The AU is calling on the Security Council of the United Nations to implement sanctions against Eritrea.

These sanctions can imply the suspension of trade relations, rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio as well as the severance of diplomatic relations with a state.

For countries such as Eritrea being able to import goods and services for the national economy can mean the life line for survival.

The threat of sanctions on goods and services in hand with the introduction of tariff and trade barriers, import duties as well as import and export quotas would cause heavy administrative fences for Eritrea. This would make it nearly impossible for a country to supply for the needs of its people.

Eritrea is already one of the poorest nations in the world, with an average yearly per capita income of $US 200 and ranking 157th out of 177 states in the World Development Index (World Bank 2006). Thus, it seems obvious that the introduction of sanctions could have a crushing impact on trade and food security levels for the population of Eritrea.

Especially, as the country is already highly vulnerable to external factors such as commodity prices and foreign exchange flows.

Previous examples of countries which have been sanctioned resulted in impoverishment, increase of child mortality and the lack of elementary items for living. This has led to a majority of people not being able to feed themselves, the GDP falling extremely and the gradual run down of necessary facilities.

In the eye of the increasing economical advances made in the country, the call to sanction Eritrea by neighbouring countries is definitely representing an ethical and humanitarian injustice against the people living in Eritrea.

The WHO has stated recently that good progress has been made in Eritrea to improve life expectancy for its people.

For the first time in years, foreign investment seems to not be scared away from the nation in the Horn of Africa and willing to provide with heavily needed foreign exchange.

Further, the World Bank is underlining that the prospect to ensure food security, develop human resources and physical infrastructure has improved for Eritrea. Moreover, the World Bank is referring to the positive outlook for economical growth with the introduction of a free trade zones as well as the development of the mining sector in Eritrea.

Between 2005 and 2007 Eritrea had an average GDP growth rate of 1%. Experts have estimated that Eritrea requires a sustained real economic growth of 7% or higher in the long term, to reach its Millennium Goal to reduce the number of people living in extreme poverty by 50% until 2015.