The State of Eritrea’s Wome n’s Association Revisited: An Analysis of its Past and Pres ent Roles, and Future Challenges Tirhas T. Habtu

This research analyzes the role of the National Union

of Eritrean Women (NUEW) in pre and post-independent Eritrea by

focusing on national and international discourses on Eritrean women (ex)fighters. The NUEW was established in 1979 under the auspices of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF), then fighting

for Eritrea’s liberation. Until Eritrea’s de facto independence in 1991 it was regarded as one of the most effective women’s movements in the African continent. In the aftermath of Eritrea’s independence, however, national and international narratives on the emancipation of Eritrean women—particularly

women (ex)fighters and their post-independence status—took divergent paths. This research, then, examines the contentious contemporary discourses on Eritrean women by revisiting the formation, strategies and objectives of the NUEW. Moreover, it scrutinizes the methodology and the data used to bring about

the current image of Eritrean women in the international arena.  READMORE