Eritrea has been one of the world’s largest producers of refugees since the country’s struggle for independence in the early 1960s. While the nation’s wars have contributed to this exodus, the root cause lies within the authoritarian government under the leadership of Isaias Afwerki, and the technically mandatory indefinite national service for all citizens.

If fortunate enough to survive or avoid getting injured by shots from the security forces at the border, migrants undergo perilous journeys to escape repression and forced labour. Obligated to follow irregular routes because of the government’s impediments, they risk being victims of human trafficking by criminal networks. Even after fleeing, evaders of the national service face ongoing fears of the consequences their families left behind will have to suffer.