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Eritrean refugees abandoned by Ethiopia
Source: Fides
Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia are now at risk of being repatriated. The Addis Ababa government no longer considers them in need of humanitarian protection. Ethiopia no longer plans to host women, children and men fleeing the Asmara regime in refugee camps (unless they are linked in some way to the Eritrean armed forces).
Abba Mussie Zerai, Ethiopian Catholic priest of the Asmara eparchy, said: “We are currently going through a delicate situation, a consequence of the agreement signed in 2018 between the two nations.
“What was hoped could be an agreement capable of guaranteeing peace and development in the region, in fact it is turning into a nightmare for many Eritreans who cannot return to their homeland.
“This situation and the closure of one of the four refugee camps housing more than 15,000 people has produced many urban refugees without any protection without rights. In Tigrai (the northern region bordering Eritrea), thousands of Eritreans often “reduced to hunger are exposed to all forms of exploitation and abuse. The most vulnerable people are women and minors. Especially unaccompanied minors run the risk of ending up as victims of sexual predators, reduced to slave labor.”
Fr Zerai said that the refugee situation was increasingly preyed upon by traffickers. Conditions in Ethiopia’s camps are so bad for Eritrean refugees that more and more are moving into Sudan and Libya.
Refugees who have arrived near urban centers also suffer, he said. In addition to the loss of rights, they must also face the pandemic and the very high cost of living. Therefore, Eritreans are victims of exploitation, prostitution and deprivation.
Father Mussie calls on the Ethiopian government to respect its international obligations to protect the rights of children and the rights of refugees.
“We call on the European Union to invest resources to welcome these Eritrean refugees to Ethiopia with dignity. Otherwise, the exodus to Europe will increase, with the sad death toll in the desert and in the Mediterranean Sea.”
Tags: Eritrea, Ethiopia, refugees, Abba Mussie Zerai
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