Eritrea
Eritrea: Africa's North Korea
Eritrea is the North Korea of Africa. This country of 3.6 million inhabitants, which won its independence in 1993 after 30 years of war against Ethiopia, has become an open-air prison. Isaias Afwerki, president since independence, has established a totalitarian regime: no elections, no free press, indefinite military service, closed borders. Hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have fled.
The Eternal Military Service
Eritrean military service is officially 18 months. In reality, it can last decades. Young people are conscripted, sent to camps, used as free labour. Those who refuse are imprisoned or tortured. This is the main cause of the exodus: Eritreans represent one of the world's largest refugee populations relative to country size.
The Ubuntu Strength: Solidarity in Exile
Official Eritrea is suffocated. But the Eritrean diaspora — in Europe, the United States, Sudan — maintains strong solidarity networks. Eritreans send money to their families, gather in Orthodox churches and mosques, and preserve their culture (music, dance, cuisine). Inside the country, family solidarity is the only refuge against the state.
« Hade hade yserq »
Little by little, the thief is caught
— Proverb tigrinya
Eritrea reminds us that independence can lead to prison, and that freedom must be won twice: against the coloniser, then against the tyrant who succeeds him.