Expelled Italian envoy departs

The Italian ambassador to Eritrea has left the country following his expulsion by the Eritrean foreign ministry, the Eritrean government said in a statement on Tuesday. Antonio Bandini, who also served as the European Union (EU) representative to Eritrea, left the country on Monday. The statement said the decision to expel Bandini had been taken in response to "the activities of the ambassador that were not compatible with his diplomatic functions". It went on to stress that the expulsion was directed at the diplomat alone, "and should not otherwise have a bearing on the close and historical ties of partnership with Italy and other EU member states".

Bandini's expulsion was ordered on 28 September shortly after he led a delegation of EU diplomats to deliver a statement protesting against recent political arrests and the indefinite closure of the country's independent press by the Eritrean authorities. In the letter, the EU criticized Eritrea for human rights violations following the arrests. Semere Russom, the director of European affairs at the Eritrean foreign ministry, told the BBC, however, that Bandini's expulsion was a personal matter and was not linked to the presentation of the EU statement. "Eritrea's historic relations and ties of friendship with Italy should not be affected. It is not about Italy and Eritrea, it is about one man," said Russom.