ማእከላይ ባይቶ ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ (ሰዲህኤ)፡ ብመስረት ዓንቀጽ 6.1.9 ቅዋም ሰልፊ፡ ኣብ ዓመት ሓደ ግዜ ዘካይዶ 2ይ ስሩዕ ኣኼባኡ ብ15ን 16ን ነሓሰ 2020 ኣሰላሲሉ።  ኣቦ መንበር ማእከላይ ባይቶን ፈጻሚት ሽማግለን ሓው ተስፋይ ወልደሚካኤል (ደጊጋ) ምልኣተ ኣኼባ ምህላዉ ምስ ኣረጋገጸ፡ ንተሳተፍቲ ኣኼባ “እንቋዕ ደሓን መጻእኩም” ኢሉ። ኣስዒቡ ኣብ’ቲ መኽፈቲ ኣብ ዘስመዖ ቃል ኣብ’ዛ ዝሓለፈት ዓመት ብደረጃ ሰዲህኤ፡ ኣብ ኤርትራ፡ ከባቢናን ዓለምን ዝተራእዩ ቀንዲ ምዕባለታት ብምጥቃስ መኽፈቲ ቃል ኣስሚዑ።

ኣቦ መንበር ሰዲህኤ፡ እዚ ስሩዕ ኣኼባ ባይቶ፡ በቲ ሓደ ወገን፡ ወጽዓ ጉጅለ ህግዲፍ ኣብ ልዕሊ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ብፍላይ ድማ ኣብዚ ሕማም ኮረና ኣሻቓሊ ዝኾነሉ ዘሎ ግዜ፡ እናገደደ ይኸይድ ምህላዉ፤ በቲ ካልእ ወገን ከኣ፡ ኤርትራዊ ናይ ለውጢ ሓይልታት ብሓባር ዘቃልሶም መድረኽ ንምፍጣር ዝለዓለ ጻዕሪ የካይዱ ኣብ ዘለውሉ እዋን ይጋባእ ምህላዉ ጠቒሱ። ኣስዒቡ ኣብዚ ንርከበሉ ዘሎና እዋን ኩነታት ቀርኒ ኣፍሪቃን ከባቢ ቀይሕ ባሕርን ሓድሽ ፖለቲካዊ ምዕባለታትን ዝተፈልየ ናይ ሓይልታት ኣሰላልፋን ኣብ ዘርእየሉ ዘሎ ብምዃኑ ኣገዳስነት ናይዚ ስሩዕ ኣኼባ ዕዙዝ ምዃኑ ሓቢሩ።

ኣተሓሒዙ ከኣ ኣብ ዝሓለፈ ዓመት  ኣብ ደንበ ተቓውሞ ብሓፈሻ ተጠራኒፍካ፡ ኣንጻርቲ ንህዝብና ረጊጹ ልኡላውነት ኣብ ሓደጋ  ዘእቱ ዘሎ ጉጅለ ሓቢርካ ዘቃልስ ኩነታት ንምፍጣር፡ ዝተኻየደ ጻዕሪ ዕዉት ከም ዝነበረ ጠቒሱ። ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ (ሰዲህኤ)ን ህዝባዊ ዲሞክራስያዊ ምንቅስቓስ ሓርነት ኤርትራ (ህዲምሓኤ)ን ዘረጋገጽዎ ምሉእ ሓድነት፡ ካብ ዓወታት ናይ’ዚ ዓመት ሓደ ከም ዝነበረ ኣስፊሩ። ከምኡ’ውን ብዛዕባቲ ኣብ ዓለምና ስግኣት ፈጢሩ ዘሎ ተላባዒ ሕማም ኮረና ኣመልኪቱ፡ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ብክኢላታት ሕክምና ንዝወሃብ ምኽርን ምዕዶን ኣተግቢሩ ካብ’ቲ ሓደጋ ክወጽእ ዘለዎ ትምኒት ገሊጹ።

መእተዊ ቃሉ ከጠቓልል እንከሎ ከኣ ኣብ’ዚ ዝሓለፈ ዓመት መደባት ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ክዕወት ኣባላት ማእከላይ ባይቶን ኣባላት ሰልፍን ብሓባር ኮነ ብውልቂ፡ ኣብ ኩሉ መዳያት ብዘተኣማምን ግቡኣቶም ክፍጽሙ ከም ዝጸንሑ ብምርግጋጽ ዕዙዝ ምስጋናኡ ኣቕሪቡ።

