Britain has threatened to ban all Eritrean nationals from obtaining visas over their government’s alleged refusal to take back rejected asylum seekers and convicted criminals, prompting the East African country to accuse London of political manipulation.

The Home Office said on Thursday that Eritrea had “abruptly” withdrawn returns cooperation earlier this year and refused to engage constructively despite months of private talks.

The department removed fast-track visa processing for Eritrean officials and VIPs and required its diplomats to obtain permission to travel more than 60 km (37 miles) outside of London. It said the measures were intended to increase “pressure on countries refusing to take back illegal immigrants.” The travel curbs mirror Eritrea’s longstanding restrictions requiring British diplomats to obtain permission to travel outside the capital, Asmara, the Home Office said in a statement.

“My message to the Eritrean government is simple: take back your nationals or face a complete ban on your citizens entering the UK,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned.

Eritrea’s embassy dismissed the measures as a “perfunctory political gimmick,” saying Asmara had repeatedly rejected forced returns and sought dialogue that London refused. It accused Britain of offering “blanket asylum to anyone who claims to be Eritrean in a bid to undermine” the Eritrean government.

The embassy said Asmara suspended escorted returns after British authorities allegedly passed off forced repatriations as voluntary and failed to disclose that some deportees were still serving prison sentences. It said no Eritrean official had received a UK visa since 2023.

The dispute reflects Britain’s drive to curb irregular migration. Eritreans accounted for 18% of approximately 33,000 small-boat arrivals across the English Channel in the year to June 2026, the largest nationality group, according to Home Office figures.

Around 84% of Eritrean asylum claims received positive initial decisions, according to Home Office figures, while UN reporting has documented indefinite national service, arbitrary detention and risks facing people forcibly returned. Britain has used similar pressure against Angola, Namibia and DR Congo to secure greater cooperation on migrant returns.

The British government’s migration policies have also triggered a separate dispute with Rwanda after then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer abandoned a previous Conservative government’s asylum relocation scheme in July 2024. The plan would have sent some asylum seekers who arrived in Britain irregularly to Rwanda for their claims to be processed, with successful applicants settling there.

The policy cost £700 million (about $930 million) and sent only four volunteers to Rwanda, according to British ministers. Kigali pursued arbitration over unpaid commitments, but a tribunal rejected its claims, including two £50 million payments, in a ruling announced in June.