Ali Addeh refugee camp , Djibouti ( CNN ) Henol and Mebratu emerge from their current home , a modest structure with plastic sheeting serving as its roof , carrying the `` master folder . '' One of the most important documents on the camp , it 's a record of each Eritrean 's name and their case -- whether they 've been granted refugee status , whether they 've had their resettlement interview , whether they 've attempted the journey to Europe by sea , and whether they 've survived it . By the rows of names , red dots are marked to signify the dead . In the past few days , news -- from the network of friends and family across the world -- came in that 20 new dots needed to be scratched in -- for the 20 friends who 'd drowned off the shores of Italy . For 25 years , Ali Addeh refugee camp has been a holding point for those fleeing into Djibouti , which borders Eritrea , Ethiopia and Somalia in the Horn of Africa . For the camp 's 10,000 residents , who mostly come from these countries , this is supposed to be just the first stop on their journey to resettlement through the United Nations . Many though say it 's been years and they 're tired of waiting . For those willing to pay , there 's another route to a new life . Across the Ethiopian border , through to Sudan and then up and across into Libya -- from where the migrant ships operated by human traffickers set sail at high tide . Henol 's friend Soloman was among the hundreds who lost their lives this week when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean en route to Europe , he tells me . They 'd grown up together -- even made the risky journey to Djibouti together . When the time came for Soloman to travel , Henol says he was asked to go too but said no . He hoped to give the legal route a little longer . It was the first time they 'd been separated in years . I ask Henol if he still believes in the legal route . `` I can see now that we 've been forgotten by the world , '' he says . `` There is no solution here . No solution back home -- what can we do ? We are living in limbo . '' He tells me he now plans to follow his friend . Even though he died trying , I ask ? `` Yes , '' he replies . Eritrea is ranked as one of the most repressive countries in the world , with an aging dictator enforcing a brutal regime of forced conscription to the army that rights groups believe is a cover for mass exploitation . Elected by the country 's national assembly in 1993 , Isaias Afewerki runs what is essentially a one-party state . One young man at the camp comes over on crutches to show us his disfigured knee . The commander of his military unit , he says , accused him of insubordination and with a viscous kick left him disabled for life -- just a few months shy of his 17th birthday . He asks that we not reveal his name . These are the things no one here will talk about on camera . Back in Djibouti we find a man who is willing to speak , as long as we obscure his identity . With his face in shadow he haltingly tells us that the last time he saw his father was 20 years ago -- the night his mother was killed trying to stop the men who came to take him away . He believes they were working for the security forces . As soon as he was old enough , he says he made his first attempt at crossing into Djibouti . He was discovered and wounded by gunfire . As soon as he 'd recovered though , he tried again , knowing that if he was caught this time he 'd be killed . Despite a wound that had barely healed , he made it into Djibouti after four days of walking day and night . This is where he 's been for the last seven years , waiting to be resettled through the UN . The uncertainty is agony . He understands why others have pinned their hopes on people smugglers and leaky vessels . `` People risk their lives , '' he says , `` for a better life . `` All this that is happening [ in Europe ] is because of the neglect of the international community . `` People come to Djibouti and look at someone like me who 's been waiting so long and think there is no hope . It 's better to put ourselves in the hands of God . '' If he had the money , he says , he would too .
For 25 years , Ali Addeh refugee camp has been a holding point for those fleeing into Djibouti . Many come from Somalia , Ethiopia and especially Eritrea -- which is ruled by a one-party state . Despite the risks , Eritrean refugees say they 'd risk their lives with people smugglers .