The Venetian missionary in Ethiopia: “The most vulnerable will be the ones who pay for the EU crackdown on visas”

The issue of migration in the testimony of Father Agostini, missionary in the Horn of Africa country for almost 20 years now

ROME – “The people who will pay for the European tightening of visas will be the people, certainly not the government; it would have been better to do the opposite, to give more entry permits in exchange for greater opportunities to do business here in Ethiopia”: Father Sisto Agostini, a Comboni missionary originally from the Belluno area, has lived in the Horn of Africa for almost twenty years. At the Dire agency he answers the phone during the days of the Orthodox Easter triduum, marked by celebrations, travel and meetings. The EU Council accused Ethiopia of not cooperating enough on the repatriation of migrant people who were not granted asylum in the territory of the Twenty-Seven. The judgment was accompanied by a review of the entry visa rules for citizens of the country in the Horn of Africa. Brussels then established that, at least for a while, Ethiopians will no longer be able to enjoy the favorable regime that had been granted up to now. For starters,no more multiple-entry Schengen document available in 15 days; now it will take 45 and the entrance will be single. And the rules change for Ethiopian diplomats too: the visa, previously free, will have to pay for it.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE POLITICS

According to Father Agostini, the EU should take a different line. “He could adopt more enlightened and creative choices in favor of the most disadvantaged” underlines the missionary: “For example, giving permits in exchange for facilitations for entry into Ethiopia, for the purchase of property or the start-up of entrepreneurial activities by Foreign citizens”. The risk would be to encourage irregular migration even more. Furthermore, there is the possibility that Ethiopia, which already entered the Brics alliance with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in January, will end up distancing itself even further from Europe. What is also worrying are the social imbalances, with the increase in inflation, and also regional imbalances. After being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to reconciliation with Eritrea, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was involved in a new conflict. The epicenter of the violence, with millions of people forced to leave their homes, was the northern region of Tigray. A peace deal signed in 2022 did not completely end the instability. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), in recent weeks around 50 thousand people have been forced to leave their homes by clashes in the Alamata area. The area, on the border with Amhara, is claimed by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Regarding these dynamics, Father Agostini issues a warning: “The idea that one community can assert itself to the detriment of another will never lead to true peace, whether it is Tigrinya, Amhara or Oromo”.