On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Eritrea LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Eritrea country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Eritrea COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Eritrea.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Eritrea is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
Eritrea is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. It has not ratified the Organization of African Unity’s 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, and it does not have national refugee legislation.
Eritrea does recognize refugees from Sudan and Somalia on a prima facie basis, but has not put in place any national refugee status determination (RSD) procedures. The nation has no national legislation on refugee matters.
Eritrea does not consider asylum claims from Ethiopian nationals, but respects their right to approach UNHCR to seek refugee status.
Legal aid organisations
Website
Address: Campo Polo Meteten St. 1A754, House no. 35, Asmara, Eritrea
Tel: +291 41 22 739 7294, +291 41 22 739 7295
Email: ertas@unhcr.org
Organisations providing other support to refugees
The Eritrean Relief Association (UK) is a charity registered in the UK. As a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England, it is governed by a Memorandum and Article of Association. It was set up in 1976 by a group of Eritrean refugees together with British supporters of the Eritrean struggle for independence. Over the following two decades, ERA (UK) has challenged the effects of drought, famine and war by raising funds to run effective relief, health and community-based programmes, both in the liberated parts of the country, and in refugee camps in the Sudan. During the war and famine of the 1970’s and 1980’s it was the only UK based charity working in the war zone, where it played a vital role in facilitating cross-border relief and rehabilitation operations.
Website
Address: Sri Aurobindo Avenue, Off Mzima Spring Road. Lavington, P.O BOX 55040-00200
Tel: + 254 709 889 000
Eritrea became an IOM member state in 2015 and discussions are currently ongoing to establish a permanent IOM presence in the country. In the meantime, IOM RO Nairobi covers all issues related to planned programming in Eritrea.
Independent of any political organisation or government, Radio Erena offers news, cultural programmes, music and entertainment. The blog provides articles containing firsthand reports of the situation in Eritrea and Ethiopia which may be considered useful in the gathering of country of origin information. A network of contributors based in the United States, Italy, Britain and the Netherlands is providing the Paris-based staff with Tigrinya-language programmes that are broadcast via Arabsat’s Badr-6 satellite. Eritreans can tune into Radio Erena on the 11,785 Mhz frequency with vertical polarisation (SR 27500, FEC 3/4).
Website
President: John Stauffer
Tel: +1 61 08 91 84 70
Email: Mail@EritreanRefugees.org
The America Team for Displaced Eritreans provide links to COI information pertaining to Eritrean refugees. Initiatives include assisting with scholarships for Eritrean refugees seeking higher education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and providing personal support to refugees in the USA who have come from Shimelba Refugee Camp, Ethiopia. They are not currently able to answer requests for general information but may be able to provide expert testimony in specific cases on request.
International Crisis Group, Eritrea: The Siege State, Africa Report N°163, 21 September 2010 – An excellent country report from a renowned organisation which may be a potential source of up-to-date COI for asylum applications.
Eritrea LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Eritrea.
Eritrea COI
Find Eritrea country of information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated April 2023