A Visa for Eritrea, the "African North Korea" — A Visa for Eritrea, the “African North Korea”

Something to add to your watch-lists for the weekend…

A new 30-minutes documentary report from FRANCE 24 on Eritrea – the small nation on the Horn of Africa and one of the most isolated countries in the world. It is also one of the most secretive, and has thus been nicknamed the “African North Korea.”

But what is everyday life like in Eritrea? Why do so many Eritreans flee the country in a bid to reach Europe? It’s very rare for Western journalists to go to Eritrea. But FRANCE 24 spent a week there, as reporters Nicolas Germain and Romeo Langlois were given exceptional access to report from the country, although often accompanied by government officials. Their main task was to find out why thousands of Eritreans flee their country every month, despite there being neither war nor famine. Along with Syria and Afghanistan, Eritrea is one of the most highly represented countries among migrants trying to reach Europe.

This little-known East African nation was born in 1991 after a thirty-year armed struggle for independence against Ethiopia. Another bloody border dispute between 1998 and 2000 left some 80,000 people dead. Ever since then, Ethiopia has occupied part of Eritrea, which claims it is threatened by its vast neighbor.

The Eritrean government has therefore implemented an indefinite national military service, which is compulsory. This poorly paid service, which can last more than a decade, is the main reason why so many young people try to flee. They also want to escape the authoritarian Marxist regime of President Isaias Afwerki, the independence hero who has been in power for the last 25 years.

In the documentary, the reporters met with everyday Eritreans, as well as members of the government and the government’s opponents in exile, in a bid to understand this isolated nation that fascinates many outside of it.

A Visa for Eritrea

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