UN estimates 300,000-400,000 enslaved in Eritrea

• WATCH | Nevsun in Eritrea: Dealing with a Dictator

The report says"particular individuals, including officials at the highestlevels of State, the ruling party the People's Front forDemocracy and Justice and commanding officers bearresponsibility for crimes against humanity and other gross humanrights violations."

The inquiry said there had been no improvement since a yearago when it published a 484-page dossier describingextrajudicial killings, widespread torture, sexual slavery andenforced labour.

'Facade of calm'

Visitors to the country should not be fooled by the "generalsense of calm and order" in the capital Asmara, because abuseswere carried out in military training camps and detentioncentres, the report said.

"The facade of calm and normality that is apparent to theoccasional visitor to the country, and others confined tosections of the capital, belies the consistent patterns ofserious human rights violations," it added.

Eritrea's government did not allow the inquiry team to visitthe country, although its diplomats met the investigators at theUNheadquarters in New York.

Last year the three-strong inquiry team, led by Smith, an Australiandiplomat and counter-terrorism expert, did not have amandate to look into "international crimes,"so the previousreport said only that crimes against humanity may have beencommitted, without apportioning blame.

'Groundlessaccusations'

In the past year, the inquiry has received almost 45,000written submissions, almost all group letters and petitionscriticizing the first report, the direct result of a governmentcampaign to discredit the inquiry, the report said.

Some signatories contacted by the inquiry said they had beencoerced or their signatures had been forged and they wereunaware of the letters, the report added.

Eritrea's government said onWednesday it rejected what it calledthe "politically motivated and groundlessaccusations."

The report is "an unwarranted attack not onlyagainst Eritrea, but also Africa and developing nations." saidpresidential adviserYemaneGhebreab in a statement.

The east African nation hasroutinely dismissed reports by UNbodiesand campaign groups of rights violations in the past.

• Forced labour alleged inCanadian-Eritreanmine project
• Eritrea collecting 'money for the dictator' fromexpatsin Canada