Eritrea expels three more foreign charities

Eritrea has ordered out three international charities, potentially affecting tens of thousands of people and adding to a long list of recent foreign expulsions from the Horn of Africa nation, diplomats said on Thursday.
One of the poorest nations in the world, Eritrea has in the past year ejected the US government's international aid agency USAID, at least eight other international charities, scores of Western UN peacekeepers, and an Italian diplomat.
Diplomats say three charities - Mercy Corps, Concern, and ACORD - received a letter this week ordering them to stop work.
"The Ministry kindly officially informs you that the registration certificate is recalled and requests the termination of your activities as of 28/02/2006," said a letter to one of the charities seen by Reuters. It was dated March 20 and came from the Ministry of Labour and Human Welfare.
The letter said the charity "had not met requirements" for a permit to operate, but it did not specify further reasons.
Africa's youngest country - independent since 1993 after a three-decade secession war with Ethiopia - is deeply suspicious of the international community and has repeatedly warned about the dangers of dependency.
But the latest expulsions were more likely linked to tensions over the 1,000-km (620-mile) border with Ethiopia, diplomats and analysts said.
The government of former rebel leader President Isaias Afwerki believes foreign powers have long favoured Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa region's big power.
Eritrean officials and personnel at the three charities could not be immediately reached for comment.
Aid workers warn pockets of hunger exist throughout Eritrea, but food distributions are restricted by the government.
The Mercy Corps says its programme, worth $39 million since 2000, benefits some 350,000 Eritreans, supporting projects in food, nutrition, agriculture, education, water and sanitation.
Concern say they are helping with water, nutrition, and agricultural programmes that include 7,152 households, 14,000 children under the age of five and 3,500 pregnant women..