Glenys Kinnock – a senior member of the Labour Party – has just died. She was a passionate supporter of the Eritrean people and went to the country when its people were still fighting for their independence.

She wrote a book illustrated by photographs by Jenny Matthews.

In it Glenys said:

“The people of Eritrea are at war – a war which they have waged against Ethiopia for twenty-six years. During my visit I learned of an indomitable spirit and a motivation which enabled them to fight poverty, famine and a well-armed foe. Yet in the midst of all those contests they do not lose sight of the need to support and encourage women like those I met in the hidden classrooms on that first evening.”

The trip made an indelible mark on Glenys and she continued to work with Eritreans after independence and – tragically – after it became clear that President Isaias had been revealed to be a dictator.

Glenys Kinnock was a true friend of the Eritrean people.