In the early dawn of March 11, Eritrea's ruling regime launched an indiscriminate and extensive round up of Eritrea's youth in Keren and is holding them at the Glass military camp near Hagaz.

Most of them were dragged from their homes.

Those rounded up include youth and students with valid passes, some of whom were released the same day. As soon as word got round of their detention center, family members, specially mothers, started on foot towards Glass carrying food and clothes for their children.

The PFDJ has conducted its roundup campaigns, known locally as "Gffa," since 2001. The regime's determination to round up tens of thousands of "draft dodgers" indiscriminately while claiming that it is only hand-picking a few, is matched only by the youth's ingenuity in escaping to neighboring countries by the thousands.