By way of patriotism, coercion, or instrumentalization: how the Eritrean regime makes use of the diaspora to stabilize its rule

ABSTRACT

Eritrea is one of the most diasporic countries in the world with one-third of the population living abroad, and one-third of the state’s budget is derived from remittances. This is done by coercion, since vital services such as the extension of passports are subject to tax payment, and by appeals to the diaspora’s long-distance nationalism, fuelled through festivals, seminars, and EriTV broadcasts. Following the introduction of an open-ended national service in 2002, the regime initially tried to restrict the resulting youth exodus by punitive measures, but is now regarding the new exiles as an additional source of tax income and has instrumentalized them to influence European policy-makers. The Eritrean case demonstrates how an authoritarian regime can perpetuate its rule by exploiting the diaspora’s patriotism and feelings of personal obligations or by mere coercion through its transnational institutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Eritrea
• transnationalism
• diaspora
• regime stability
• remittances
• diaspora tax

Acknowledgements

Our heartfelt thanks go to Marlies Glasius and Adele Del Sordi as well as to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable advice. We also thank the GIGA Hamburg for supporting Nicole Hirt’s participation in the seminar ‘Overseas Governance’ in Amsterdam, September 21–22, 2015.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In Eritrea and Ethiopia family names in the western sense are unknown. Names consist of the personal (first) name and the father’s name or patronym (in official documents the grandfather’s name is added as well) and persons are always called by their individual first names. Therefore, the president and other Eritreans mentioned in the article are referred to either by their full names or by their first names, under which they are known to the public.

2. The term ‘yikealo’ refers to a wise or knowledgeable person—denoting the fighter generation who struggled for independence. ‘Warsay’ means heir or follower—referring to the young generation who are supposed to go through similar experiences.

3. The EEBC was established in 2000 as an independent The Hague-based international body with the aim of delimitating the contested border.

4. Incidents where Eritreans were shot while trying to cross the border were last reported in 2014 (Sudan Tribute, 23 August 2014. Eritrean Border Guards Shoot Dead 10 Civilians Trying to Flee. www.sudantribute.com and Awate.com/Gedab News, 22 December 2014. Thirteen Eritrean Children Gunned Down, www.awate.com).

5. This refers mainly to the Danish Report ‘Eritrea –Drivers and Root Causes of Emigration, National Service and the Possibility of Return’ that came under heavy criticisms soon after its publication in August 2014.

6. The Demobilisation and Reintegration Program was funded by the World Bank and UNDP with almost US $200 million (EHREA.org, no date. Retrieved from: http://www.ehrea.org/08i.pdf).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nicole Hirt

Notes on contributors

Dr. Nicole Hirt is a Political Scientist and Senior Research Fellow affiliated with German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Hamburg. Her current research foci are Horn of African Studies, diasporas and transnationalism, and EU migration policies.

Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad

Dr. Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad is a former Professor of Sociology at the University of Sebha (Libya), University of Asmara (Eritrea), University of Oslo and Oslo University College, and Senior Advisor at International Law and Policy Institute (ILPI) Oslo. He specializes in Horn of African studies, language and ethnicity, customary law, diasporas, and transnationalism.