EU envoys return

Four EU diplomats, who had been recalled from Eritrea in protest against the expulsion in October by the Eritrean authorities of the Italian ambassador, arrived back in the capital, Asmara, this week. The ambassadors of Germany, France, Holland and Denmark were all back in their posts, the BBC reported on Thursday.

The ambassadors were recalled as relations between the EU and Eritrea soured following the Eritrean government's arrest of leading opponents to the ruling party, the closure of the country's independent press and the arrest of local journalists. The EU accused Eritrea of human rights violations following the arrest of 11 former government members turned critics and the media shutdown. Eritrea in turn accused the EU of interfering in domestic affairs.

Although Italy is yet to send an ambassador back to Eritrea following the expulsion of Antonio Bandini, it is understood that the EU has not withdrawn support for, or suspended, any of its previously agreed aid support programmes for Eritrea. Most significantly, the BBC reported that the crucial EU-sponsored demobilisation programme, which is designed to put Eritrea back on a peace footing following its two-year border war with Ethiopia, had not been suspended as a punitive measure.