Eritrea Official Invokes International Conspiracy to Explain Mass Exodus

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh claimed that the international community is responsible for enticing tens of thousands of Eritreans out of the country through asylum offers. He conceded that Eritrea’s poor economy is the primary reason behind the migration, but he also believes that world powers aim to destabilize Eritrea. The East African country is one of the poorest on the planet.

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh claimed that the international community is responsible for enticing tens of thousands of Eritreans out of the country through asylum offers. He conceded that Eritrea’s poor economy is the primary reason behind the migration, but he also believes that world powers aim to destabilize Eritrea. The East African country is one of the poorest on the planet.

Saleh’s statements paint a picture of a regime that is severely out of touch with the immense suffering taking place in Eritrea. President Isaias Afewerki maintained that his administration is still in the midst of establishing Eritrea as a viable nation, but the government has missed several key opportunities throughout decades that would have enhanced development.

Many young people are searching elsewhere for better opportunities, and Eritreans make up a large portion of migrants flocking to Western countries in search of asylum. Eritrea is an agriculture-based economy, but severe drought has devastated crop production, and years of warfare hampered a once robust manufacturing sector.

Furthermore, the government is using ongoing tensions with Ethiopia to establish dictatorial rule while forcibly conscripting citizens for life. Eritrea won independence from a decades-long war with Ethiopia that ended in 1993. Leaders drafted a constitution in 1997, but it was never instituted, and over 70,000 people were killed in another war with Ethiopia that lasted from 1998 to 2000, notes BBC.

Such instability has stalled development throughout the years, and the government has tarnished the image of Eritrea by engaging in some of the worst human rights violations on record, ranging from torture to slavery. Human rights horror stories are commonplace, including accounts of crucifixions.

Those who try to cross the borders are viewed as traitors in the eyes of the state and are often shot. Policymakers have vowed reforms in 2015, but analysts remain skeptical, as no reform laws have been implemented. Officials further isolated themselves from the international community by supporting Somali-based terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.

The Eritrean government supports Al-Shabaab as a geopolitical strategy against Ethiopia, but Eritrea’s never-ending war with Ethiopians has drawn the ire of Western powers, particularly the United States. U.S. officials have also threatened military force against Eritrea if leaders continue funding terrorist efforts.

While Eritrean authorities are quick to blame their own citizens and the world community, they have failed to examine the numerous missteps and horrendous policies that have made the country an unbearable place to live. Many Eritreans hope to see their country flourish one day, but they have little faith that prosperity will come in the near future, especially with the current regime at the helm.

The foreign minister scapegoats the outside world as the primary force behind Eritrea’s troubles, but he has failed to realize that his own administration is responsible for driving Eritreans out of the nation in droves.