1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Eritrea

Italy expels Eritrean ambassador

The Italian foreign ministry has given the Eritrean ambassador to Italy 72 hours to leave the country in an apparent tit-for-tat expulsion. The announcement follows the Eritrean government's expulsion, earlier this week, of the Italian ambassador to Eritrea, AFP reported on Tuesday. The expulsion of Tsegai Mogos came just hours after Antonio Bandini left his ambassadorial post in Eritrea on the orders of the Eritrean foreign ministry. The Eritrean government was reportedly angered by a statement that Bandini, who also held the position of the European Union (EU) representative to Eritrea, had submitted on behalf of the EU protesting against recent political arrests and the indefinite closure of the country's independent press. In announcing Tsegai's expulsion, the Italian foreign ministry also said that the EU would be revising its existing trade and development agreements with Eritrea. "The European Union emphasizes that the expulsion of the EU representative seriously compromises relations with Eritrea," the statement said. Last month Eritrea appealed for US $200 million in foreign aid to pay for its demobilization and reintegration programme, designed to help the country deal with the aftermath of its two-year border war with Ethiopia. Italy is the largest single foreign donor to Eritrea, its former colony.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join