Eritrea demands compensation

Eritrea has reportedly demanded compensation from Malawi and lodged a complaint with the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) following the death of one of its citizens who was among a group of Eritrean nationals deported from the country earlier this month, news organisations reported on Tuesday. A South African-based Eritrean official said Malawi's deputy foreign minister had undertaken to hand over the Eritreans to their mission, which in turn would have paid the refugees expenses to be flown back home. However, the official said, he was disappointed to learn that the Malawi government had decided to send the refugees to Ethiopia without consulting him. The 25 Eritrean nationals had arrived in Malawi from Ethiopia on 14 August and were immediately arrested on charges of possessing fake entry visas pending their deportation. The Eritreans, however, claimed they had each paid US $1,000 for their visas at the Malawian embassy in Ethiopia, a claim refuted by Malawi's immigration officers. The Eritreans were bundled into an Ethiopian-bound plane by Malawi's immigration officials and armed policemen a week later. The operation reportedly turned violent when the refugees allegedly resisted being put on the Ethiopian plane, arguing they would be arrested on arrival in Addis Ababa. One of the refugees was killed during the fracas, prompting the Eritrea to demand an explanation and compensation from Malawi's authorities. Last week, the Lusaka-based regional representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Oluseyi Bajulaiye, lodged a "strong protest" over their deportation. In a statement sent to IRIN on Friday Bajulaiye said: "We have registered a strong protest with the Malawian authorities over this incident which has resulted in the unnecessary loss of life." "Assessing an asylum seeker's case on merit, irrespective of how the individual entered the country, is an obligation under international refugee conventions, to which Malawi is a signatory," Bajulaiye said.