My dream

Excerpt from our article on developments in Africa in the past year:

Decades of conflict and severe drought have adversely affected Eritrea's agriculture-based economy. The country is one of the least developed countries in the world. 

For the last 17 years, the country’s economy has been dominated by a resource sapping "no war, no peace" situation with neighbouring Ethiopia, leading to increased military spending and a closed, heavily guarded border. 

A growing number of young people opt to leave the country to escape poverty and the mandatory national service that can be lengthy and onerous. Some escape through dangerous migration routes and risk being trafficked or tortured for ransom. Those who leave without permission risk a long prison sentence if they return. All those who have not been released from national service are hiding in fear of being forcefully recruited into the military. Most of the young generation end up as refugees in Ethiopia and Sudan. 

In a more positive development, Ethiopia announced in June 2018 that it will fully accept and implement the peace deal that ended its border war with Eritrea. Ethiopia’s acceptance of the ruling made by the 2002 border commission is an important step to better the relationship between the two countries.