Government denies detention deaths

The Eritrean government confirmed the deaths of two University of Asmara students, but denied they died in a detention camp, as reported earlier by AFP. According to an Eritrean foreign ministry statement issued on Tuesday, the Eritrean government “deeply regrets” the deaths of the students but attributed them to “climatic conditions”. The two students had been among a group of 2,000 students who had been taken to a place called Wia, south of the port city of Massawa, after refusing to participate in a government summer work programme, the statement said. The first student died on 14 August, followed by the other one on 19 August - the latter “after hospitalisation for a week”. The deaths had occurred during the first two days “due to lack of adequate logistical preparation”. The remaining students were not in a detention camp and would be sent home soon to resume their studies in September, the statement concluded.