Following the independence of Eritrea in May 1991, indigenous Afar started to face unprecedented persecution by the
totalitarian one-party government of the
People’s Front for Democracy and Justice led by
Isaias Afwerki. This combined with dissatisfaction over the ruling
PFDJ government led to a rebellion by the Red Sea Afar in southern Eritrea in 1999. The group used guerrilla war tactics and launched attacks in Eritrea. Though they posed great problems for the Eritrean government and army, it was also faced internal political conflicts. After several years of dormancy, in July 2025 the RSADO renewed its armed struggle, holding a public conference in
Semera in which it reaffirmed its commitment to armed conflict against the Eritrean government and accused Eritrea of oppression against the coastal
Afar people. In October, after 3 months of training, the RSADO announced the graduation of a new unit of soldiers, with the commander
Ibrahim Harun praising the unit. At the end of the announcement, the RSADO expressed “sincere gratitude” towards the
Afar Region government and the Ethiopian people for their supposed support for the organisation. ==References==