Eritrea's President Isaias Afeworki

Eritrea’s President Isaias Afeworki smiles upon his arrival at the airport in Gondar, for a visit in Ethiopia, on November 9, 2018. Eritrean has welcomed the impending removal of the country from US terror blacklist. PHOTO | EDUARDO SOTERAS | AFP

The Eritrean government has welcomed the impending removal of the country from a blacklist of nations that the US accuses of “not fully co-operating” with anti-terrorism efforts.

Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told the BBC that the “categorisation was erroneous” in the first place, adding that the country’s removal from the list was “better late than never”.

“Eritrea’s track record on fighting terrorism has been impeccable throughout the past decades,” he said.

The US put Eritrea in the category in May 2017, basing its decision on allegations that the Eritrean government had been funding the Al-Shabaab militant group, based in Somalia. The US has designated the group a terrorist organisation.

Those very allegations had earlier in 2009 led the UN Security Council to impose a two-way arms embargo on the country.

The sanctions also included targeted travel bans and asset freezes against individuals in the government of President Isaias Afeworki.

Source : BBC