What do we know about Eritrea? Almost nothing. The former Italian colony has been a closed country for several decades. Eritrea, a Greek word that means red, like the Red Sea that runs along its coast and the Marxist regime that took power in 1961 and has maintained itself since the country’s independence in 1993.
After decades of war, Eritrea has barely 4 to 5 million inhabitants: 20% of the population have left the country. Eritreans live under an authoritarian regime, with a political and social education – of course quality – but at the “Castro Cuban”. “The country is marked with a red iron: the fear of speaking, of being watched, of being listened to. A regime that has become unpopular but which clings to power by all means”explains to franceinfo Afrique a researcher, a great connoisseur of the region who requested anonymity.
Many young people leave, due to a certain despair, widespread suspicion, lack of freedom, the impossibility of moving freely and endless military service. It is officially limited to eighteen months but Asmara in Asmara considers that it must be able to count on its population in the event of conflict. So military service can last “several decades” according to Amnesty.
During their military service, families are separated. The conscripts are boys and girls, some of whom are barely 16 years old. They are subject to national service which often resembles “forced labor”, said a few years ago Michelle Kagari, deputy regional director of Amnesty International for East Africa. Many conscripts are assigned to civilian missions, such as agriculture and construction, with a salary of 40 to 50 euros per month.
Sweden has largely welcomed Eritreans in recent years. What provoked “an aspiration” for those who want to avoid long, unbearable years of military service that can seem eternal. Young Eritreans leave for Sudan and Libya or for the Egyptian Sinai where they are kidnapped, tortured and held to ransom by the mafias. We find them in Djibouti, Yemen, Italy, Poland, France and elsewhere, dreaming of a necessarily better world. Because in addition to the military service imposed on them, they have no prospects.
The Eritrean economy is almost reduced to subsistence agriculture. “The Italians have planted vines, banana plantations, imported cows for milk and cheese, and there is something left. There are a few soap and sandal factories… A few stone quarries to maintain the roads and sand extraction for the houses.”
As for tourism, it is extremely limited: mainly Eritreans from abroad or a few nostalgic Italians and other steam train enthusiasts keep it alive. The Italians have built roads, railway lines, aqueduct bridges and the Eritreans, concerned about this heritage, take great care of it. “It’s a country out of time, it feels like living in the 19th century. It’s very quiet, with few cars but buses to go to work, no billboards…”describes our interlocutor.“Eritrea remains an endearing country with a unique and old-fashioned charm. There is a social and cultural life, with cafes, parties, markets, it is not North Korea even if violations of human rights are massive, as confirmed by the testimonies of exiles and the reports of the United Nations”, he nuances.
And the facts are serious. Mike Smith, the head of the UN commission on human rights in Eritrea, already denounced in 2016 “Massive violations of human rights (who) are continuing. They are often committed out of sight and continue to instill fear in Eritrea, but also within the diaspora”.
The Australian investigator mentioned “migrants deported from Sudan to Eritrea and detained in places where torture is the established rule”. The reason for these “repeated, widespread and systematic attacks against civilian populations”? “Allow President Isaias Afewerki and his inner circle to stay in power”replied the UN envoy.