Eritrea’s Complex Environment: A Challenge for Anti-Organized Crime Efforts
The State of Organized Crime in Eritrea
Eritrea is a country with a unique set of challenges when it comes to organized crime and anti-organized crime efforts. Despite its complex environment, there are key points that can be derived from the available information.
Key Challenges
- Limited Foreign Criminal Actors: Due to the state’s high level of criminalization, few foreign criminal actors operate in Eritrea.
- State Involvement in Organized Crime: Members of the government have been involved in transnational organized crime, and the state is perceived as a mafia by most Eritreans.
Organized Crime Activities
- Human Trafficking: Diplomats, police, and military personnel have been implicated in human trafficking along the Sudanese border and through other routes.
- No Notable Mafia Groups: Unlike some other countries, there are no well-established mafia groups in Eritrea.
Authoritarian Governance and Limited Anti-Organized Crime Efforts
- Authoritarian Government: Eritrea is an authoritarian state controlled by President Isaias Afwerki, who has been dismissive of political reform and has violated human rights with impunity.
- Limited Anti-Organized Crime Efforts: While the government has made some steps to counter human trafficking, it lacks transparency, and there are no proactive victim identification mechanisms in place.
Economic Environment and Civil Society
- Poor Economic Environment: Eritrea is at high risk of money laundering due to its cash-based economy, widespread use of informal money transfer systems, and insufficient regulatory capacity.
- Limited Civil Society and Social Protection: There is no evidence of government efforts to identify, protect, or support victims of trafficking, and non-governmental organizations are not permitted to operate in the country.
Conclusion
Eritrea’s environment is characterized by a strong state presence, limited foreign criminal actors, and a high risk of money laundering. However, there are also challenges related to human trafficking, authoritarian governance, and limited anti-organized crime efforts.