Eritrea: 30 years of bitter independence for the diaspora

As a child, in the years following Eritrea’s independence, Filmon Debru looked forward to the month of May and the festivities celebrating the country’s new sovereignty and independence heroes.

Parties, music and dances lasted a month to commemorate the victory over the Ethiopian army in May 1991, then the independence was proclaimed in May 1993 after a referendum supported by the UN.

Perched on the shoulders of parents, the little…