But now, for the first time in around a decade, BBC World News has been allowed to film inside the country.
The authorities want to show off some positive news – they say child mortality is falling, maternal health is improving, and malaria has almost been wiped out. But alongside the gleaming hospitals on show, will Our World’s Hakim gets a glimpse of why so many young Eritreans will risk everything to leave the country?
Our World: Inside Eritrea with Yalda Hakim will air on Friday, 13 March at 22:30; Saturday, 14 March at 07:30 and 13:30; and Sunday, 15 March at 19:30 on BBC World News, channel 400 on DStv.