Exoduses and asylum policies. The Eritrean case

Refugee crisis, hospitality crisis

The migratory question in the Horn of Africa, long ignored by the media and public opinion, is now beginning to make its way onto the European and international political agenda. The Eritrean exodus began in the 1960s, shortly after the annexation of the former Italian province by its powerful Ethiopian neighbor and the start of a war of liberation that lasted until 1991. Having long been seen at best as the "objects" of development policies, humanitarian programs and "remote" international management, the Eritreans, like other exiles from the Horn, are gradually making their way into the European political spotlight, thanks to a "crisis" built up since 2015 by the negligence and lack of foresight of member states and the EU. The Eritrean "case" has much to teach us about the exodus and its social, economic and political dynamics, but also about the policies for managing exile and asylum, in developing and developed countries alike, by states, international organizations and the refugee diasporas themselves.