ድሕሪ መኽፈቲ ቃል ኣቦ መንበርን ናይቲ ኣኼባ ኣጀንዳ ምጽዳቕን፡ በቲ ዝጸደቐ ኣጀንዳ መሰረት ኣኼባ ኣብቲ ኣቐዲሙ ናብ ኣባላት ባይቶ ተዘርጊሑ ዝጸንሐ ዓመታዊ ጸብጻብ ኩለን ኣብያተ-ጽሕፈት ፈጻሚት ሽማግለ ሰዲህኤ በብሓደ ዓሚቕ ምይይጥ ኣካይዱ። ኣብቲ መስርሕ ምይይጥ ነፍሲ ወከፍ ሓላፊ ቤት ጽሕፈት ብዛዕባ ጸብጻብ ናይቲ ክመርሖ ዝጸንሐ ቤት ጽሕፈት መእተውን መበገሲ ሓሳብን ኣቕሪቡ። ኣኼባ ኣብቲ መስርሕ ምይይጥ ኣገደስቲ ኣብ ዝበሎም ጉዳያት ውሳነታት ወሲኑ። ኣድላይ ኮይኑ ኣብ ዝረኣዮም ዛዕባታት ከኣ ሓፈሻዊ መምርሒ ብምሃብ፡ ንግብራውነቱ ናብ ፈጻሚት ሽማግለ ኣሰጋጊሩ።

ኣኼባ ባይቶ ኣብቲ ንጸብጻባት ኣብያተ-ጽሕፈት ብዝምልከት ዘካየዶ ዓሚቕ ምይይጥ፡ ተጀሚሩ ዘሎ ምቅርራብ ፖለቲካዊ ውድባትን ናይ ለውጢ ሓይልታትን ምሕያል፣ ውደባዊ ዓቕሚ ሰልፊ ምሕያልን ኣባልነት ምስፋሕን፣ ዜናዊ ዓቅሚ ሰልፊ ምምዕባልን ተሳትፎ ኣባላት ኣብ’ዚ መዳይ ምሕያልን፣ ንተሳትፎ ደቂ ኣንስትዮ ኣብ ኩሉ መዳያት ግቡእ ቆላሕታ ምሃብ፣ ንማሕበራዊ ኩነታት ኤርትራውያን ኣብ ኩሉ ኩርነዓት ቆላሕታ ምሃብን ናይ ጸገማቶም መፍትሒ መንገድታት ምእማትን፣ ኣብ መትከል ናይ ሓባር ረብሓ፡ ኣብ ምክብባርን ኢድ ዘይምትእትታውን ዘትከለ ዲፕሎማስያዊ ዝምድና ምሕያል፣ ኣባላት ሰልፊ ገንዘባዊ ዓቕሚ ሰልፊ ንምኽዕባት ዘካይድዎ ዘለዉ ጻዕሪ ዝነኣድ ምዃኑን፡ ተሳትፎ ተረካቢ ሕድሪ መንእሰይ ምሕያልን  ንዝብሉ ጉዳያት ፍሉይ ግምት ሂቡ መዚኑ። ድሕሪ እዚ ኣኼባ ነቲ ጸብጻባት ከም ሰልፋዊ ሰነድ ኣጽዲቕዎ።

ፈጻሚት ሽማግለ ጸብጻባታ ምስ ወደአት፡ እቲ ኣኼባ 3 ብዝኣባላታ ሰክረታርያት እንዳተመርሐ ቀጺሉ። በቲ ኣቐዲሙ ዝተሰርዐ ኣጀንዳ ከኣ ጸብጻብ ናይ ሰልፊ ዓመታዊ ገንዘባዊ ተቖጻጻሪ ቀሪቡ። ኣኼባ ባይቶ ኣብዚ  ዛዕባዚ’ውን ኣድላይ ምምይያጥ ድሕሪ ምክያድ፡ ነቲ ነዚ ናይ ተቖጻጻሪ ጸብጻብ እውን ኣጽዲቕዎ።

