The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) now advises against all but essential travel to Eritrea. Its change note, published on the morning of Friday 9 October, says: "FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to Eritrea. FCDO continues to advise against all travel to within 25km of all of Eritrea’s land borders"
What changed
The border advice is not new: the FCDO says it "continues" to advise against all travel within 25km of the land borders, which its advice lists as the borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan. The change is the advice against all but essential travel to the rest of the country. With both lines in place, the whole of Eritrea, including the capital, Asmara, is now inside an advise-against area. Across the border, the FCDO's Ethiopia advice separately advises against all travel within 20km of the border with Eritrea.
What the FCDO says
The advice says: "Tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia are high. If a crisis develops in Eritrea, the situation could change quickly, including your ability to travel within Eritrea or leave the country." It adds: "Practical support from the British government such as face-to-face consular support or evacuation may be severely limited in a crisis." British nationals are told to "Be prepared to re-arrange your own departure from Eritrea if a crisis develops."
On consular support, it says: "Staff at the British Embassy in Asmara cannot offer support in person in areas of Eritrea where FCDO advises against travel." It also says: "There have been instances where the Eritrean authorities have refused to give the Embassy consular access to detained foreign nationals." People of Eritrean origin are at particular risk of being left without help: "the Eritrean authorities consider you to be an Eritrean national", and "The British Embassy is unable to offer consular assistance to dual nationals in Eritrea."
The Safety and security page says there are periodically reports of "conscription surges and mobilisation of reservists" and advises: "Stay away from areas that are close to security/military installations or activity." It also says "Photographing government buildings and military installations is illegal."
What it does not say
The change note gives no reason for the change and cites no specific incident. The FCDO has not advised against all travel beyond the 25km border strips, and it has not told British nationals to leave. We cannot say which other sentences on the pages, if any, were changed on 9 October.
What it means for operators
Travel to Eritrea is now against FCDO advice everywhere in the country. The FCDO warns that "Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice." Before any task, confirm in writing that travel, medical evacuation and kidnap and ransom cover still apply.
Plan to get out on your own. The FCDO says evacuation may be severely limited and in-person embassy support is restricted, so build a departure plan that does not depend on government help, and keep it under review.
Movement needs paperwork. The advice says "Foreign nationals must apply in advance for a permit to travel outside Asmara’s surrounding province, Zoba Maekel", that applications may take several days and are not always successful, and that you must give details of the vehicle. Build that lead time into any task outside the capital.
Communications are thin. The FCDO says "International SIM cards do not work in Eritrea." and "There is no 3G in the country." A team phone plan that works elsewhere in the region will not work here; check the legal position on any alternative before you travel.
Team composition matters. Any British team member of Eritrean origin may be treated as an Eritrean national, and the FCDO says the Embassy cannot offer consular assistance to dual nationals in Eritrea. Plan for the possibility that UK consular help will not be available to them. Keep clear of military sites and brief the whole party not to photograph government or military buildings.
