「厄利垂亞與北韓有個共同點，自由在這兩個國家都是死亡狀態。」1993年從衣索比亞獨立出來後陷入獨裁統治，到現在還是同一位總統。無論是人均GDP、人類發展指數，還是新聞自由指數，皆為全球倒數，是全世界最低度開發國家之一，又被稱為「非洲版北韓」。和鄰國衣索比亞因邊界問題長期處於戰爭狀態，直到2018年衣索比亞總理阿比阿曼德主動歸還爭議性領土，才終止數十年的衣厄衝突。

“Eritrea and North Korea share one thing in common, that is freedom is dead in these two countries.” Since Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia and gained its independence, the state has been trapped in dictatorship and still being ruled by the same president to this day. Be it GDP per capita, the Human Development Index, or the Press Freedom Index, this state is ranked among the bottom few in the world. It is also the least developed country in the world and is called “Africa’s North Korea.” Eritrea was at war with Ethiopia over border disputes for a long time. It wasn’t until Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, returned the territory in dispute in 2018 that the Eritrean–Ethiopian war, a conflict which lasted decades, came to an end.