ኣኼባ ባይቶ ንህልዊ ኩነታት ከባቢና ኣብ ዝዳህሰሰሉ፡ ነቲ ኣብ መንጎ ኤርትራን ኢትዮጵያን ዘሎ ዝምድና ኣብ ዝምልከት፡ እቲ ዝምድና ናይ ክልተ መራሕቲ ዲክታቶር ኢሳያስ ኣፈወርቅን ዶ/ር ኣብይ ኣሕመድን እምበር፡ ከም’ቲ ክልቲኡ ህዝብታት ክጽበዮ ዝጸንሐ ሰላም ኣብ ግምት ዘየእተወ ምዃኑ ርእዩ። ካብዚ ሓሊፉ  ኢሳያስ ነዚ ትካላውን ሕጋውን ዘይኮነን ዘይግሉጽን ዝምድና፡ ተጐዝጒዙ ከቕርቦ ዝጸንሐ ተደጋጋሚ፡ ሓደገኛን ዘይሓላፍነታውን መደረታት ንልኡላዊ ህልውና ሃገርናን ሓርበኝነት ህዝብናን ኣብ ሓደጋ ዘእቱ ስለ ዝኾነ፡ ህዝቢ ኤርትራን ናይ ለውጢ ፖለቲካዊ ኣካላቱን ህዝባዊ ምልዓላትን ከም’ቲ  ጀሚሮምዎ ዘለዉ ብትብዓት ክቃለስዎ ከም ዝግባእ ኣኼባ ባይቶ መዚኑ። ናይ ኢትዮጵያ ቀዳማይ ሚኒስተር ዶ/ር ኣብይ ኣሕመድ ኮነ ዝተፈላለዩ ኢትዮጵያውያን ኣካላት ከርእይዎ ዝጸንሑ፡ ኢድ ኣእታውነት ኣብ ጉዳይ ሃገርና ሓደገኛ ስለ ዝኾነ፡ ካብ ከም’ዚ ዓይነት ተግባሮም ንክዕቀቡ እውን ተማሕጺኑ። ነቲ ኢሳያስ ኣብ ልኡላውነት ኤርትራ ዘካይዶ ዘሎ ምውጋይ ዝተቓወሙ ኣካላት ከኣ ብመላኦም ኣመጒሱ።

2ይ ስሩዕ ኣኼባ ማእከላይ ባይቶ ሰዲህኤ ቆላሕታ ሂቡ ዝተመያየጠሉ ካልእ ዛዕባ፡ ኣቐዲሙ ብፉሉይ ሽማግለ ተጸኒዑን ብፈጻሚት ተራእዩን ዝቐረበ፡ ንህልዊ ኩነታት ኢትዮጵያን ጽልዋኡ ኣብ ጉዳይ ኤርትራን ዝምልከት ንድፊ ፖሊሲ እዩ። እዚ ንውሳኔ ሳልሳይን ሓድነታውን ጉባኤ ሰዲህኤ መሰረት ዝገብረ ፖሊሲ ድሕሪ ሰፊሕ ምይይጥ ጸዲቑ።

ማእከላይ ባይቶ ቅድሚ ኣኼባኡ ምዝዛሙ፡ 9 ዝኣባላታ ፈጻሚት ሽማግለ ብዲሞክራስያዊ መንገዲ መሪጹ። ድሕሪኡ ከኣ ተሳተፍቲ ኣኼባ፡ ንኣሳልጦ መጻኢ ስርሓት ዝሕግዙ ዝተፈላለዩ ለበዋታት ናብታ ፈጻሚት ሽማግለ ኣቕሪቦም። ኣባላት ሰልፊ ክሳብ ሕጂ ኣብ ኩሉ መዳያት ከካይድዎ ንዝጸንሑ ቃልስን ኣበርክቶን ምምጓስን ንመጻኢ እውን ክቕጽልዎ ጸዋዒት ምቕራብን ከኣ ኣኼባ ዝተገደሰሉ ነይሩ።

ማእከላይ ባይቶ፡ ደገፍቲ ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ፡ ከበርክትዎ ዝጸንሑ ንዋታውን ንያታውን ሓገዛት እናመጐሰ ንምዕዋት መትከላት ሰዲህኤ ኣበርክቶኦም ክቕጽሉ ጸዊዑ።  እቲ ሰላምን ራህዋን ዝብህግ መላእ ህዝቢ ኤርትራን ሓይልታት ምክልኻል ኤርትራን፡ ድማ ንድሕነት  ህዝቢ ኤርትራን ንምዕዋት መትከላት  ዲሞክራስን ክተግሁ ኣኼባ ጸዊዕዎም።

ከምኡ’ውን “ይኣክል” ከም ህዝባዊ ምንቅስቓስ ዘካይዶ ዘሎ ቃልስታት ናእዳኡን ደገፉን ገሊጹ። ተሳትፎ ኣባላት ሰዲህኤ ኣብ’ዚ ምንቅስቓስ እዚ እውን ርኡይ ምንባሩ መዚኑን ከም ዝቕጽልዎ ኣረጋጊጹን።

ኣብ ምዝዛም ኣኼባኡ፡ ካብ ውሽጢ ይኹን ካብ ግዳም ተጨውዮም፡ ኣብ ሕሱም ጭካኔ ዝፍጸመሉ ኣብያተ-ማእሰርቲ ተዳጒኖም ዝሳቐዩ ዘለዉን ኣብኡ ህይወቶም ዝሓለፉን ዘኪሩ። ህዝቢ ኤርትራን ኣህጕራዊ ማሕበረ-ሰብን ድማ፡ ኣብ ልዕሊ ምልካዊ ስርዓት ኢሳያስ ሓያል ተጽዕኖን መኸተን ክገብሩ ጻውዒቱ ኣቕሪቡ።

ንቅዋማዊ ምሕደራ፡ ንዲሞክራስን ንምዕባለን ንቃለስ!

