Yemane Gebremeskel has announced the death of Alamin Mohammed Said. He is said to have died in Saudi Arabia after suffering many years of poor health.
Alamin was the PFDJ Secretary (of course a nominal role - all real decisions are taken by Isaias Afwerki.)
He was - alongside Isaias - the only former member of EPLF politburo to remain in leadership.
Alamin, was from the village of Hitumlo in the Massawa area. He studied at the Kekiya School, where he was influenced by Osman Saleh Sabbe (according to the Historical Dictionary of Eritrea).
He joined the ELF and received training in Syria, later became a founding member of the EPLF. Alamin travelled extensively in the Arab world in the 1970’s and 1980’s getting support for the Eritrean liberation struggle. In the 1980’s he led the EPLF’s negotiating team with the Derg.
After liberation in 1991 he became minister of Culture and Information. At the Third Congress of the EPLF he was, with Isaias, the only member of the former political bureau to be selected to serve on the new PFDJ’s Executive Council. Later he took over the Party’s secretariat.
A hardline supporter of President Isaias, the first statement condemning the G-15 in 2001 came from Alamin. It is widely believed that it was written by Yemane Gebreab.
He will be best remembered for his latest interview: “Our main priority is saving Ethiopia.”