Seven Eritrean Players Vanish During AFCON Qualifiers Journey, Casting Doubt on Team's Participation

Seven of the 10 Eritrean players who traveled to South Africa after their 4-1 win over Eswatini on March 31 have gone missing, casting doubt on the nation's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. The players vanished during a journey that took them from Eswatini to Egypt before returning home, according to a Confederation of African Football (CAF) official. "This incident is a mystery," he told AFP. "Eritrea beat Eswatini on March 31 in Lobamba, and no one seems certain what happened thereafter. We believe all the players left Eswatini for South Africa. But when the traveling party landed in Cairo, seven players were missing."

The disappearance has thrown Eritrea's AFCON qualification into disarray. The team had secured a 4-1 aggregate win over Eswatini, qualifying them for the group-stage qualifiers of the 2027 tournament. Of the 24-player squad that participated in the match, only 10 were locally based, and just three returned to Eritrea. The seven missing players reportedly include goalkeepers Kibrom Solomon and Awet Maharena, defenders Wedeb Fessehaye, Yosief Tsegay, and Nahom Awet, as well as veteran midfielder Medhane Redie and striker Amanuel Benhur. Those who returned were captain Ablelom Teklezghi, midfielder Nahom Tadese, and striker Romel Abdu.

Eritrea's recently appointed coach, Hesham Yakan—a former Egypt World Cup defender—selected 24 players for the qualifier, including 14 based abroad in countries like Australia, Egypt, England, and Sweden. Ali Suleiman, a forward from Egyptian club Ismailia Electricity Club, scored three goals during the two-leg tie, helping Eritrea win 2-0 and 2-1. The first leg was played in Meknes, Morocco, because Eritrea lacks an international-standard stadium. It marked the nation's first AFCON match since 2007, ending a six-year hiatus from international competition.

The missing players are part of a long history of defections by Eritrean footballers during international trips. Players have disappeared after matches in Angola (2007), Kenya (2009), Tanzania (2011), Uganda (2012), Botswana (2015), and Uganda again (2019). The United Nations estimates that about 80 Eritreans involved in football—players, coaches, and officials—have defected over the past two decades. Indefinite military service after completing schooling is cited as the primary reason for these departures.

Eritrea's authoritarian regime, led by President Isaias Afwerki since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has been described by human rights groups as "highly repressive." During a state visit to Kenya in 2020, Afwerki dismissed such allegations as "fantasy." The nation had previously banned international travel for teams after a 2019 incident where members of the under-20 squad fled to Uganda. However, Eritrea recently reversed its stance, allowing participation in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.

A sign of the country's tentative shift from isolation came in February when Paulos Weldehaimanot Andemariam, president of Eritrea's football federation, was elected to lead the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA). This move reflects efforts to reengage with regional football bodies. Yet the disappearance of players highlights ongoing challenges. As Eritrea prepares for the group-stage qualifiers—scheduled between September and November—the missing athletes could jeopardize their campaign. The 42 top-ranked African teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with winners advancing to the 2027 AFCON finals in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

For now, the mystery of the seven missing players remains unsolved. Their absence not only threatens Eritrea's football ambitions but also underscores the complex interplay between politics, military conscription, and sport in a nation long shrouded in secrecy.

The recent wave of player defections from Eritrea has sent shockwaves through international sports circles and raised urgent questions about the country's human rights landscape. For years, Eritrean athletes have been celebrated as symbols of national pride, but the sudden exodus of several high-profile players—many of whom vanished without public explanation—has exposed a growing rift between the regime and its citizens. George Ghebreslassie, an Eritrean exile and founder of the nonprofit "Voice of Eritrean Refugees," described the disappearances as a stark reminder of the country's unrelenting grip on its people. "These athletes weren't just leaving for better opportunities," he told Reuters. "They were fleeing a system that silences dissent, punishes curiosity, and erases identities."

Ghebreslassie's organization, which operates from a small office in Addis Ababa, has tracked the fates of over 20 Eritrean athletes since 2021. Many of those who vanished were members of the national football team, a group that once drew international acclaim for its resilience and skill. Their sudden absence has left fans in limbo, with no official statements from the Eritrean government or sports federation. "We've had to rely on fragmented reports from exiles and smuggled messages," Ghebreslassie said. "The lack of transparency is deliberate. It's a way to keep the world guessing and the population afraid."

The defections have also drawn scrutiny from human rights groups, who see them as part of a broader pattern of repression. Eritrea's mandatory national service, which can last for decades, has long been criticized for its arbitrary enforcement and brutal conditions. Athletes, often seen as privileged or protected, are not immune to the regime's tactics. In 2019, a former Eritrean swimmer, Yemane Ghebremeskel, fled to Norway after being detained for refusing to join the military. His story, shared in a viral TED Talk, revealed how even athletes with international fame could be coerced into silence. "They told me I'd be executed if I left," Ghebremeskel recounted. "But I knew I'd rather die in exile than live as a prisoner in Eritrea."

The latest defections have also strained diplomatic ties. The European Union, which has long pressured Eritrea to reform its policies, has called for an independent investigation into the athletes' disappearances. However, Eritrean officials have dismissed these claims as "Western propaganda." In a rare public statement, a government spokesperson accused foreign entities of "orchestrating a smear campaign to destabilize our nation." Such rhetoric has only deepened the sense of isolation among Eritrean exiles, who argue that the regime's refusal to engage with the international community is a losing strategy.

For Ghebreslassie and his team, the disappearances are both a tragedy and a rallying cry. His organization has launched a campaign to document the fates of missing athletes, using social media and encrypted messaging apps to reach exiles abroad. "We're not just fighting for these individuals," he said. "We're fighting for the millions of Eritreans who live under the same shadow of fear." Yet with limited access to information and a government that controls all media outlets, their work remains a Sisyphean task. The athletes' stories, like those of countless others, risk being buried beneath the weight of silence.