18 ነሓሰ 2020

Source: What’s in the blue

Briefing and Consultations on the Situation in Somalia

Tomorrow (20 August) Security Council members will discuss the situation in Somalia, meeting in person in the ECOSOC chamber. Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) James Swan and AU Special Representative Francisco Madeira are expected to brief.

This meeting takes place as the Council begins to negotiate a resolution on the UNSOM mandate, which is due to be renewed in just over a week following two technical rollovers on 30 March and 22 June. These rollovers were due to the impact of COVID-19 on Council working methods in March and, in June, a desire to wait to know more about the Federal Government of Somalia’s plans for upcoming elections. Negotiations on the current draft started on 13 August, and it seems that there have been some proposed changes regarding the length of the mandate, as well as election assistance modalities.

The situation in Somalia has been tumultuous in the past few weeks due to security, humanitarian and political challenges. The briefers are likely to express their concern about the recent violence perpetrated by Al-Shabaab against government officials and civilians. On 13 July, Al-Shabaab attempted to assassinate General Odowaa Yusuf Rageh, the head of the Somalia National Army, in a suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu. Rageh survived, but one civilian was killed and several others wounded. On 8 August, a suicide car bombing at the front gate of a Somali military base in Mogadishu killed at least nine people and wounded around 20; Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility. On 11 August, several members of Al-Shabaab attempted to escape from a Mogadishu prison. The resulting shootout killed around 20 people, including both prisoners and Somali forces. Investigations are underway as to how the attempted escapees received weapons. On 16 August, Al-Shabaab orchestrated an attack on a popular beach hotel in Mogadishu. It began with a car bomb; then terrorists rushed into the hotel, resulting in a four-hour siege. In the end, 16 people were killed and 18 were injured, while more than 200 were rescued by Somali special forces. There have also been some smaller, deadly skirmishes throughout Somalia involving Al-Shabaab.

Council members are likely to highlight their concerns about the recent Al-Shabaab attacks, particularly at a time when the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is scheduled to be undergoing a technical review. They may want to learn from AU Special Representative Madeira about measures being taken by the AMISOM to curtail future attacks.

The severe humanitarian situation in the country is also likely to be addressed in tomorrow’s meeting. Weeks of rains led to severe floods that have caused around 100,000 Somalis to be displaced since the end of June, and more than 40 villages have been completely flooded in the Hirshabelle, South West, Jubaland States, and Banadir region. Thousands of acres of farmland have been destroyed. Meanwhile, as of 19 August, Somalia’s COVID-19 cases stood around 3,200 with 93 deaths. In a statement submitted to the Council in late May (S/2020/466), Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman of Somalia noted that limited resources had hampered his country’s ability to address COVID-19 and that the virus “poses a serious security challenge in a context that is already marked by fragility”.

On 11 August Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, released a statement criticising the “Sexual Intercourse Related Crimes Bill” currently being considered by the Somali Federal Parliament. Patten says that the bill breaches international and regional standards relating to rape and other forms of sexual violence. Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for human rights, released a similar statement. According to Bachelet and Patten, the bill is a step back from the 2013 joint communiqué in which Somalia committed to strengthening laws on sexual violence, because this new law does not adequately protect victims, witnesses and the accused and allows minors to marry based on reproductive maturity, independent of age. Several civil society groups in Somalia have been mobilising action against the bill, including a petition. The United Kingdom’s ambassador in Somalia tweeted his concern about the bill, calling it a “big moment for MP’s to decide Somalia’s future values”. Similar concerns are likely to be expressed by some Council members tomorrow as well.

In the political arena, after several weeks of delays, the chair of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), Halima Ismail, announced in a meeting with the Federal Parliament on 27 June that upcoming elections should be postponed because of logistical, financial, and COVID-19 challenges.

