ERITREA: BBC ASSIGNMENT FULL AUDIO

Eritrea is one of the most closed countries in the world, with no independent media or political opposition and a widely criticised human rights record. Each year thousands of young people leave the country to escape the harsh national service regime that for most means a lifetime of service to the state. Few foreign broadcasters get access to the country but in this final year of the UN Millenium Development Goals, Eritrea has given the BBC rare access to report. The BBC’s Yalda Hakim finds that in areas such as child mortality, maternal health and HIV/Aids and malaria, the country has reached its MDG target early.

(Photo: Street scene in Asmara, capital of Eritrea. BBC copyright)