Independence Day is not an ordinary date on the calendar.

May 24 is the expression of the tireless spirit of struggle of the Eritrean people, led by the People’s Front, who shattered the worldview of impossibility.

The struggle of the Eritrean people for independence is a record of victory written in blood.
But Eritrea’s independence was not a free gift. It is a light bought at a great price. More than 65,000 martyrs burned their lives like candles to dispel the darkness of colonialism.

The people of Eritrea devoted all their strength to their fighters and revolutionaries.

1. There are characteristics that set Eritrea’s independence apart from other countries.
   African countries gained their independence through political agreements. But Eritrea defeated the colonial army through revolutionary struggle and gained independence through the sacrifice of its children.
   
2. It proved the self-confidence of the Eritrean people.
   The fact that Eritrea’s independence was achieved without external assistance is a testament to the self-confidence, courage, and perseverance of Eritreans.
   
3. It is the fruit of the unity and harmony of the Eritrean people.
   The Eritrean revolution is the result of common sacrifice and the ability to unite the nine ethnic groups of Eritrea, irrespective of religion and race, in one common national struggle.
   
4. Eritrea’s independence was secured by force of arms and by ballot.
   The Eritrean people gained independence by force of arms in 1991 and showed the world their full will by voting yes to independence in the 1993 referendum with 99.8 percent of the vote.
   
5. Eritrea’s independence is not nominal.
   A free political line is its hallmark. The independence of Eritrea is not merely a flag raised in public squares, but an honor and pride that lives in every Eritrean.

Eritrea sees independence not as the end goal, but as the starting point of the long journey of nation-building and dignity. While freedom is decolonization, sovereignty means having full control over your wealth, land, and political decisions.

Since the raising of its flag, Eritrea has been fighting and winning to turn independence into actual sovereignty. The greatest legacy of Eritrea is not material, but spiritual.

Public interest above personal interest, dedication without surrender in times of hardship and pressure, and marching forward with endurance are among our most precious legacies.

The celebration of Independence Day is a national mystery of profound significance to the people of Eritrea. This holiday brings together the struggle of yesterday, the perseverance of today, and the hope of tomorrow.
Eritrea is an African example of politically overcoming contempt and refusing to follow the imposed path of African countries simply because it is African. Eritrea is African, but because she responded independently, pressure was turned into punishment.

In the modern world, free thinking is both precious and dangerous. The price Eritrea has paid so far is the price of its independence. A free line shocks the powerful more than anything else.

Eritrea is a sovereign country that has liberated not only its land, sea, and air, but also its mind.

That is the true definition of sovereignty. Eritrea is an African country that has established both territorial and intellectual sovereignty.

Powerful countries are more threatened by free thinking than by missiles. Their power relies on the fear of smaller nations. Dependency is one of the tools powerful countries use to control the world.
Eritrea bows to no force, inwardly or outwardly, and no power has been able to control it. Courage is Eritrea’s greatest weapon, one that cannot be controlled by satellites or detected by radar.

Eritrea does not attract the world’s attention only because of its strategic location, but because of its strategic and independent thinking.

Over the past 35 years, Eritrea has survived attempts to reverse or make its independence meaningless. Eritrea’s struggle to defend not only its independence but also its existence as a sovereign state is unparalleled.

As a young nation, it faced military pressure from various directions.

In the early 1990s, Eritrea decisively resisted terrorist attempts from Sudan aimed at destabilizing the country.
Yemen’s attempt to seize Eritrea’s strategic maritime borders was defeated through military heroism, and their arguments were made to fail.
Between 1998 and 2000, heavily foreign-funded Ethiopian invasions sought to enter Asmara. Through the perseverance of the Eritrean people and army, Eritrea blocked all three invasions.

When Eritrea refused to be subdued by military force, various structures were established to isolate it regionally and internationally.

The Sanaa Forum, formed in 2002 under the alliance of Ethiopia, Sudan, and Yemen, sought to encircle Eritrea diplomatically. The Bahir Dar–based Tana Forum, launched in 2012, attempted to portray Eritrea as a problem in the Horn of Africa.

Unfair sanctions aimed at weakening Eritrea’s defense capabilities and hindering investment remained for years. Eritrea, however, broke the siege through fact-based diplomacy and today stands as a decisive regional actor.

