UK threatens Eritrea with visa restrictions over migrant returns

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has threatened to ban all Eritrean nationals from entering the United Kingdom unless the nation accepts more returned small boat migrants and foreign national offenders, BBC News reported. Mahmood stated that she would not hesitate to impose measures on nations refusing to co-operate. [1]

Starting Thursday, Eritrean diplomats will face movement restrictions outside London, according to BBC News. Fast-track visas for Eritrean VIPs will also be halted. UK ministers have previously used threats of visa bans to compel other governments into accepting returned citizens. [1]

Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa region, bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, and Djibouti, with its capital at Asmara. The nation gained formal sovereignty in 1993 following a referendum and has been led continuously by President Isaias Afwerki. [2][3]

BBC News reported that figures from the House of Commons Library show Eritreans were the most frequent nationality among small boat arrivals in the 12 months leading to June. They accounted for 18 percent of all arrivals during that period. [1]