Paper short abstract:

Contrary to all reasonable expectations, post-independence Eritrea has been one of the major refugee-producing countries in the world. This paper examines the major drivers of forced migration in the country.

Paper long abstract:

The Eritrean people have paid dearly to achieve their independence in terms of loss of life, property and forgone opportunities. Given the promises of the liberation struggle, all Eritreans and their friends world-wide assumed that once the goals of independence and freedom were achieved, they expected that not only would the factors that previously forced hundreds of thousands of citizens to “vote with their feet” be relegated to the dustbin of history, but also in response of the political changes, the overwhelming majority of Eritreans, including those who were languishing in refugee and transit camps in the neighbouring countries would return in safety and dignity.

Contrary to all reasonable expectations, not only did the large majority of the pre-independence Eritrean refugees stayed put in the countries where they sought refuge, but also post-independence Eritrea has become one of the major refugee-producing countries in the world. Although the large majority of the post-independence Eritrean refugees remain in the neighbouring countries, between 2008 and 2014, over 137,000 have sought asylum in the EU+ countries. In 2014, Eritreans were the second largest group after Syrians who were caught crossing the EU’s external borders. During the same year, Eritreans were the second large group of asylum-seekers in the European Union. The aim and objectives of the paper are therefore to examine: 1) the major drivers of forced migration; 2) the problems they encounter en-route to safety; and 3) the responses of host governments, including in the EU+ countries to their plight.