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The Eritrean exodus

The Eritrean Exodus

Most of Switzerland's asylum seekers come from Eritrea, and their numbers are growing. Journalists recount the dangerous path Eritreans travel to reach Europe, and what awaits them here.

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A Swiss-American journalist mainly covering education, migration and youth issues - plus the occasional story on cheese, given her roots in Switzerland and Wisconsin. She also produces podcasts and works on the social media team.

Veronica DeVore, swissinfo.ch



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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

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Africans in Switzerland find a common voice

This content was published on At the end of 2011 there were 60,658 Africans resident in Switzerland, not counting dual citizens or asylum seekers without refugee status. Most of them are Eritreans (8,377), Moroccans (7,270), Tunisians (6,489), Congolese (4,707) and Cameroonians (4,068). With the exception of South Sudan, which has been independent only since July 2011, all 54 states of…

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Asylum seekers – a view from the inside

This content was published on “Over the past few years the type of people seeking asylum has changed radically. Today they are no longer political refugees in the strict sense. Most come to Europe in search of work and to improve their standard of living.” So says Margherita (not her real name), who has been working in the centre at Chiasso for…

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Criminals demand millions for Eritreans

This content was published on Eritreans are systematically kidnapped and tortured in the Sinai. But there is hardly any awareness of the problem in Switzerland.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR