Switzerland Stops Aid To Eritrea Over Asylum Dispute

Switzerland has decided to halt its development aid to Eritrea due to the country's refusal to accept the return of rejected asylum seekers. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that despite some improvements in vocational training, there has been insufficient progress in migration cooperation. The aid suspension, effective at the end of May, follows an external evaluation that highlighted Eritrea's non-compliance with bilateral agreements regarding repatriation. Currently, around 200 Eritrean nationals are awaiting deportation, which Eritrea refuses to accept, complicating the situation further. The Swiss government previously hoped that financial assistance would promote greater political cooperation, but those efforts have not yielded the desired outcomes. This decision reflects broader European concerns about migration, as Eritreans constitute a significant portion of asylum seekers in Switzerland and other European nations.