Jan Abbink in De Telegraaf about reasons for Eritreans to flee Eritrea

Jan Abbink was interviewed by De Telegraaf about the background of the Eritrean riots in The Hague. He explains about the diverse reasons for (generations of) Eritreans to flee their country. Thirty to forty years ago, Eritrean refugees came to the Netherlands before Eritrea became independent in 1993. They fled the bloody independence struggle from Ethiopia. Later refugees fled the regime of President Isaias Afewerki of independent Eritrea, who emerged as a dictator. Another reason to flee the country, in particular for more recent asylum seekers, is the lack of (economic and political) perspective, in addition to aversion to the Eritrean military service, Abbink explains.

Read the article (in Dutch, paywall).