The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has removed the notice on its Eritrea travel advice about the temporary withdrawal of dependants of British Embassy staff. The change was published at 16:20 UTC on Monday 9 November, and the FCDO's change note reads in full: "Removal of information about the temporary withdrawal of dependants of British Embassy staff from Eritrea ('Warnings and insurance' page)." The FCDO gives no reason for the removal, and the page does not say whether dependants have returned. Its advice against travel is unchanged. This post is for close protection and travel security teams with principals, staff or planned movements in Eritrea.
What changed and when
The FCDO's change history sets out the sequence. On Friday 9 October it moved to advising against all but essential travel to Eritrea and kept its advice against all travel within 25km of all of Eritrea's land borders; our posts of 10, 11 and 13 October covered that change. On Monday 12 October it added information about the temporary withdrawal of dependants of British Embassy staff, which our Brief of 13 October reported. On Monday 9 November it removed that information. The notice was on the page for four weeks. The change history records no other change since 12 October.
What stays in the advice
The FCDO still advises against all travel within 25km of all of Eritrea's land borders, and against all but essential travel to the rest of the country. Its regional page says the advice for the Ethiopia and Sudan borders is because of military activity on both sides of the border, that the situation on the Djibouti border remains fragile, and that there is a risk of landmines near the borders, particularly the Ethiopia and Djibouti border areas. The page still says: "Tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia are high." It says that if a crisis develops the situation could change quickly, including the ability to travel within Eritrea or to leave, that face to face consular support or evacuation may be severely limited in a crisis, and that travellers should be prepared to re-arrange their own departure if a crisis develops.
On consular support, the page says British Embassy staff in Asmara cannot offer support in person in areas where the FCDO advises against travel, and that diplomats need Eritrean government permits to travel outside Asmara. It says the Eritrean authorities may not tell the Embassy if a British national needs help, and have in some instances refused the Embassy consular access to detained foreign nationals. The Eritrean authorities consider British-Eritrean dual nationals, and people of Eritrean origin, to be Eritrean nationals, who may be subject to obligations including taxes and national service, and the Embassy cannot offer consular assistance to dual nationals in Eritrea.
The safety page says there are periodic reports of conscription surges and mobilisation of reservists linked to instability in the Horn of Africa, and that security measures may be in place around Asmara and other regions. Foreign nationals need a permit, applied for in advance and giving details of the vehicle, to travel outside Zoba Maekel, the province around Asmara, and officials check permits at checkpoints outside the capital. Applications may take several days and are not always successful. Photographing government buildings and military installations is illegal. International SIM cards do not work, internet access is highly restricted, and phone networks outside Asmara and larger towns are often unreliable. On terrorism the page says there is no recent history of attacks in Eritrea but attacks cannot be ruled out. The page does not mention kidnap.
What the FCDO does not say
It does not say why the notice was removed, whether dependants have gone back, or that the security situation has changed. It has not changed its advise-against areas, and it says nothing more about Ethiopia than the tensions and border lines above. We draw no conclusion beyond the change note.
What it means for close protection and travel security teams
This is The Ops Con's reading, not the FCDO's.
The removal of a dependants notice is a reason to re-read the advice, not a change in its level. The whole country remains all but essential, so check that insurance covers essential travel against FCDO advice before anyone deploys, since the page warns that cover could be invalidated. Plan any movement outside Zoba Maekel around the permit system: apply days ahead, name the vehicle, expect checkpoints, and keep routes clear of the 25km border bands. Build communications on the basis that international SIMs will not work and networks fail outside towns. Identify any team member who is a British-Eritrean dual national or of Eritrean origin, because the Eritrean authorities treat them as Eritrean and the Embassy cannot assist dual nationals. Keep a self-arranged departure plan current, and sign up for FCDO alerts so the next change, in either direction, is seen the day it is made.
