Despite the guarantees granted to them, they accepted the idea of ​​leaving the region

Eritrean refugees want to leave the Ethiopian Tigray at any cost

  • Fear of persecution and death grips the majority of refugees.

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  • The dire consequences of the war in Tigray for thousands of Eritreans are clearly visible.

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  • The suffering of the residents of Mai Aini camp continues.

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Simon Fikadu woke up before dawn to join a convoy that left Mai Aini camp in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, to inspect a new place that the camp is supposed to be moved to, before he was informed that there were battles in the vicinity of the camp, in which his wife and three children remained.. In another incident that indicates the catastrophic repercussions of the war Tigray over thousands of Eritrean refugees.

A delegation of officials was transporting about 20 refugees more than 100 kilometers to the south to Dabat, to visit a site where a new, safer camp might be established from Mai Aini, where the battles were approaching.

The convoy had just left the camp when Simon heard the first shots, and soon the roar of weapons approached the vicinity of Mai Aini, where his wife and three children were still asleep.

Within four hours Simon called his relatives, who had to scream to cover the roar of bullets and artillery fire.

Serious consequences

The battles of July 13 are once again revealing the dire consequences of the war in Tigray for the thousands of Eritreans who sought refuge in this region twenty years ago.

But since November, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the former ruling party in the region, has been fighting the Ethiopian Federal Army and its allies, including the Eritrean army.

Soon, the refugees were targeted, Hitsats and Shimelba camps closer to the Eritrean border were looted and vandalized, and thousands of their residents fled.

Today, these refugees fear the counter-attack of the rebels and want to leave Tigray once and for all.

"Please try to understand my feelings," Simon told UN officials when he visited the new site in the Amhara region, south of Tigray, as fighting raged where he was staying.

Don't just be responsible

In broken English he pleaded with them to evacuate Mai Aini and Adi Harosh, the only remaining Eritrean camps in Tigray.

"Don't just be responsible," he says.

Please try to be human.”

North korea africa

Eritrean refugees began arriving in Tigray in 2000 as the two-year war between Ethiopia and Eritrea ended and left thousands dead.

They were also fleeing the totalitarian regime of Isaias Afwerki, President of Eritrea, nicknamed "North Korea of ​​Africa" ​​because of his violation of human rights and his imposition of compulsory military service.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his sudden rapprochement with Eritrea.

But Isaias Afwerki and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which ruled Ethiopia during the conflict, remained sworn enemies, and Eritrean refugees no longer felt safe in Tigray.

"It was good for all of us," said Abdullah Ibrahim, a former resident of Shimelba, who now lives in the Azzu camp for the displaced near the city of Gondar, in the Amhara region.

But since the day Abiy sent his troops to Tigray, the behavior of some residents towards Eritrean refugees has changed, he said.

Abdullah says with a sigh: "The adults used to give us water to drink, but the young men were looking for an excuse to quarrel, hurt, or even kill with whatever fell into their hands."

When the fighting reached Hitsats in late November, forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front retaliated against the refugees after defeats by the Eritrean army, according to refugee testimonies.

They added that the Eritrean soldiers accused of committing massacres and mass rape against civilians, took control of Hitsats and Shimelba, forcing the refugees who were still present to leave.

Many had no choice but to take risks in the combat zone, often with nothing to eat but moringa leaves.

Tigray is no longer a welcoming place

Before the war, 92,000 Eritrean refugees lived in Tigray, including 19,200 in Hitsats and Shimelba, according to the Ethiopian Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs.

More than 5,000 people who have fled the devastated camps have arrived in Mai Aini and Adi Harosh, but have never felt safe there, said Tsfahun Gobzai, director general of the Ethiopian Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs.

Many fear that they will be blamed for the abuses of Eritrean soldiers.

"Mistrust is growing between the Eritrean refugees and the host communities," Tesfahon told AFP.

This is the reason for their fear.”

The situation deteriorated further in mid-July.

After regaining control of the greater part of Tigray, the rebels launched an offensive in the south and west of the region, including Mai Aini and Adi Harosh.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees announced that those still in the two camps need "urgent, basic assistance."

"Clean drinking water is starting to run out, and health services are no longer available," UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said in a statement.

Hunger is a real danger.”

The UNHCR referred to the killing of refugees, pointing out that at least six of them were killed by the "combatants" of the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

The Ethiopian government agency also accused the rebels of deploying heavy artillery in these two camps, looting vehicles and stores in them and preventing refugees from leaving, comparing "the situation to the process of holding hostages."

Rebel spokesman Getachew Reda denied the allegations.

"We have no problem with the Eritrean refugees," he said.

Despite the guarantees given to them, the refugees seem to have accepted the idea of ​​leaving Tigray.

"I think now that Tigray is no longer a welcome place for us Eritreans," says Solomon Tesfamariam, who was also in the caravan and now lives in Dabat near Gondar.

Camp officials are speeding up the transfer of refugees to Dabat, where 79 people arrived last week, according to the United Nations.

Those who have fled Hitsats and Shimelba are given priority, Tesvahun Gobzai says, and then "those with the greatest fear".

When AFP visited Dabat in mid-July, it was just a huge open plot of land surrounded by wheat fields and pastures.

But Suleiman Tesfamariam stresses that the refugees want to come without waiting for the camp to be ready.

"We are thinking about shelter and other things tomorrow, but today we have to save lives," he says. "We will sleep in the mud if we have to."

• Eritrean refugees began arriving in Tigray in 2000 with the end of the two-year war between Ethiopia and Eritrea that left thousands dead.

• Before the war, 92,000 Eritrean refugees lived in Tigray, including 19,200 in Hitsats and Shimelba, according to the Ethiopian Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs.

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