Understanding Eritrea: Inside Africa's Most Repressive StateThe most secretive, repressive state in Africa is hemorrhaging its citizens. In some months as many Eritreans as Syrians arrive on European shores, yet the country is not convulsed by civil war. Young men and women risk all to escape. Many do not survive - their bones littering the Sahara; their bodies floating in the Mediterranean. Still they flee, to avoid permanent military service and a future without hope. As the United Nations reported: 'Thousands of conscripts are subjected to forced labor that effectively abuses, exploits and enslaves them for years.' Eritreans fought for their freedom from Ethiopia for thirty years, only to have their revered leader turn on his own people. Independent since 1993, the country has no constitution and no parliament. No budget has ever been published. Elections have never been held and opponents languish in jail. International organizations find it next to impossible to work in the country. Nor is it just a domestic issue. By supporting armed insurrection in neighboring states it has destabilized the Horn of Africa. Eritrea is involved in the Yemeni civil war, while the regime backs rebel movements in Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti. This book tells the untold story of how this tiny nation became a world pariah. |
Contents
1 | |
5 | |
3 The Thorny Relationship with Ethiopia | 25 |
4 Quarrelling with Neighbours | 51 |
5 Foreign Friends | 69 |
6 From Freedom to Dictatorship | 103 |
Smoke and Mirrors | 133 |
8 The Flight from Eritrea | 149 |
10 Opposition | 197 |
11 The Outlook for Eritrea | 209 |
Leadership of Government Military and Party | 217 |
US Ambassador Ronald K Mcmullens Assessment of Isaias Afewerki Via Wikileaks | 221 |
Algiers Agreement that Ended the 19982000 Border War Between Ethiopia And Eritrea | 225 |
Eritrean Democratic Alliance EDA 2005 | 235 |
237 | |
241 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Addis Ababa African African Development Bank Afwerki Agreement Algiers ambassador areas armed Asmara Assab asylum seekers attempt Badme border British camp capital cent claims Commission’s conflict conscripts country’s Democratic Derg Despite Development diaspora diplomatic Djibouti Dubai EPLF EPLF’s Eritrean embassy Eritrean government Eritrean Liberation established Ethiopian Ethiopian government ethnic European exiles fight fighters forces foreign government’s Haile Horn of Africa human rights independence inside Eritrea international community Isaias Afewerki Isaias Afwerki Isaias’s Israel Italian Khartoum leaders leadership Liberation Front Libya living Massawa Meles Zenawi ment migrants military movements Muslim Nakfa National Service officials operations opposition organisations party People’s PFDJ political port of Massawa President Isaias president’s Prime Minister Meles rebels refugees regime region relations relationship ruling Security Council senior smuggling Somalia Soviet Sudan Sudanese Tigray Tigray region Tigrayans Tigrinya tion told took TPDM TPLF trafficking troops Uganda United Nations Yemen