Asmara accuses Sudan of ‘arbitrarily’ detaining seven Eritreans

ASMARA, Nov 3 (AFP) — Asmara on Wednesday accused Khartoum of having arrested “seven innocent Eritrean civilians” the previous night and said the move demonstrated Sudan’s continuing hostility towards Eritrea.

“In continuation of its hostile actions against the people and government of Eritrea, the Khartoum regime yesterday night detained seven innocent Eritrean civilians,” the Eritrean information ministry said in a statement.

These Eritreans “were arbitrarily picked up from their homes at night by the (Khartoum) regime’s security agents and subsequently put in jail,” added the statement.

The civilians “came from all walks of life” and there is “no reason behind their detention except to harass and humiliate them”, Information Minister Ali Abdu told AFP by phone on Wednesday in Asmara.

Khartoum is also trying “to prevent Eritreans going back to their country,” he stressed.

Numerous accusations and counter-accusations in recent months demonstrate that relations between Asmara and Khartoum are growing increasingly strained.

Late last month, Asmara claimed to have uncovered a Sudanese-backed plot to assassinate Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. Since this announcement, Eritrea has declined to elaborate on the alleged plot.

The two countries have been accusing each other for months of supporting opposition groups in order to destabilise the other’s regime.

Their border has been closed since October 2002.