Unbowed and Unbroken: Eritrea Survives, Resists, and Advances Under Sanctions

Eritrea@35 Series

By B. Tekle

Eritrea has long been placed in the crosshairs of an orchestrated international smear campaign—targeted not for genuine transgressions, but for committing what detractors consider a “supreme crime”: defying global hegemony and fiercely protecting its independence. For decades, the nation has chosen a self-reliant path, refusing to be burdened by the debilitating debt conditionalities imposed by international financial institutions. In response, Western powers have deployed economic warfare—a tactic often more destructive than direct military aggression—to punish the Eritrean people and derail the country’s sovereign development.

The impact of international sanctions on Eritrea’s recent economic development has been deliberately severe. On December 23, 2009, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1907, imposing sanctions on Eritrea for allegedly supporting armed opposition groups in Somalia, specifically Al-Shabaab. However, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea (SEMG), mandated to investigate violations of these sanctions, stated in its 2021 report that “Eritrea is a marginal actor in Somalia, with little, if any, influence—either positively or negatively—on the course of events.” Despite this finding, the sanctions remained in place for years.

To compound the injustice, in 2021 the United States and the European Union imposed unilateral coercive measures after failing to secure similar action through the UN Security Council. These sanctions restricted the financial landscape, hindered foreign investment, and aggravated humanitarian concerns. They specifically targeted new investments in Eritrea’s promising extractive and mining industries—fully aware that revenues from these sectors are vital for funding national infrastructure.

As a direct consequence, Western mining companies from Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom—many of which had existing investments in Eritrea—found it increasingly difficult to secure financing. Ultimately, several were forced to divest, selling their stakes to Chinese conglomerates and, in the process, further accelerating Western disengagement from the region.

The burden of this economic warfare has weighed most heavily on the everyday lives of Eritreans. These unilateral sanctions have systematically jeopardized the wellbeing of the nation’s most vulnerable populations. A striking example is the 2021 U.S. sanctioning of the Red Sea Trading Corporation (RSTC). As a key national procurement entity working in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, the RSTC facilitates the distribution of essential agricultural inputs for local farming projects. Sanctioning this institution effectively meant sanctioning thousands of rural workers—making their daily labor more difficult and artificially inflating food prices for ordinary consumers across the country.

Furthermore, foreign adversaries have deliberately targeted the 2% recovery tax—a voluntary and widely embraced contribution made by the diaspora to support national development. By imposing restrictive banking measures and exerting pressure on Eritrean citizens abroad, these actions have sought to undermine the deep social solidarity and cohesion between the diaspora and their homeland.

Yet, the Eritrean spirit remains unshaken. Rather than capitulating to the intended paralysis of these sanctions, both the government and the people have doubled down on their foundational principle of self-reliance. To shield citizens from the harshest impacts of these measures, the Government of the State of Eritrea has expanded national social protection programs, providing life-sustaining support to female-headed households, the elderly, and rural communities.

Across the country, citizens are transforming the landscape through collective effort and resilience. Through community labor and self-reliance, they have constructed over 5,000 water catchments and micro-dams—including nearly 1000 medium to large-scale dams—to secure water supplies and rehabilitate drought-prone lands. In parallel, Eritrea is accelerating its transition to renewable energy, with nearly 60% of rural water systems now powered by solar energy, significantly reducing dependence on costly imported fuel.

The narrative often advanced by detractors portrays Eritrea’s self-reliance as “isolationism.” However, the reality on the ground tells a very different story—one of endurance, determination, and strategic independence. Eritrea is steadily building a prosperous, unified, and just nation, where development is guided by the needs of its people rather than the demands of foreign powers.

While sanctions have undoubtedly created significant obstacles to economic modernization, they have failed—completely—to fracture national unity. Eritrea will continue its path forward: unbowed, unbroken, and unapologetically independent.