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.

InFocus

Eritrean Leaders Held Incommunicado for a Decade

The human rights group, Amnesty International, has launched a campaign for the release of opposition politicians arrested ten years ago by one of the world's most oppressive ... Read more »

• Eritrea: Rights Group Calls for Release of Leaders Detained for 10 Years
• Eritrea: European Parliament Calls for Release of Journalists

World Must Act to Prevent Another 'Failed State'

Just a decade ago, Eritrea might reasonably have been described as challenged but stable. Today it is under severe stress, if not yet in full-blown crisis. Read more »

• Eritrea: World Must Act to Prevent Another 'Failed State'
• Resource Document Eritrea: The Siege State