There is a country that has been dubbed ‘Africa’s North Korea’. (Image: Getty)
While the most repressive dictatorships are usually associated with the likes of and China, the continent also hosts nations where authoritarianism has emerged.
Eritrea is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, , and Djibouti and has an extensive coastline along the Red Sea.
A country only just emerging from decades of conflict, a highly centralised government and alleged human rights violations, the country has now earned itself the unfavourable nickname of “Africa’s North Korea”.
Like its counterpart, Eritrea has single-party rule under President Isaias Afewerki, who has held power since the country achieved independence in 1993.
The country suffers from a lack of free elections, limited press freedom, a pervasive surveillance apparatus and tightly restricted access to information. In fact, national and presidential elections have never even been held.
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President Isaias Afewerki has held power since 1993. (Image: Getty)
According to , Eritrea was Africa’s largest single source of refugees to Europe – via a perilous journey across the Sahara and the Mediterranean – between 2014 and 2016. Over the past decade, it has seen so many people leave it has also been dubbed the world’s fastest-emptying nation.
Amongst its other unfavourable comparisons are also Cuba and the former East Germany.
Human Right’s Watch described the Eritrean government’s human rights record as among the worst in the world, but the government dismissed these allegations as politically motivated.
The boundaries of present-day Eritrea were established during the Scramble for Africa – which saw the conquest and colonisation of most of Africa by seven Western powers during the late 19th and early 20th century.
Before gaining independence in the 1990s, Eritrea was owned by several powers, including the Ottoman Empire, the Italians, the British and Ethiopia.
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Amongst its other unfavourable comparisons are also Cuba and the former East Germany. (Image: Getty)
Starting in 1961, Eritrean insurgents engaged in guerrilla warfare to liberate Eritrea Province from the control of the Ethiopian Empire. Their efforts ultimately succeeded in 1991 with the fall of the Derg regime.
The government has sought to justify the need for a one-party state and a highly militarised society in the country by citing the threat of war with Ethiopia.
According to the Human Rights Watch, there is also an ongoing compulsory system of , which involves individuals being required to serve in the military for an extended and unspecified period. This has led to instances of torture, violence and forced labour, the Watch revealed, and a situation described as a form of “enslavement” by the UN Commission of Inquiry.
Eritrea is the only African nation without independent media outlets. The lack of press freedom is so severe that in 2021 ranked it as the worst offender globally, surpassing even North Korea.
The country is also riddled with severe drought which has affected its agricultural economy, making it one of the poorest countries in Africa.
Eritrea is, however, a member of the African Union, the and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, as well as being an observer state in the Arab League alongside Brazil and Venezuela.