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President Isaias Afwerki Blames Sudan for a Death
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Eritrean president blames Sudan for killing of British geologist
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ASMARA, Eritrea (AP) - President Isaias Afwerki has blamed Sudan for the death of a British geologist in western Eritrea, state radio said Saturday.
Speaking to a group of local journalists on Friday, Isaias said the government of neighboring Sudan was responsible for the death of Timothy Nutt in what he called a "tragic and very dangerous act" carried out by "a terrorist jihad group" sponsored by Sudan, the Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea said.
Nutt was killed April 12 near Bisha, about 115 kilometers (71 miles) east of the Sudanese border. He had been working for the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
The radio said Isaias told the journalists the Briton was killed "in order to prevent Eritrea from prospering and to impede investment opportunities in the country."
The British Embassy in Asmara would not comment on the death, other than to confirm it had occurred. In London, the Foreign Office said it was aware that the Eritrean government was blaming an Islamic group for the death but said there would be no further comment until an investigation had been completed.
Eritrea has been seeking to encourage foreign investment in gold mining and has granted licenses for exploration in western Eritrea. Gold reserves in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation are estimated at 17,000 kilograms (16.69 metric tons).
Eritrea has accused Sudan and Yemen of joining a conspiracy with neighboring Ethiopia to threaten its security and stability.
A group variously called Eritrean Jihad or Eritrean Islamic Jihad and thought to be a faction of the original Eritrean Liberation Front that launched Eritrea's 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia is based in eastern Sudan.
But neither Isaias nor the Foreign Ministry named it specifically in their charges against Sudan.
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