Conscription in Eritrea
Conscription in Eritrea requires every able bodied man and woman to serve, ostensibly, for 18 months. In this time, they receive six months of military training and the rest of their time is spent working on national reconstruction projects. This program allegedly aims to compensate for Eritrea's lack of capital and to reduce dependence on foreign aid.[1] This is outlined in both the Constitution of Eritrea, as well as Proclamation 82 issued by the National Assembly in October 1995.[2] However, the period of enrollment may be extended during times of national crisis, and in practice, the typical period of national service is considerably longer than the minimum. Since the 1990s, conscription has been effectively open-ended; this draft policy has been likened to "slavery" and has earned international condemnation.[3][4][5]
Overview
[edit]According to a US State Department information sheet from October 2007, Eritrean national service consists of "approximately six months of military training, followed by a number of years in military or other government service."[6] Besides national defense, conscripts also spend peacetime working on public construction projects. They get paid no more than $30 a month. There is no term limit for national service, having been made open-ended in 1998. Although the average term lasts about six years, there are cases of soldiers who reported being forced to serve for more than a decade. The large number of troops has also had some effect on the Eritrean economy.[7]
Human rights abuses
[edit]Reportedly, many conscripts live in terrible conditions, and are essentially used for slave labor, subjected to severe physical punishments for trying to escape, and are at the mercy of their commanders.[7] There is no right to conscientious objection to military service, and those who refuse the draft are imprisoned. Some Jehovah's Witness conscientious objectors have been in jail since 1994. Those requesting to leave have also been met with detainment, and sometimes torture.[8] There were many cases of female conscripts being sexually abused. As a result, they suffer from morale problems, and some Eritreans even leave the country to dodge the draft. By 2017, the numbers of Eritreans fleeing the draft to other countries is reported to have reached the thousands.[9][10]
Many Eritrean draft dodgers fled to Europe and Israel since the beginning of the European migrant crisis of 2015.[10][11] The same year, a UN report documented extensive human rights abuses within the Eritrean Army, and stated:
Indeed, the indefinite duration of national service, its terrible conditions — including arbitrary detention, torture, sexual torture, forced labour, absence of leave and the ludicrous pay — and the implications it has for the possibility of any individual to found a family, conduct a family life and have favourable conditions of work make national service an institution where slavery-like practices are routine.[10]
The Eritrean government under Isaias Afwerki claimed that the duration of national service was necessary due to the continued hostilities with, and illegal occupation of Eritrean territory by, Ethiopia.[12][13] However, when the border conflict with Ethiopia was resolved in 2018, this policy did not change,[14][15] and Eritrea did not respond to questions from Human Rights Watch when asked why this was the case.[4]
Tigray War
[edit]Beginning in mid-2022, and escalating after mobilization in September that same year, Eritrea engaged in a mass conscription campaign for the Tigray War. Human Rights Watch reported that families of those who wished to avoid the draft became targets of collective punishment, with government authorities subjecting them to arbitrary detention and forced evictions from their homes.[16]
See also
[edit]- 2013 Eritrean Army mutiny
- Refoulement of Eritrean refugees during the Tigray War
- Deportation of Eritreans during the war in Sudan (2023)
- SAWA Defence Training Center
References
[edit]- ^ Connell, Dan (September 1997). "Eritrea". Archived from the original on 18 September 2006. Retrieved 19 September 2006.
- ^ "Eritrea". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2006.
- ^ "Issue 23: Open-Ended Conscription in Eritrea's National Military Service: Here is How to Improve the Policy". horninstitute.org. September 20, 2019. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ a b ""They Are Making Us into Slaves, Not Educating Us": How Indefinite Conscription Restricts Young People's Rights, Access to Education in Eritrea". Human Rights Watch. August 8, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ "Open-ended Conscription in Eritrea's National Military Service: Here is How to Improve the Policy". Africa Portal. 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ Eritrea: The Eritrean Army structure, including its units, ranks, functions; whether all divisions of the army are involved in military operations; military activity in Asab, Gash and Tsorona Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Published 5 February 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Service for Life". Human Rights Watch. 2009-04-16.
- ^ "Eritrea". wri-irg.org. War Resisters' International. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
- ^ Kibreab (2017), pp. 41–43.
- ^ a b c Adwar, Corey (30 June 2015). Eritrea Is The Worst Place In The World To Serve In The Military Archived 2018-06-16 at the Wayback Machine. Taskandpurpose.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ Lior, Ilan (27 February 2017). Israeli Government to Appeal Ruling Giving Eritrean Army Deserters Refugee Status. Haaretz. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban (8 February 2018). Eritrea's prolonged national service a defense measure against Ethiopia. Africa News. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ Gebre, Samuel (December 3, 2015). "Eritrea Army Conscription Still Spurs Asylum Pleas, Amnesty Says". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015.
'All those who condone violation of international law and tolerate occupation have no rights whatsoever to accuse Eritrea of prolonged service,' [Eritrean Information Minister Yemane G. Meskel] said on Twitter, in reference to Ethiopia's presence in Badme...
- ^ "Eritrea: Refugees fleeing indefinite conscription must be given safe haven". Amnesty International. December 1, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
...despite claims by officials that conscription would be limited to 18 months, national service continues to be indefinite, often lasting for decades.
- ^ Maclean, Ruth (October 11, 2018). "'It's just slavery': Eritrean conscripts wait in vain for freedom". The Guardian. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
With their hopes dashed that peace with Ethiopia would bring an end to national service, young Eritreans must either accept a life of forced labour or flee
- ^ "Eritrea: Crackdown on Draft Evaders' Families". Human Rights Watch. 9 February 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023.
Bibliography
[edit]- Kibreab, Gaim (2017). The Eritrean National Service: Servitude for 'the Common Good' and the Youth Exodus. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 9781847011602.
