Haile Woldense

Haile Woldense or Woldetensae (Tigrinya: ሃይለ ወልደትንሳኤ) is an Eritrean politician.

Haile Woldense
1st Minister of Finance of Eritrea
In office 1993–1997
Succeeded by	Ghebreselassie Yoseph
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Eritrea
In office 1997–2000
Preceded by	Petros Solomon
Succeeded by	Ali Said Abdella
3rd Minister of Trade & Industry of Eritrea
In office 2000–2001
Preceded by	Ali Said Abdella
Succeeded by	Gergis Teklemichael
Personal details
Born	1946 Hamasien, British Military Administration in Eritrea (present-day Eritrea)
Political party	PFDJ

Woldense was born in 1946 and attended high school in Asmara, Eritrea. After graduation, he was accepted to the Addis Ababa University engineering program. There he met Isaias Afewerki and they withdrew from school to join the Eritrean Liberation Front.^[1]

In 1974 he became a member of what would become the Eritrea People's Liberation Front (EPLF) Central Committee and joined the Political Bureau. He was the head master of EPLF's cadre school, who transformed the movement.

After Independence he became the Minister of Finance and Development and served in that position until 1997. In mid-February 1997, he was instead appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.^[2] As a member of the G-15, who requested the resignation of the President of Eritrea to end the war with Ethiopia, he was arrested and subsequently replaced in his position.

Amnesty International considers Woldense and the other imprisoned G-15 members to be prisoners of conscience and has called for their immediate release.^[3]

References

1. Killion, Tom (1998). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. ISBN 0-8108-3437-5.
2. "President quietly shuffles cabinet", Indian Ocean Newsletter, 29 March 1997 (Horn of Africa Monthly Review, 21 February–28 April 1997).
3. "Eritrea: Prisoners of conscience held for a decade must be released". Amnesty International. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.

External links

• Picture of Woldense to the right of picture