Eritrea was neither invaded nor robbed for three reasons:

1. Because it possesses a strong and experienced defense force.
2. Because it follows a free political line that does not yield to pressure.
3. Because the strong bond between the people and leadership prevented external conspiracies from succeeding.

Today, Eritrea has crossed the pit dug to destroy it and stands tall as a symbol of perseverance. The proverb “the hole is for the digger” has become reality in Eritrean history.

The conspirators were buried in the pits they dug. Eritrea turned the trenches intended for its destruction into defensive fortresses. Those who claimed Eritrea would disappear are absent from history today.

But Eritrea celebrates its Independence Day every year and looks to the future with hope.

History teaches one truth: Eritrea and truth always win together.

After all these lessons, it is strange to hear those still lying in hospital beds breathing relief oxygen claim, “We lost the sea, prepare us.”
The truth is not a port or a sea, but a healthy dream. Keep dreaming, because dreams cost nothing. As for the land and sea of Eritrea, they belong only to the heroes who bought them with their blood.
The consequence of arrogance is that Eritrea has become a graveyard for greed, and history will repeat itself if necessary.

The history of the Horn of Africa has always been a graveyard for arrogant regimes. Any attempt to repeat that history will lead to the same graveyard of failure. The final result, as always, will be victory for the masses.

We also have words for our struggle friends. Eritrea will never forget its friends and those who stood with it. As Eritrea rises as an invincible country, know that you are part of this victory.
Our friendship, built on common values, will endure forever.

The Eritrean people paid a heavy price because of sanctions imposed by the United States and the United Nations. But those sanctions never brought the Eritrean people to their knees. They did not seek temporary solutions. They clenched their teeth and chose the difficult but correct path.

The leadership of the Eritrean government, reflecting the spirit of the Eritrean people, demonstrated perseverance and endurance under every kind of pressure.

There have been many kinds of leaders in the world. Some do not know the truth, some know it and abuse it, and some know it and hold firmly to it.
For example, dictator Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam, in my opinion, was a leader who did not know the truth. He tried to do what he believed was right, but his problem was that he did not know the correct path. That is why he fled his country and his people.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, on the other hand, is a deceiver who knows the danger of the path he has chosen for Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, yet continues upon it.

But President Isaias Afwerki repeatedly proved that he knows the truth and chooses the right path.

What I announce today is the result of far-sighted leadership.

Today, alongside our independence, we celebrate victory over sanctions. The United States has lifted sanctions against Eritrea.

This is an important step for Eritrea, the United States, the Horn of Africa, and the wider world. The harmful consequences of sanctions have long been condemned by many leaders, organizations, and influential voices.

The lifting of sanctions proves a larger truth: if you hold firmly to truth and principles, and are willing to pay the proper price, victory will eventually come.

The Eritrean people proved through action that they choose the long and bitter but righteous road rather than shortcuts.

At the dawn of independence, the President declared:

“We are raising our flag on the unbroken staff of truth.”

Once again, our flag shines upon that same unbroken staff of truth.

So today, as we celebrate our independence and the lifting of sanctions, we celebrate victory itself.

The United States’ decision to lift sanctions carries a message far beyond diplomacy. It marks a moment where Eritrea struggled, fought, and prevailed.
In 2021, sanctions were imposed on Eritrea to isolate it internationally and create obstacles in finance and development. The objective was clear: pressure the Eritrean people and government.

Despite the economic and social hardships caused by these sanctions, Eritrea never bowed.

If Eritrea had surrendered under pressure, then freedom would have been only symbolic and sovereignty would never have been guaranteed.

The lifting of sanctions reflects Eritrea’s inner strength. The world now clearly sees that Eritrea’s strength is built upon patience, discipline, unity, and a far-sighted commitment to sovereignty.

Who besides the people and government of Eritrea could withstand such pressure without losing direction?

Patience means enduring waves of opposition without abandoning principles. It means seeking justice without surrendering sovereignty. Patience is true power. It is strength born from endurance, not violence.

Had Eritreans not fought together, freedom would never have arrived, sovereignty would never have been respected, and repeated sanctions would never have been lifted.

For Africa and the world, this is a powerful message:

That sovereignty under pressure must not be compromised.
That perseverance overcomes isolation.
That patience is the greatest weapon.

External pressure could delay Eritrea’s journey, but it could never erase its sovereignty.

Eritrea won this battle over sanctions. Those sanctions were designed to weaken and subdue Eritrea, but instead they revealed the resilience of its people.

