News Highlights: ACP-EU meetings, UN demands freedom Eritrean journalist, border management

In this week’s news highlights, the ACP-EU Joint Council of Ministers is taking place in Brussels, and EU Commissioner Avramopoulos warns European Member States that border controls at EU internal borders have to be removed before the end of the year. In the Horn of Africa, the UN calls for the liberation of the Eritrean independent journalist Dawit Isaak; furthermore, the South Sudanese government considerably raises fees for NGOs that work in the country.

Eritrean ambassador summoned under toughening Eritrean-Dutch relations

The Eritrean ambassador to the Netherlands has been summoned by the Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs, Bert Koenders, over evidence that the embassy was involved in extortion of Dutch-Eritreans. Dutch media has found evidence that the embassy was involved in pressuring Eritreans to pay €50 in contribution to a conference by the youth wing of Eritrea’s only party.

News Highlights: EU plans for Syria, Libya, Yemen, New Italy-Libya deal, US sanctions Eritrea

This week’s news highlights include the outcomes of the EU Foreign Affairs Council held in Luxembourg this Monday, an investigation showing little evidence of the allegations of NGO connections with human smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea and an update of the arrivals in EU. A new deal between Italy and Libya on the Libyan Southern border was reached. Eritrea was put under new sanctions by the United States while the flow of people fleeing the country towards South Sudan is increasing.