The UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says the government is considering wide-ranging measures against Eritrea, including a possible ban on visas. She links the threat to Eritrea’s refusal to cooperate with the return of failed asylum seekers and other individuals the UK wants to remove.
According to multiple outlets, Eritrea withdrew returns cooperation earlier this year. In response, the UK has already removed fast-track visa access for VIPs and officials from Eritrea. Mahmood warns that Eritreans could be blocked from entering the UK unless Eritrea agrees to accept the UK’s rejected asylum applicants and certain others.
The BBC reports that Mahmood says she would apply similar steps to other countries that do not cooperate. Other coverage characterizes the potential policy as a “total” visa ban, framing it as pressure to resume or expand return arrangements. None of the reports indicate that a visa ban has yet been implemented.
