Eritrea

ASMARA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh on Wednesday issued a joint statement on consolidating bilateral strategic partnership.

The joint statement by the two countries' foreign ministers followed Wang's visit to the Red Sea nation, where he held talks with his Eritrean counterpart and the country's President Isaias Afwerki on various bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest.

(Reuters) --- Eritrea told the United Nations Security Council on Friday that it has agreed to start withdrawing its troops from Ethiopia's Tigray region, acknowledging publicly for the first time the country's involvement in the conflict.

The admission in a letter to the 15-member council - and posted online by Eritrea's Ministry of Information - comes a day after U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock said the world body had not seen any proof that Eritrean soldiers have withdrawn.

ASMARA, Sept 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Eritrean government has released on bail more than 20 prisoners who had been in detention for years because of their faith.

The prisoners from Christian evangelical and Pentecostal denominations are among those being held in a prison outside the capital, Asmara.

In Eritrea only four religious groups are officially recognised – Christian Orthodox, Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Sunni Islam.

ASMARA, Sept 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The authorities in Eritrea have seized control of seven secondary schools run by religious organisations.

An order to hand over the running of the schools was given to the Catholic Church and other Christian and Muslim groups on Tuesday morning.

Most of the students at the schools are from economically disadvantaged families, sources said.