The Long, ‘Last Step’? Reintegration of Repatriates in Eritrea

The reintegration of repatriates in Eritrea is a relevant and pressing issue. This study explores four dimensions of refugee reintegration based on primary data gathered from 80 households that repatriated back to eastern Eritrea from Sudan. The aim is to assess their reception by the host population and the nature of resource competition prompted by their arrival. The analysis also focuses on changes in livelihood and material wellbeing among repatriated households as well as their outlook towards the future. This paper highlights many challenges to integration that have resulted in keeping returnees in a suspended state of poverty and dependence. By way of conclusion, it discusses the problematic nature of the ‘reintegration’ by underscoring important contrasts in concepts and perceptions of ‘home’ on the part of different players in the Eritrean repatriation story.