So...why have things suddenly become so violent, when for decades Eritrean politican activism abroad was largely peaceful?
While iron fisted rule isn't really a new thing, Eritrea's deciding to intervene in Ethiopia's civil war in 2020, a war where tens of thousands of Eritreans are believed to have been killed, may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Most Eritreans feel it wasn't their war & the deaths of scores of conscripts may have tipped the vase over.
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/eritrea-troops-still-ethiopian-soil-us-2023-01-28/