A decade after becoming a powerful member of Eritrea's government, in November 2012, Ali Abdu had a falling out with President Isaias Afewerki. Over what exactly, we don't know.
He defected & applied for asylum in Australia. The news was groundbreaking in Eritrea, where his was a feared face for years.
President Isaias, who has ruled with a iron fist since Eritrea's independence in 1991, was reportedly livid.
A CPJ article on the minister's disappearance from 2012.
https://cpj.org/2012/12/where-is-eritrean-information-minister-ali-abdu/