Eritreans leaving their country in mass

Thousands of Eritreans are looking to the West each year. During the second half of 2008, searched over 8100 asylum, under the UN refugee agency, which means twice the rate compared to 2007.

The most recent refugee wave states according to international reports depend on the threat of lack of food combined with the fact that the military mobilization in the country strengthened.

- Young people see a long life as soldiers in front of them with oppression and mistreatment of an army in which generals can also use them as private workforce, "says Ginbot Abraha, Eritreans for Human Rights.

Nobody knows for sure what will happen in the border conflict with Ethiopia, where Sweden believes that Eritrea has the right, after the UN withdrew its presence last year. Moreover arose another military conflict on the border with Djibouti. According to the World Bank was 320,000 Eritreans in the army service last year. In principle, both men and women up to age 50 be available to be called up. Several reports say that in principle no longer be granted an exit permit from Eritrea, which is interpreted as a further sign that the mobilization strengthened.

The compulsory military training in the last year of school. This will send students to the military träningslägret Sawa in western Eritrea. In a recent report from the British asylum authorities, police raids last spring to gather up and punish the young people who deviated from military service.

Among the refugees are young deserters. The vast majority get to walk across the long borders with Sudan or Ethiopia. The detected at the limit risk being shot.
In order to move to Europe to pay those who can afford tens of thousands of crowns to the smugglers. Other stops in any of the refugee camps in eastern Sudan and in Ethiopia.
Altogether there are now about 100,000 Eritrean refugees in Sudan. Many of these came to Sudan during the Eritrean liberation war from 1960 until independence in 1993.

That so many now are looking forward to Europe, in addition to the situation in Eritrea due to the conditions in Sudan and Ethiopia deteriorated. The increase in the number of asylum seekers, however, indicate that the disappointment is great how it developed after the war against Ethiopia.

To Sweden last year, 857 asylum seekers. The same year was 764 Eritreans residence, while 352 were rejected.

In an interview with news channel Al-Jazira said Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki that the information on the number of refugees were exaggerated and influenced by U.S. propaganda.