Eritrea curbs non-government organisations

ASMARA, May 30 (AFP) — Eritrea on Monday published legislation to regulate the operations of all non-government organizations (NGOs), including a requirement for them to pay taxes on imported materials, officials said.

“It is good to have a working framework. There were rules before but they were not observed,” said Askalu Menkerios, minister of works and social affairs.

The minister said the new law will take effect on June 1.

In addition to paying import taxes, the NGOs will be required to submit project reports every three months and will have to renew their licences annually.

Local NGOs will be required to have operating capital of one million dollars. International groups will have to have twice as much. NGOs engaging in “political or economic sabotage” will be banned, the legislation states.

In March, US-based Grassroots International announced its withdrawal of funding of projects in the Horn of African nation, citing political repression and a poor human rights record.

In August 2002, Asmara suspended three NGOs that were involved in mine removal operations on the Eritrea-Ethiopai border.

“The international community asked for a working framework,” said Menkerios. “We are not limiting the number of NGOs in Eritrea. The NGOs are welcome if they bring added value to Eritrea.”

“If certain NGOs are not happy with some of our new laws, we can always negotiate,” she added.

Of Eritrea’s current 58 registered NGOs, 20 are international.

“Most of the international NGOs will have difficulties with the clause requiring two million dollars” operating capital, a director of onem such organization told AFP on conditions of anonymity.

“I think that the government wants to get rid of some NGOs and got the law to do that.”