UK Threatens Visa Ban on Eritreans Over Refugee Returns

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned that Britain will impose visa restrictions on Eritrean nationals unless the Eritrean government agrees to accept its citizens who arrived by boat and those who have committed crimes. Following this, new travel restrictions have been placed on Eritrean diplomats, limiting their travel outside London, mirroring similar restrictions Eritrea imposed on British diplomats in Asmara. The UK government reports that 18% of people crossing the channel in small boats in the last year were Eritrean. The British Home Office stated they will not hesitate to take further action against countries that do not cooperate with returns, noting that similar pressure has previously yielded results with countries like the DR Congo.