Table of Contents

Foreword by Christopher Clapham
Introduction
National/Military Service in Africa: Theories and Concepts
The Government and the Structure of the Eritrean Defence Force
The Nature of the ENS and its Effectiveness as a Fighting Force
The ENS as a Mechanism for Preserving and Transmitting the Core Values of the Liberation Struggle
The Eritrean National Service: A Vehicle for National Unity and Cohesion
The Eritrean National Service and Forced Equality
The Overarching Impact of the ENS on the Social Fabric of Eritrean Society
Impact of the Open-Ended ENS on Families and Conscripts
Conclusion

About the Author

GAIM KIBREAB retired as Professor of Research and Director of Refugee Studies, School of Law and Social Science, London South Bank University in 2021. He is the author of Eritrea: A Dream Deferred (James Currey, 2009), People on the Edge in the Horn (James Currey, 1996) and The Eritrean National Service (2017).

Reviews

A detailed and comprehensive assessment of this central instrument of state power in Eritrea...drawing on survey and interview data collected from former ENS conscripts, now living abroad, the book presents a deeply complex picture of the programme and its influence.
*AFRICAN AFFAIRS*

This book makes a vital contribution to an important and pressing political and social issue that is impacting millions of people in today's Eritrea. . . . I applaud the author for making this timely and important contribution to the current literature on Eritrea migration, refugees, national service, and human rights studies.
*AFRICAN STUDIES QUARTERLY*

Kibreab deserves praise for raising awareness concerning the predicament faced by an entire generation of Eritrean youth.
*AFRICAN STUDIES REVIEW*