- The Eritrean embassy in London issued a formal rebuttal to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's accusation that Eritrea abruptly halted cooperation on returning its nationals to the UK
- The embassy said Eritrea had repeatedly requested constructive dialogue on dignified returns but that Britain showed no interest and continued insisting on forced repatriation
- Eritrea accused the UK of concealing that some returnees were convicted criminals still serving prison terms and of falsely labelling forced returns as voluntary
The Eritrean embassy in London has taken on the accusations made by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, calling her threatened visa restrictions against Eritrean nationals a "perfunctory political gimmick."
Source: Twitter
In a statement dated Thursday, October 15, the embassy directly challenged Mahmood's remarks from the previous day, in which she accused Eritrea of refusing to accept the return of its nationals and warned of a complete ban on Eritrean citizens entering Britain if the country did not comply.
Eritrea's Position on Forced Returns
The embassy categorically rejected the claim that Eritrea had abruptly withdrawn cooperation on what Mahmood described as enforced and escorted returns.
It clarified that Asmara has never accepted the forced return of its citizens and said this position had been communicated to British officials on multiple occasions.
"The Government of the State of Eritrea does not accept the forced return of its citizens and has duly communicated this fact to British government officials on various occasions," the embassy said.
According to the embassy, Eritrea had repeatedly sought constructive dialogue with relevant UK authorities on what it described as the dignified return of its citizens.
It said London consistently showed no interest in meaningful negotiations and instead continued to push for enforced repatriation, a stance the embassy argued contradicts the UK's own Country Guidance Policy on Eritrea.
The embassy placed the root of the dispute in what it described as the UK's politicisation of its asylum system.
It said Britain had extended blanket asylum status to anyone claiming to be Eritrean, a policy it argued had become a pull factor drawing mostly underage Eritreans to the UK.
The embassy also claimed the approach had attracted non-Eritrean nationals who posed as Eritreans, compounding the problem significantly.
Why Eritrea Suspended Es-cort Arrangements
On the specific question of why Eritrea had halted the practice of escorting returnees, the embassy said the suspension was a direct response to unacceptable conduct by UK authorities.
It alleged that Britain had returned individuals who were convicted criminals still serving prison terms without informing Asmara, and had falsely described these transfers as voluntary when they were not.
"Due to unacceptable practices by UK authorities, such as failing to disclose that they were returning convicted criminals still serving prison terms and describing returnees as 'voluntary' when clearly, they were not, the State of Eritrea was forced to suspend the practice of escorting Eritrean nationals who were supposedly 'voluntarily' returning to their homeland," the embassy said.
The two governments now hold sharply conflicting accounts of the situation. Mahmood has maintained that Eritrea had every opportunity to accept returns and, unlike other countries, refused.
The embassy insists Eritrea never agreed to forced returns and that it made this position clear repeatedly.
On the visa restrictions, the embassy noted that Britain had not issued a single visa to an Eritrean official since 2023, adding weight to its dismissal of the threatened "corrective visa actions" as lacking any practical substance.
"“While the Home Secretary’s current decision to impose ‘corrective visa actions’ is regrettable, the act is nothing more than a perfunctory political gimmick,” it said.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Authors:
Hot: