Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the reaction of diaspora groups to the imposition of sanctions on the Eritrean government due to its militant foreign policy. It elaborates the frictions within the diaspora and how they instrumentalize the sanctions for their respective political goals.

Paper long abstract:

Eritrea is a diasporic state with high dependence on remittances to increase its hard currency reserves. Eritrean communities in exile are split along various lines: Those who escaped the country during the liberation struggle (1961 -1991) as supporters of the now ruling EPLF/PFDJ form the core of regime supporters. Those who fled Eritrea as supporters of the ELF, a movement opposed to the EPLF, split into numerous political organisations that lack political cohesion. A third group of refugees consists of those who joined the mass exodus following the introduction of a timely unlimited military and national service in 2002. Some of them are engaged in civil society organisations involved in active campaigns against the regime.

The paper analyses the strategies developed by the regime and its supporters to instrumentalize the sanctions for fundraising purposes and diplomatic campaigns based on conspiracy theories against Eritrea. The major aim of the fractioned opposition has been to convince host governments to ban the regime's demand of a 2% tax payable by all exiled Eritreans for the reason that the revenue might be used to support armed groups in the Horn. There are also efforts to scrutinize foreign companies involved in mining operations in Eritrea and to stop human trafficking of Eritrean refugees, in which the regime is involved. The paper argues that the impact of the sanctions is narrowed by its restriction on Eritrea's foreign policy and its neglect of the human rights violations committed by the government.