. Click on image to see larger quality.

The opposition's bizarre infatuation with Abraham Isaias

Earlier this week, as Eritreans in the country and in the diaspora were mourning the passing of veteran fighter Woldemichael Gebremariam, Ethiopian-backed Eritrean opposition groups were busy spreading false rumors about Abraham Isaias, the eldest son of President Isaias Afwerki.

The rumors of Abraham began after he was seen on Eri-TV attending the funeral procession of Woldemichael. Normally, attending funerals is a sign of love and respect for the deceased, but among the opposition groups, it can only mean one thing: Abraham is being groomed to succeed his father.

@meronina ur inappropriate comment is a reflection of ur real persona...don't use this occasion as a Trojan horse..as WE all mourning !
— Degen (@menkemD) August 7, 2013

Despite Abraham not being involved in politics, Meron Estefanos, a self-proclaimed human rights activist and a critic of all things Eritrea, attempts to link him as a possible successor all because he appeared at a funeral. Such silly conclusions speaks more about her inability to be rational than it does about Abraham.

Although she styles herself as an Eritrean human rights activist, she can't seem to see the hypocrisy in working with the Ethiopian regime, an ethnic-based oligarchy that is notorious for its human rights abuses. She is also a contributor of Asmarino.com, a website that wants Eritrea's independence reversed and for the country to be annexed/occupied by the Ethiopian regime.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise when Wikileaks released secret emails this week of U.S. intelligence contractors describing Asmarino.com as possibly being "CIA supported" and that most of the Eritrean opposition websites, including the Wahhabi-inspired Awate.com, as being "Ethiopia-friendly".

#US intelligence contractor leaks suggest #Eritrea opposition sites are #CIA backed & #Ethiopia TPLF friendly. http://t.co/VYyAUeL1Ru
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 8, 2013

Who is Abraham?

Abraham was born on December 10, 1985 (27) to Eritrean freedom fighters Isaias Afwerki and Saba Haile. After finishing his national service in Sawa, Abraham attended the Eritrea Institute of Technology in Mai-Nefhi where he studied aeronautical engineering. In early 2012, Abraham married his longtime girlfriend, Sarah*.The young couple have a baby daughter and live in Asmara.

Described as being humble, friendly and down-to-earth by his peers, Abraham is very popular among the youth. Like his father, he can be seen walking around Asmara without any security detail. Due to his popularity, Ethiopian-backed oppositions groups have been spreading disinformation about him as a possible successor, even though Abraham dislikes politics and has never held any political position.

*Rumored to be named Sarah, not confirmed. 

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