COVID-19

Former Eritrean diplomat and freedom fighter has died in the UK after contracting coronavirus. The family of Afwerki Abraha confirmed his demise to the BBC. He had been in intensive care in London for a month and did not have any underlying health issues. “Afwerki Abraha was a man who easily made the transition from a fighter to a professional and a loyal person,” his colleague and senior diplomat Haile Menkerios told the BBC. According to the BBC, after Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, Abraha became the first Eritrean diplomat to be posted to Ethiopia. He was a chemist by profession having received training in Russia. From his ambassadorial role, he moved on to London, where he was officially based from 1996 until 2001. Along with his ailing wife Fatina Ahmedin, herself a former fighter, the couple opted to stay in the UK. A relative told the BBC that the deceased was devoted to his wife’s care for 20 years “never leaving her alone.”