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ANFET-Editorial-September 3, 2025
ANFET Media Network was founded to serve as an independent, non-partisan platform for Eritreans everywhere — a space where diverse voices can be heard, respected, and connected without political gatekeeping. The idea emerged on December 5, 2021, when the Eritrean Unity for Democratic Change (EUDC) convened independent Eritrean communicators, journalists, and civic-minded activists to examine how the war in Tigray had fractured opposition media cooperation and deepened political fragmentation.
In the months leading up to that meeting, the media landscape had shifted dramatically.
Several outlets with explicit political alignments withdrew from the civic and political commons, narrowing their coverage to partisan agendas.
Some went further — founding their own political organizations or openly campaigning for existing ones.
Civic organizations, in turn, often received preferential access to interviews and airtime, while independent voices were sidelined.
A number of independent activists publicly urged emerging media and youth movements to distance themselves from political organizations altogether.
From these realities came a shared conclusion: Eritrea’s public sphere needed an autonomous media network — one free from party control or bias, open to all shades of opinion across the political spectrum and committed to rebuilding trust through principled journalism. In our early steps, we began as a private WhatsApp group of 120 contributors — reporters, editors, and translators — exchanging news, analysis, and editorials in Tigrinya, Arabic, English. Our aim was to bridge divides, foster a deeper understanding of differences, and identify areas of shared interest that could serve the broader public good.
Addressing Misunderstandings
Because some founding members were also EUDC affiliates — and after one video circulated claiming property ownership — a few assumed ANFET was the EUDC’s official media arm. This is not the case. ANFET was established as a fully independent entity with plans for its own editorial board, independent funding sources, and a draft of governance charter preventing any single organization from dictating content Meanwhile, EUDC’s official site, Zemen.org, endured repeated cyberattacks and was kept online for a time thanks to the late Tesfaldet Meharena of Asmarino.com, before being wiped out entirely. The timing of these events created further confusion. To be clear: Zemen.org is being rebuilt as EUDC’s official portal, while ANFET will continue on its independent path — advocating for human rights, civic liberties, and inclusive dialogue for all Eritreans.
Our Ongoing Commitments: ANFET Media Network stands for:
Editorial independence — no party oversight, no single-source funding
Plurality of voices — reflecting Eritrea’s political, cultural, and linguistic diversity
Rigorous fact-checking and transparent sourcing
Championing free expression, human rights, and democratic dialogue
An Invitation to Participate
We are inviting independent Eritrean journalists, communicators, and civic actors to join us in forming a representative editorial board that will guide ANFET’s future. We also call on the wider public to subscribe, share, and engage so that ANFET can reach a broad audience and remain a truly public-minded platform. By staying true to our founding principles, ANFET will remain open, impartial, and inclusive — a place where every Eritrean can speak, listen, and connect.
Thank you for standing up with us
ANFET Provisional Director
