“Eritrea has been deeply troubled since independence in 1991. Following the devastating war with Ethiopia (1998-
2000), an authoritarian, militarised regime has further tightened political space, tolerating neither opposition nor
dissent. Relations are difficult with the region and the wider international community. At African Union (AU)
behest, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions in 2009 for its support of the Somali Islamic insurgency. It has become, in effect, a siege state, whose government
is suspicious of its own population, neighbours and the wider world. Economically crippled at birth, it is a poor
country from which tens of thousands of youths are fleeing, forming large asylum-seeking communities in Europe and North America. But Eritrea is an extreme reflection
of its region’s rough political environment, not its sole spoiler. More effort to understand the roots of its suspicions and greater engagement rather than further isolation would be a more promising international prescription for dealing with the genuine risks it represents.”
