From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Mar 03 2010 - 06:48:41 EST
U.S. State Department issues Travel Warning for Eritrea
Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
_____
ERITREA
March 02, 2010
The U.S. Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens of the risks of
travel to Eritrea and recommends that U.S. citizens defer all travel there
because of Eritrean government restrictions on travel outside the capital
city of Asmara, an increased number of U.S. citizens arrested without clear
justification, and heightened tensions along Eritrea's borders with Ethiopia
and Djibouti. This replaces the Travel Warning dated August 28, 2009.
The Eritrean government continues to restrict the travel of all foreign
nationals, including resident diplomats. These restrictions require all
visitors and residents to apply 10 days in advance for permission to travel
outside the Asmara city limits. As a result, the U.S. Embassy cannot
provide emergency consular assistance outside of Asmara.
There also have been an increased number of Eritrean-U.S. dual citizens
arrested without apparent cause. Once arrested, detainees may be held for
extended periods without being told the purpose of their incarceration.
Conditions are harsh - those incarcerated may be held in very small quarters
without access to restrooms, bedding, food or clean water. The Eritrean
government does not inform the U.S. Embassy when U.S. citizens, including
those who are not dual nationals, have been arrested or detained.
U.S. citizens are also cautioned to be aware of anti-U.S. sentiment among
Eritrean nationals since UN sanctions were imposed on Eritrea in December
2009. There have been no specific incidents of violence targeting
Americans, but anti-UN sanction demonstrations against the United States
have occurred. We remind U.S. citizens that even demonstrations intended to
be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. U.S.
citizens are therefore urged to avoid demonstrations, and to exercise
caution if within proximity of any demonstrations. U.S. citizens should
stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their
surroundings at all times.
U.S. citizens are strongly advised to avoid travel near the
Eritrean-Ethiopian border and to the Southern Red Sea region, including the
port of Assab.
U.S. citizens considering travel within Eritrea should be aware of the
presence of large numbers of Eritrean and Ethiopian troops along the
Eritrean-Ethiopian border, and acute political tensions between the two
countries. In March 2008, Eritrean restrictions on diesel fuel supplies
caused the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea's detachments to
withdraw from the Temporary Security Zone, leaving no international
observers monitoring the border. Skirmishes between troops of both
countries resulted in fatalities in January and February of 2010.
Since April 2008, Djiboutian and Eritrean troops have been deployed along
the Eritrea-Djibouti border. The Djiboutian government claims Eritrean
troops have crossed into its territory and on June 10, 2008, Djiboutian and
Eritrean troops exchanged fire along their shared border.
The consular section of Embassy Asmara is open only for emergency American
citizen services. U.S. citizens currently living or traveling in Eritrea
are strongly encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Asmara through
the State Department's travel registration web site,
https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on
travel and security within Eritrea. By registering, U.S. citizens make it
easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of an emergency and provide
updates on the security situation. The U.S. Embassy is located at 179 Alaa
Street, P.O. Box 211, Asmara; telephone (291-1) 12-00-04, available 24 hours
in case of emergency; fax (291-1) 124-255 and (291-1) 127-584; web site
http://asmara.usembassy.gov/.
For additional information, consult the Department of State's Country
Specific Information sheet for Eritrea and the Worldwide Caution at
http://travel.state.gov. American citizens may also obtain up-to-date
information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in
the United States and Canada, or 1-202-501-4444 from overseas.
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