Eritrea says its president is "fit as a fiddle"

ADDIS ABABA – Eritrea has sought to quash speculation about President Isaias Afewerki’s health, saying he was “fit as a fiddle” and lambasting the United States for spreading “lies” over his condition.

Rumours have been rife in the past few years that Isaias, 66 and in power since 1993 after leading his country to independence from Ethiopia, was in poor health and required regular trips abroad for treatment.

Speculation about his health has stirred up debate over who might eventually replace the reclusive leader.

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