Overview of the current situation in Eritrea
Current realities in Eritrea could be described as the result of years of oppression and misguided policies of the current government. Politics in Eritrea is dominated by a single-party totalitarian government led by a brutal dictator, Isaias Afwerki. There has been no sign of change or reform inside the country. The policies of the government have stayed the same for more than thirty-years, and the country continues to move in a downward spiral.
Unfortunately, the situation inside the country has further deteriorated after the outbreak of the civil war in Ethiopia and the Eritrean regime’s involvement in support of the Ethiopian federal government. Tens of thousands of young Eritrean conscripts have been deployed in this war, and tens of thousands have either lost their lives or sustained lifelong injuries. The regime continues to beat its war drum, mobilising all its resources to support this war effort. At the same time, the much-needed political reform, the economy, and desperately needed basic social services have been completely ignored.
The regime’s human rights abuses continue unabated, with thousands of innocent citizens, political prisoners and prisoners of conscience incarcerated for years without trial. Torture and disappearance have become commonplace. Tens of thousands of political prisoners are languishing in more than 360 prison facilities in the country, whilst Eritrean youth continue to flee the harsh realities of life in the country to wherever their feet and fate takes them.
