Eritrea is no ordinary state; rather it resembles a criminal organisation designed to keep its citizens in perpetual servitude. It is behaves like a mafia organisation: with covert finances but without a constitution, legislature or elections, run by the country’s president and his closest associates.
Full story here.
Martin Plaut 
“Plaut’s obsession with the ‘Mafia State’ label is getting predictable. When a commentator gives the same ‘shocker’ headline for year after year, it loses all its impact. The world and the region have changed, but Martin’s script remains stuck in the past. It’s time for some fresh perspective instead of this endless recycling.”
This is an article I wrote some years ago, but is worth re-reading, in my opinion. I have used the “mafia” label very sparingly. But thanks for reading it!