THE LACK OF
POLITICAL SPACE OF THE ERITREAN DIASPORA IN THE ARAB GULF AND SUDAN: TORN
BETWEEN AN AUTOCRATIC HOME AND AUTHORITARIAN HOSTS by Nicole Hirt and
Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad, 2018
Abstract
One-third of Eritrea's citizens live in exile, and their
government uses coercion, intimidation, and manipulation of patriotism to
maintain financial flows from the diaspora through a rehabilitation tax and by
delegating welfare responsibilities to its citizens abroad. Over one million
Eritreans reside in Arab states, yet, we know little about their attitudes
toward the homeland regime. Contrary to their compatriots in Europe and North
America, they do not have political asylum and depend on work contracts
for residence permits. This makes them vulnerable to the demands of
transnational Eritrean institutions, which issue vital documents in exchange
for the fulfillment of financial obligations. The diasporic political space is
doubly restricted since authoritarian host states neither permit political
activities nor do they provide reliable protection from the Eritrean regime.
This article explores the extent to which Eritreans in the Arab Gulf and Sudan
can avert coercion by their home government and how these states disempower
diasporic contention.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/soexkjlh7ivetej/Eritrea_Lack_of_Political_Space.pdf/file
