Regional Agreements

OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, 1001 U.N.T.S. 45 (1969). 
Signed 2012, Ratified N/A
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African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (The Kampala Convention) (2009)

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Nationality Laws 

Eritrean Nationality Proclamation, No. 21 of 1992 sets out the conditions for obtaining an Eritrean nationality
ILO PDF_Eg

National Service Proclamation of 82 October of 1995 states that an Eritrean citizen eligible for national service may travel abroad, with conditions
Refworld PDF_Eg

Migration and Labor 

Legal notice No. 80/2003 regulates issuing work permit for foreign workers
Refworld UNHCR PDF_Eg

Proclamation No. 127/2002 sets requirement of registration of foreigners who reside, work or engage in Business in Eritrea
Refworld UNHCR PDF_Eg

 Al-Ali, Nadje, Richard Black, and Khalid Koser. "Refugees and Transnationalism: The Experience of Bosnians and Eritreans in Europe." Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies 27.4 (2001): 615-34. Link to Article

Keyword: refugees, transnationalism, Bosnians, Eritreans, Europe

This study incorporates refugees in the study of transnationalism focusing on Eritrean and Bosnians in various European countries. The paper charts the evolution of transnational characteristic among Bosnians and Eritreans and identifies obstacles which influence the desire and capacity of Bosnians and Eritreans to participation in the political, economic, social and cultural transnational activities. The authors observe that transnational activities and identities can flourish among refugees, and as the wars which have drove Bosnians and Eritreans to flee have ended, their transnational activities have moved from political activism to post-conflict reconstruction as their status in their host countries move from temporary exile to permanent exile. conclude by arguing that transnationalism is not a 'state of being', as is sometimes implied by the existing literature, rather transnationalism is a dynamic process. 

Bascom, Johnathan. "The Long, ‘Last Step’? Reintegration of Repatriates in Eritrea.” Journal of Refugee Studies 18.2 (2005): 165-180. Link to Article

Keyword: reintegration, reparation, Eritrea, home

Drawing on primary data gathered from 80 households that repatriated back to Eastern Eritrea from Sudan, this study explores four dimensions of refugee reintegration highlighting challenges to integration that have resulted in keeping returnees in a state of poverty and dependence. Based on this research, the author discusses the problematic nature of reintegration underscoring the contrasts in concepts and perceptions of 'home.' 

Bariagaber, Assefaw. "The Refugee Experience: Understanding the Dynamics of Refugee Repatriation in Eritrea." Journal of Third World Studies 18.2 (2001): 47-70. Link to Article

Keyword: repatriation, Eritrea, refugees, repatriation 

The author argues that conflict cessation is not a sufficient condition for refugee repatriation by highlight the case of  Eritreans return following the cessation of the Eritrean-Ethiopian war in 1991. He further explores the motivations for returning through interviews with former refugees from Eritrea who have either spontaneously repatriated or waited for official repatriation assistance. In making the decision to repatriate, the study argues that refugee repatriation behavior is understood in terms of changing conditions and availability of new information. 

Farwell, Nancy. "‘Onward through Strength’: Coping and Psychological Support among Refugee Youth Returning to Eritrea from Sudan." Journal of Refugee Studies 14.1 (2001): 43-69. Link to Article

Keyword: coping, strategies, refugees, returnees, Eritrea, Sudan 

Gaim, Kibreab. "Access to Economic and Social Rights in First Countries of Asylum and Repatriation: A Case Study of Eritrean Refugees in Sudan." Ed. Lyla Mehta. Forced Displacement Why Rights Matter. Ed. Katarzyna Grabska. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2008. 116-38. Link to Article

Keyword: return, repatriation, Eritrea, Sudan, 

Magnus, Treiber. "Dreaming of a Good Life Young Urban Refugees from Eritrea between Refusal of Politics and Political Asylum." Ed. Hans Peter Hahn and Georg Klute. Cultures of Migration: African Perspectives. Berlin: LIT Verlag Munster (2007): 239-261.

Keyword: youth, refugees, Eritrea, politics, political asylum

Nakash, Ora, et al. "Exposure to Traumatic Experiences among Asylum Seekers from Eritrea and Sudan during Migration to Israel." Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 4 (2015): 1280. Link to Article

Keyword: trauma, experience, destination, country, migration, Israel, Sudan, Eritrea

This report investigates the prevalence of exposure to traumatic experiences during migration among Eritreans and Sudanese who sought health services in the Physicians for Human Rights Open Clinic in Israel. The research finds that percentages of Eritreans and Sudanese men and women who reported witnessing violence and/or being a victim of violence during migration varied by gender and country of origin. It found that 41.3% Eritrean men and 29.3% Eritrean women have witnessed violence, as compared to 16.8% Sudanese men and 22.2% Sudanese women. In regards to being a victim of violence, 56% Eritrean men and 34.9% Eritrean women were victims of violence, meanwhile 51.9% of Sudanese men and 33.3% of Sudanese women have been in similar situations.  

Campbell, John. “The Enduring Problem of Statelessness in the Horn of Africa: How Nation-States and Western Courts (Re)Define Nationality.” International Journal of Refugee Law 23. 4. (2011): 656–679. Link to Article

Keyword: Ethiopia, Eritrea, border, war, expulsion

“Across Africa, citizenship is being manipulated and restricted to deny rights to those whom a state wishes to marginalize or exclude. This occurred on a large  scale between 1998–2000 when Ethiopia and Eritrea, using war as an excuse, arrested and forcibly expelled an estimated 150,000 people. These individuals were  stripped of their civil and legal rights, their property and, for many, their nationality. While much was made of the expulsions at the time, the wider issues raised by  these actions – in particular the continued vulnerability of the deportees to further abuses and the failure of the courts to address their situation – has not been  examined. This article begins by looking at events in the Horn before examining evidence regarding the inability of those who were expelled to obtain asylum.”

Fullerton, Maryellen. "The Intersection of Statelessness and Refugee Protection in US Asylum Policy." Journal on Migration and Human Security 2.3 (2014): 144-164. Link to Journal

Keyword: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Haile v. Holder, Soviet Union, persecution

This article covers how Eritrea’s independence from Ethiopia in 1993 and their border dispute that led to war in 1998 brought about stateless persons and denationalization. 

UN High Commissioner for Refugees. "Global Action Plan to End Statelessness." UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2014). Link to Article 

Keyword: born, gender, protection, documentation 

  “To End Statelessness within 10 years, the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness: 2014-2024 establishes a guiding framework of 10 Actions to be undertaken  by States with the support of UNHCR and other stakeholders to: resolve existing major situations of statelessness, prevent new cases of statelessness from  emerging and better identity and protect stateless populations.”