East Africa

Eritrea

Capital: Asmara
Head of state: Isaias Afwerki
U.S. chargé d’affaires: Christine E. Meyer

Leaders · U.S. mission · Reported with

Leaders

Head of stateIsaias AfwerkiPresident of EritreaSince May 21, 1993 · 33 years, 4 months

U.S. mission

U.S. chargé d’affairesChristine E. MeyerU.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Eritrea

Official U.S. mission website

Eritrea in Washington

Ambassador to the U.S.Berhane Gebrehiwet SolomonChargé d’Affaires a.i. of Eritrea in the United StatesSince March 15, 2011 · 15 years, 6 months

Reporting on Eritrea

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Exterior of the State Department headquarters in Washington — The State Department's Harry S. Truman Building in Washington, photographed in spring 2024. (File photo)U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

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U.S.–Africa

U.S. Trafficking Report: Ghana Is Africa’s Only Tier 1 Country, Djibouti Moves Up and the Republic of Congo Drops to Tier 3

The State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons report, released Oct. 8, keeps Eritrea on the bottom tier, upgrades Djibouti — host of the main U.S. base in Africa — to Tier 2, and places Ethiopia and Kenya on Tier 2. A Tier 3 ranking can cost governments non-humanitarian U.S. aid.

Oct 12

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Diplomacy

Washington Warns Ethiopia and Eritrea as Federal Forces Retake Mekelle, Asmara Cuts Ties and a New Red Sea Bloc Excludes Addis Ababa

The State Department says a conflict between the Horn of Africa neighbors “jeopardizes ongoing U.S. collaboration on shared interests” with both, and envoy Massad Boulos urged them to respect each other’s sovereignty. Within four days, Eritrea severed relations, Ethiopia’s army retook Tigray’s capital, and Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia declared Red Sea governance their exclusive business.

Oct 12

Often reported with

Ethiopia (2)Republic of Congo (1)Djibouti (1)Ghana (1)Kenya (1)Egypt (1)Somalia (1)Sudan (1)

Also in East Africa

Comoros Djibouti Ethiopia Kenya Madagascar Mauritius Rwanda Seychelles Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda

Leaders: UN Protocol list of heads of state and government (19 Sept. 2026), updated for later official appointments. U.S. diplomats: each U.S. embassy’s official website. Photos: licensed (public domain or Creative Commons) with credit.