The Eritrean government’s practice of forced military conscription
means that seminarians and other church workers are being forced into
the army, causing a personnel shortage for the Catholic Church.
A source close to the local Church told the charity Aid to the Church
in Need that the compulsory military service is “bleeding the Church in
Eritrea to death.”
The source, who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisals, said the
government “exaggerates the danger of war, as a pretext to keep people
in military service.”
The source said the atmosphere of imminent war
helps “keep people in line.”
The communist government, which does not set a fixed period for
military service, has kept many Church workers and seminarians in
military service for more than 15 years in some cases. The government
“even wants to arm priests,” the source said.
“In general, military service has led to a situation where there is a
shortage of qualified workers in many professions – not just in the
Church, the source added.
The government has encouraged all Eritreans to own weapons, even
priests and housewives.
National service is required for all male and
female citizens beginning at age 16. Many people serve as indentured
laborers to build roads or to work in foreign-run mines.
Thousands avoid military service by fleeing the country each year.
Eritrea’s national soccer team recently defected while on a visit to
Uganda, in part because of the compulsory military service, Radio France
Internationale says.
Over 2,000 Christians are among those who have refused military service
and are imprisoned for their beliefs. Most of the detained Christians
are members of non-recognized churches in a country where only four
religions are formally recognized: the Orthodox Church, the Catholic
Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and Islam.
Catholic Church activities are also burdened by a 1995 decree that
restricts social and welfare projects to the state. The government has
unsuccessfully attempted to seize Catholic schools and other projects.
“The government wants us to restrict ourselves to the church and vestry,” Aid to the Church in Need’s source said.
Eritrea became independent from neighboring Ethiopia in 1993 after 30
years of conflict. It has about 5.2 million people, almost half of whom
are Christian.
Most of the Christian population is Orthodox, while
Catholics make up about four percent of the total population.