Well, look at that—another Western nation finally waking up to the utter failure of the foreign aid racket. After years of dumping Swiss taxpayer money into development programs in Eritrea, Switzerland has finally admitted it got nothing in return. No cooperation. No repatriation of Eritrean migrants. No progress on migration policy. Just millions of dollars wasted on a country that refuses to take responsibility for its own citizens.
And now, in a rare display of common sense, the Swiss government is shutting off the cash flow.
Let’s be clear on what happened here. Switzerland’s brilliant idea was to bribe Eritrea into taking back its own deported citizens by offering economic aid. In theory, the Swiss government thought:
- We send millions in foreign aid.
- Eritrea improves its economy, creating jobs.
- Eritrea agrees to take back rejected asylum seekers.
And what did they get instead?
- Eritrea took the money and ran.
- It refused to take back deported migrants unless they “voluntarily” returned.
- Swiss taxpayers got scammed.
This isn’t a failed strategy—it’s a national embarrassment.
Eritrea’s government has zero incentive to take back migrants. Why? Because every Eritrean who leaves and settles in Europe sends money back home. Remittances from Eritreans abroad make up a huge chunk of the country’s economy. So, why on earth would Eritrea suddenly decide to welcome back thousands of unemployed, government-opposing migrants when it can just keep collecting cash from them instead?
Not only that, but Eritrea’s government has also figured out that European leaders are spineless. They know that Western countries will never actually force Eritreans to leave. They can keep rejecting deportation requests all day long, and Switzerland will just keep housing and feeding them indefinitely.
The result? Eritrea calls the shots. And Switzerland looks weak.Of course, not everyone is happy about Switzerland pulling the plug on Eritrea’s free ride. Enter Sibel Arslan, a Green Party politician who thinks that foreign aid should continue no matter what.
WATCH: Major civil unrest as Eritrean migrants attack riot police with sticks in Camberwell, south London. pic.twitter.com/277hHNTuDW
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 30, 2023
“The Greens have always been against the idea of mixing international cooperation with migration policy. This kind of linkage is mistaken,” she says.
Oh, really? So Switzerland should just keep funding Eritrea, even though Eritrea is actively refusing to cooperate on deportations? This is the kind of childish thinking that has turned Europe into a migrant dumping ground.
Even Damian Müller, a more pragmatic lawmaker, acknowledged reality: “The fact that Eritrea continues to reject forced repatriations is proof of this.” Exactly. The strategy failed. Time for a new one.And it’s not just Switzerland dealing with this mess. Eritrean migrants are flooding Europe, and with them have come clashes, riots, and crime spikes.
- In the UK, Germany, and Sweden, Eritrean pro- and anti-government factions have been brawling in the streets.
- Germany alone has 80,000 Eritreans, most of whom are unemployed or working in low-wage jobs.
- Switzerland is now stuck with 7,000 Eritrean asylum seekers, 200 of whom were already rejected for asylum but can’t be deported.
This isn’t just bad policy—it’s national suicide.
