Isaias Afewerki (b. in Asmara

Asmara

Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...

, on February 2, 1946) is the first and current President of Eritrea, attaining that status when he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front

Eritrean People's Liberation Front

The Eritrean People's Liberation Front was an armed organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1970 as an intellectual left-wing group that split from the Eritrean Liberation Front .-Background:...

 to victory in May 1991, thus ending the 30-year old armed liberation struggle

Eritrean War of Independence

The Eritrean War of Independence was a conflict fought between the Ethiopian government and Eritrean separatists, both before and during the Ethiopian Civil War. The war started when Eritrea’s autonomy within Ethiopia, where troops were already stationed, was unilaterally revoked...

 that the Eritrean people refer to as "Gedli".
Afewerki joined the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) in 1966, and the following year he was sent to China to receive more advanced military training.