Eritrean 'hijackers' go on trial

Libya was deporting Eritreans and Nigerians on the aircraft

The trial has begun in Sudan of 15 Eritrean asylum seekers charged with hijacking a Libyan plane and making it land in the capital, Khartoum.

The suspects were part of a group of 76 asylum seekers aboard the plane.

They were charged under Sudan's counter-terrorism, criminal and civil aviation laws.

The Eritreans were being repatriated from Libya last week, when a group seized the aircraft and forced the pilot to change course.

One Sudanese official said the hijackers were hoping to find asylum in Sudan rather than return to Eritrea.

According to human rights groups, Eritreans who are forcibly repatriated face detention and torture.

During the long years of conflict in Eritrea, hundreds of thousands of people sought refuge in neighbouring Sudan.

Three years ago, they began returning home under a scheme co-ordinated by the United Nations and the Eritrean government.

UNHCR says 4,402 Eritreans sought asylum in Europe and north America last year, a figure that has more than tripled since 2000.