Title: Eritrea’s Dark Underbelly: A Persistent Nexus of Human Trafficking, Arms Smuggling, and Financial Crimes

Human Trafficking in Eritrea

Compulsory National Service and Citizen Militia

• Exploitation of nationals through forced labor
• Limited passport issuance and strict exit controls
• High demand and risks for those seeking to leave
• Involvement of high-ranking military officers

Arms Smuggling

• Key trans-shipment point for arms to embargoed nations
• State actors’ involvement in arms trade
• Complications from the Tigray war

Other Criminal Activities

Environmental Crimes

• Minimal flora crimes since 2020
• Military involvement in illegally harvesting wood and charcoal
• Potential wildlife crime hub but small role in ivory trafficking
• Risk of becoming a hotspot for illegal fishing

Financial Crimes

• Hawala and black market exchanges
• Eritrean diaspora utilization
• Black market exchanges in neighboring countries
• State spending lack of transparency

State-Embedded Actors and Organized Crime

• PFDJ and military play significant roles
• Role of the conscription system in human trafficking
• Absence of mafia-style groups

Transnational Organized Crime Networks

• Eritrean smugglers operating along European routes
• Rashaida traffickers along the Eritrea-Sudan border
• Foreign actor involvement, mainly from Sudan and/or Egypt

Private Sector’s Role in Organized Crime

• Limited involvement due to import/export regulations
• Scarcity of hard currency