Eritrea
Eritrea says the May 29 lifting of security related blacklisting by the United States government was welcome despite being an erroneous move in the first place.
The BBC quoted Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel as saying the “categorisation was erroneous” in the first place, before adding that Asmara viewed today’s move as a case of being “better late than never.”
“Eritrea’s track record on fighting terrorism has been impeccable throughout the past decades,” he said.
Washington classed Eritrea under its list of Counterterror Non-Cooperation nations in May 2017. Eritrea was the only African country listed at the time.
The US based its decision on allegations of Eritrean government support for Somalia-based insurgent group, al-Shabab. The US is actively involved in combating the group listed as a terrorist organisation under its laws.
The quartet of nations that remain on the said list are: Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela.
Observers had largely held that dropping Eritrea from the list was only a matter of time especially after the United Nations Security Council, UNSC, voted to lift targeted sanctions on Eritrea over similar allegations.
At the time, it took a shift in position by the US – a permanent member of the UNSC, to allow for the sanctions to be lifted. Eritrea demanded an apology from the UN body over what it said was baseless and unfair sanctions.
READ MORE: Eritrea to patiently evaluate political, economic, security sectors
Go to video
Togo: Over 30 dead in “terrorist attacks” in 2023
01:02
Pics of the day: November 23, 2023
Go to video
Kenya: U.S. citizen convicted of child sex crimes 9 years ago rearrested on new charges
01:01
S.A: EFF leader Julius Malema and five MPS sanctioned for SONA disruption
Go to video
Somalia leader backs Army to take over from African Union
02:25
New movie musical "The Color Purple" premieres in the UK