Eritrean diplomatic passport holders are now required to have a visa when traveling to several Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, a consequence of the proliferation of foreign “diplomats” with Eritrean passports traveling in the Middle East.
Many of the diplomats holding Eritrean passports are Sudanese, Ethiopian and Somali rebels that are hosted by Asmara.
Our sources indicate that Egypt is one of the countries that has made such decision.
Eritrean diplomatic passport holders include Sudanese nationals (rebels from Eastern Sudan and Darfur), Ethiopian nationals (including Ogaden, Oromo and “Patriotic Front” figures) as well as Somali nationals including leaders of the Union of Islamic Courts.
Eritrean diplomats used to get visas upon arrival. It is not known how this decision will affect Eritrean officials or if the decision was for both Eritrean and non-Eritrean diplomatic passport carriers.
About five years ago, General Abdulaziz Khalid, a key figure of the Sudanese opposition, was arrested when he entered the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrying an Eritrean diplomatic passport. He was, allegedly, on Interpol’s “wanted” list. The UAE authorities deported him to Sudan were he was arrested and later released on a presidential clemency.
In early 2000, the Eritrean regime, through its embassy in Kuwait, had been openly selling Eritrean passports to stateless Arabs (the so-called "Bedoun.") The Eritrean regime was not circumspect about its dealing: the citizenship-for-cash offer was advertised in the local newspaper by a broker commissioned by the Eritrean Embassy in Kuwait.
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