The lifting of sanctions is not a gift from the United States to Eritrea. It is recognition of perseverance and triumph.
This victory belongs to every Eritrean family that sacrificed, and every hero who never surrendered.

The future is now clearer. With sanctions lifted, the nation-building process will accelerate further. Eritrea’s role in ensuring peace in the Red Sea region and the Horn of Africa will grow stronger.

It sends a powerful message to the world:

A united and purposeful people possess immense power.
Today, Eritreans are not only celebrating the lifting of sanctions.
We are celebrating the victory of Eritrean determination.
We celebrate the patience of our people, the strength of our government, and the unity of our nation.

Eritrea has won.
This is history.

Its sovereignty is sacred.
Its endurance is its strength.
And its freedom is eternal.

Victory to the masses.
Eternal remembrance and honor to the martyrs of Eritrea.

Western diplomats continue to speak of “partnership” and “regional stability,” but Ethiopia under Abiy is sinking deeper into political crisis, economic decline, and internal fragmentation. Millions of Ethiopians face inflation, insecurity, armed conflict, and state repression. International monitors have documented mass arrests, extrajudicial killings, restrictions on press freedom, drone strikes on civilians, and widespread abuses carried out under state authority.

Instead of resolving Ethiopia’s internal crises, the regime has turned outward deploying nationalist rhetoric and external tensions as political distraction.

Nothing illustrates this more clearly than the dangerous discourse surrounding the Red Sea.  

In speeches delivered in Amharic, Abiy Ahmed and senior military officials have repeatedly declared that Ethiopia will secure “sovereign access” to the sea “peacefully if possible, militarily if necessary.” State narratives increasingly portray Eritrea’s coastline, and those of neighboring states, as negotiable assets justified by Ethiopia’s alleged “historical rights” or “strategic necessity.”

This is not diplomacy. It is war provocation.

The facts remain clear: no country in the region has denied Ethiopia commercial access to ports. Eritrea has never opposed economic cooperation, trade agreements, or regional connectivity based on mutual consent and sovereign equality. What Eritrea rejects is the arrogant assumption that a larger state can pressure smaller neighbors into compromising their sovereignty.

Eritrea paid an enormous price for independence. Tens of thousands of Eritreans died during the long struggle against occupation and foreign domination. That sacrifice is not symbolic it is foundational to Eritrean national identity. For this reason, Eritrea will never accept renewed fantasies from politicians in Addis Ababa who speak as though Eritrean territory or coastline can be treated as bargaining chips.

Excerpt 

The real crisis facing Ethiopia is not access to the sea.
The real crisis lies within Ethiopia itself: ethnic tensions, armed insurgencies, economic collapse, political fragmentation, and declining public trust. Nationalist mobilization has become a substitute for genuine political solutions.

The Horn of Africa is already one of the world’s most fragile regions. Sudan is collapsing under civil war, foreign powers compete for influence along the Red Sea, and millions suffer displacement, famine, and insecurity. In such an environment, openly discussing militarily enforced access to the sea is not only irresponsible it is profoundly destabilizing.

Eritrea, by contrast, has consistently upheld a clear position: respect for sovereignty, non‑interference, regional cooperation based on equality, and rejection of hegemonic politics. This is precisely why Addis Ababa’s rhetoric is generating growing concern across the region. Increasingly, regional actors recognize that the issue is not economics or trade access it is power projection, political pressure, and the normalization of expansionist thinking.

Diplomatic theater must no longer obscure reality. A government cannot speak of peace abroad while normalizing military threats at home. It cannot present itself as a force for stability while promoting rhetoric that risks igniting confrontation.

The Nobel Peace Prize once symbolized hope. Today, it stands as a painful irony.  

The defining legacy of Abiy Ahmed’s era is no longer reconciliation or reform. It is polarization. Militarization. Internal collapse. Regional tension. And the growing fear that Ethiopia’s leadership is steering the Horn of Africa toward unnecessary confrontation.

Eritrea has every right to defend its sovereignty, its coastline, and its national dignity against intimidation or territorial ambition. The Horn of Africa cannot afford another reckless gamble with peace.  

The choice before Ethiopia’s leadership is stark: resolve internal crises through genuine reform, or continue down a path of militarized distraction that threatens not only Eritrea’s sovereignty but the stability of the entire region.