Dear Secretary of State John Kerry, I, the ambassador of Eritrea to the United States, plead to you and recommend that Eritrea remain on the travel warning list. Although, I do believe that the label “warning” is just a little overstated and should be noted as an advisory page. The current situation in Eritrea is very minimal, but even so the warning provides life-saving information that has the potential to protect unaware visitors from harm. This warning informs travelers of possible landmines in remote areas, the seriousness of having proper documentation, and most importantly border disputes with Ethiopia, Sudan, and Djibouti. Other much lesser problems include piracy, terrorism, and a low crime rate. These pressing issues in Eritrea are…show more content… dual citizens. Entering the country as Eritrean citizens rather than American citizen means that those in power will demand that they work for the government, sometimes until their 40s. Many complain of being chained to dead-end government jobs. By the law, required national service is only supposed to last eighteen months, but in reality it is often indefinite, and only so little can get permits to exit the country until they are finished serving. Their government justifies this action because of their increasing and unresolved border dispute with their neighbor, Ethiopia, which is almost twenty times its size. According to Bariagaber’s article in Africa Today Magazine the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants claims “Eritrea as one of the world's principal sources of refugees.” Huge numbers of people attempt to leave the country every day because they don’t want to be forced into a determined life, mainly in regards to their jobs. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled from Eritrea to Sudan in the past few years; the total population is less than five million; and almost every day, one hundred new Eritreans risk their lives to escape into Sudan. And if travelers arrive to Eritrea as Eritrean citizens, they will face the same treatment as those who already live there, be detained (as mentioned before) for extended periods, and will be denied exit
