Freedom at Any Cost: Escaping Tyranny and Finding a Life in the United States will recount how I fled Eritrea and became an advocate for refugees, upholding human rights and democracy. The book will also provide a perspective on Eritrea, the refugee crisis, and how readers can help.

I grew up during Eritrea’s guerrilla war. My parents were part of the struggle. My father was a rebel soldier, and my mother was Adetat - those who prepared meals for the soldiers, cut and prepare trees for trenches. We couldn’t cook during the day, because Ethiopian jets would spot smoke from homes hidden under huge trees and underground. 

After thirty years of war costing thousands of lives, Eritrea won independence in 1991. Our family moved to Keren, the second largest city, where I met my father for the first time. He later died in the fighting. 

After a border war with Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000, the government destroyed democracy by shutting down the media, and imprisoning journalists and government ministers. 

Men had to do six months of military training and finish twelfth grade at the military camp. I finished training and was half way through twelfth grade. We were punished even at school. I realized that the government did not want educated, productive citizens. 

By 2005, life in the camp was unendurable. With five others I left for the Sudan, running and jogging eighty miles all night to avoid being caught or victims of the shoot-to-kill policy. I never knew what lay ahead of me, but we reached the Sudan the next day. The government caught friends who left after me.

I was among the best students in every grade. My uncle had received the highest grades at Asmara, the only university, and my dream was to enroll there. But the government closed it and destroyed the educational system. I loved learning so much I would do anything to educate myself. My uncle suggested I join him in South Africa to go to school. With the help of “businessmen,” I went there and stayed eight years. 

After receiving my B.S., I started advocating for human rights and democracy in Eritrea, and better treatment of refugees in South Africa where many refugees suffered horrible deaths. My work brought me to speak in the United States among former President Bill Clinton and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annam. 

After the event, I decided apply for asylum. I had to leave a job and school at which I was doing well. While applying, I was not allowed to work or study–-the most difficult period of my transition. I spent this time helping refugees and speaking about conditions at home and the plight of refugees at the United Nations, international events, and universities. 

I also helped save my siblings’ lives by helping them reach a safe country and sending remittances to my family. Eritreans everywhere do it. The lucky ones reach safety, but many fall into the hands of smugglers. I lost close friends, some trying to cross the country or the Sahara desert, others tortured to death by traffickers in the Sinai Peninsula for ransom, or drowned in the Mediterranean. Most of my classmates and friends settled around the world. 

Activism and conditions in Eritrea have had a tremendous impact on my life. The trauma that comes with listening and watching the harrowing events, coupled with the daily pressure of helping my siblings escape has been hard. I also have to integrate and develop myself, and build a future. 

In 2016, the US election and Brexit built a negative image of refugees. I worked to help change that and provide a positive perspective about refugees with blog posts and speaking at local and international events. When I received my M.A. in International Studies from the University of San Francisco in 2017, I gave a commencement speech about the misperceptions of refugees. 

I continue to help the Eritrean and refugee communities and to restore the dignity of those fleeing the almost inhuman conditions for a better life.