In late August, the Eritrean government expelled four foreign demining agencies; a fifth, Halo Trust Survey, was allowed to stay after it �apologized� to the government.  Reliable sources inform Gedab News of two reasons for the government�s decision.  First, Kenyan employees of one or more of the agencies are alleged to have been involved in the smuggling business: for a fee, they were using their Land cruisers to smuggle Eritreans, mostly the young, to the borders of Ethiopia and Sudan.   

A second reason is reported to be the government�s view that the NGOs are competitors to its revenue scheme.  The government believes that its own agency, the Eritrean Demining Agency, can do the job, at considerably less cost than the NGOs.   It is able to do so by paying the �Warsai� technicians 150 Nakfa, significantly below the �market rate� for this exceptionally delicate and dangerous job.  In addition, the government also presents the active �Warsai�  as a demobilized soldiers�thereby making itself eligible for additional demobilization funding from the European Union.