Although Eritrea long hosted a small population of Somali refugees (roughly 2,000 as of early 2019), in mid-2019 the government closed its only refugee camp, Umkulu, spurring most of the refugees to flee across the border into neighbouring Ethiopia. By the end of 2019, UNHCR reported that there were only 650 refugees remaining in the […]
Last updated: August 2016
Eritrea Immigration Detention Profile
As Eritrea is not a transit or destination country, the detention of migrants does not appear to be a significant issue.[1] Nevertheless, according to the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat, it is difficult to know the true extent of immigration-related detention in Eritrea because the authoritarian government denies access to relevant information and prohibits monitoring by independent groups and the International Committee for the Red Cross.
In 2013, the U.S. Department of State reported that there were no foreigners detained in Eritrea that year. However, when the Eritrean government was questioned about missing people from other countries, authorities prevented foreign officials from accessing relevant information.
A related aspect of Eritrea’s detention practices is its detention and punishment of Eritrean nationals who attempt to leave the country without authorisation. Punishment varies depending on the intended destination of the fleeing person. For example, trying to enter Sudan is punishable by three years imprisonment, while attempting to enter Ethiopia is punishable by death. In addition, it has been reported that Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers who are returned to Eritrea are often detained and tortured. It is also not uncommon for those caught fleeing Eritrea to be held in secret locations without outside contact.
[1] This summary relies primarily on information gathered from reports from the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat, in particular its February 2015 report Behind Bars: The Detention of Migrants in and from the East & Horn of Africa, available at http://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/rmms_publications/Behind_Bars_the_detention_of_migrants_in_and_from_the_East___Horn_of_Africa_2.pdf; and the U.S. State Department’s 2013 human rights report on Eritrea, available at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/220321.pdf.
DETENTION STATISTICS
DETENTION CAPACITY
ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION
ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT DATA
PRISON DATA
POPULATION DATA
MIGRATION-RELATED DETENTION
LEGAL & REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
GROUNDS FOR MIGRATION-RELATED DETENTION
LENGTH OF MIGRATION-RELATED DETENTION
MIGRATION-RELATED DETENTION INSTITUTIONS
PROCEDURAL STANDARDS & SAFEGUARDS
DETENTION MONITORS
> National human rights monitoring bodies
> National Preventive Mechanisms (Optional Protocol to UN Convetion against Torture)
> Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
> Governmental monitoring bodies
> International detention monitoring
TRANSPARENCY
READMISSION/RETURN/EXTRADITION AGREEMENTS
COVID-19 DATA
INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
International Treaties Ratified
Ratification Year
Observation Date
CTOCTP, Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children
2014
2018
CAT, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
2014
2014
CTOCTP, Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children
2014
2014
Ratio of relevant international treaties ratified
Ratio: 9/19
Relevant Recommendations Issued by Treaty Bodies
Recommendation Year
Observation Date
§ 30. "The Committee urges the State party to cease, with immediate effect, the excessive use of force against children, including at borders, and to take all possible measures to encourage children to continue residing in the country... 50. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Establish a system to collect and analyse data on children without parental care in order to understand the causes of their separation from their parents and their needs, and to guide the development of policies and programmes;
(b) Allocate sufficient resources to support children without parental care, in particular the family reunification programme, and to support children and their families affected by HIV/AIDS;
(c) Continue to prioritize and promote the provision of family-type and community-based forms of alternative care for children deprived of parental care for any reason, including children with disabilities, in order to reduce the dependence on institutional care;
(d) Provide access to effective and child-friendly complaints mechanisms for children in alternative care;
(e) Ensure adequate monitoring of alternative care facilities on the basis of established regulations;
(f) Consider ratifying the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption."
2015
2015
NON-TREATY-BASED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS
DETENTION COSTS
OUTSOURCING
FOREIGN SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR DETENTION OPERATIONS
Government Agencies
Ministry of Information: http://www.shabait.com
International Organisations
IOM (Regional Office for East and Horn of Africa): http://ronairobi.iom.int/eritrea
UNHCR Eritrea Country Website: http://www.unhcr.org/afr/eritrea
Media
Eritrea Daily: http://www.eritreadaily.net
NGOs and Research Institutions
Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/africa/eritrea
Amnesty International: https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/africa/eritrea/