Council members are generally united in their belief that the upcoming elections are important for Somalia. High-level Somali officials have said that the elections will be one person-one vote, but such a poll takes longer to organise than the clan-based system of indirect voting Somalia has used in the past. In that model, clan elders vote in lawmakers, who then elect a president from a group of selected contenders. In her statement on 27 June, Ismail said that one person-one vote elections would take at least until March 2021 to organise and possibly longer if using biometric registration. (Before the announcement, parliamentary elections were tentatively scheduled for 27 November, and the president’s term ends on 8 February 2021).

Many Council members have repeatedly stressed the need for one person-one vote elections.  However, there appears to be some disagreement in the Council on whether or not to support delaying the elections, or supporting some alternative direct election model that could be proposed by Somalia, a compromise between the clan-based and one person-one vote systems that could allow elections to happen sooner. In tomorrow’s meeting, the divisions on this issue may be stark.

Council members are also likely to express their concern about the ongoing disagreements between Somali political stakeholders. The suggestion that elections could be delayed has set off a political dispute inside Somalia. Some members of parliament and the NIEC continue to support universal suffrage and therefore have supported the NIEC’s recommendation to delay elections. However, the recommendation to postpone elections was rejected by the presidents of Somalia’s federal states (Said Abdullahi Deni of Puntland, Ahmed Mohamed Madobe of Jubaland, Ahmed Abdi Karie Qoorqoor of Galmudug, Abdiaziz Laftagareen of South West and Mohamed Abdi Ware of Hirshabelle). They released a joint statement on 12 July calling for modified indirect elections that could be held sooner than the sought-after universal suffrage elections.

A series of meetings between federal states’ presidents and the Federal Government of Somalia took place in July and August to try to pave the way toward a solution. On 22 July, it was announced that the stakeholders had agreed to nominate a technical working group that would design a plan to hold “timely” elections. On 15 August, the leaders were to reconvene for further discussions; however, that meeting has been delayed.

Council members have consistently stressed the need for better relationships between the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali federal states, as there have been periodic flare-ups. Members are likely to voice the need for reconciliation in their statements tomorrow.

An additional political challenge likely to be discussed in the meeting is the 25 July removal of Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire through a no-confidence vote in Somalia’s parliament. According to the speaker of parliament, Khaire was removed due to the government’s inability to “fulfil its national promises, including holding one man-one vote elections, and establishing a national security force capable of tightening the security”. Khaire’s removal was criticised by both the EU and the United States.

Martin Plaut | August 20, 2020 at 7:41 am | Tags: Somalia, UN Security Council | Categories: Africa, Horn of Africa, Somalia, United Nations | URL: https://wp.me/p1OD48-4pN

AUGUST 18, 2020 MARTIN PLAUT NEWS

‘If the government tells us to go, then we have no choice but to go.’Jaclynn Ashly

Independent multimedia journalist based in East Africa

Newly arrived Eritrean refugees at Ethiopia’s Endabaguna reception and registration centre in Shire town, near the Eritrean border, 2017. (Tiksa Negeri/REUTERS)ADDIS ABABA

A plan by the Ethiopian government to relocate around 27,000 Eritrean refugees to two already overcrowded camps is yet to be shelved, despite concerns by aid organisations over both the risk of spreading COVID-19 and the confusion the stated policy has caused.

The government announced plans in April to close Hitsats refugee camp and relocate its residents to Adi Harush and Mai Aini, two other Eritrean camps also located in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.

The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, has warned that both Adi Harush and Mai Aini are “already operating at full capacity”, and says that moving the Hitsats residents could “expose the refugees to the risk of COVID-19 infection and outbreak in the camps”.

Aid workers say all four Eritrean refugee camps in Ethiopia, sheltering a total of about 100,000 people, are severely overcrowded, food is in short supply, and there is poor access to water – crucial for the additional sanitation needs as a result of COVID-19.

Underlining the threat, a 16-year-old Eritrean girl in Adi Harush in June became the first refugee in the country to test positive for the coronavirus.

Read more → Eritrean refugees defy border closures only to find hardship in Ethiopia

Several other camp residents have since been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to an aid worker in Adi Harush, who asked for anonymity. Ethiopia’s ministry of health did not respond to a request for confirmation from The New Humanitarian.

“Everyone is very afraid now,” said Tesfay, speaking by phone from Hitsats, who asked that a pseudonym is used to protect his identity.

“We live with sometimes 15 or 16 people in one room,” he told TNH. “So we don’t know how to quarantine ourselves and it feels impossible to control our environment or protect ourselves from the disease.”

Ethiopia has recorded close to 30,000 COVID-19 cases with around 530 deaths.

Water woes

Along with Ethiopia’s Agency for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), UNHCR is working to instal hand-washing facilities, set up quarantine centres, and provide protection equipment to healthcare workers – but acknowledges that more needs to be done.

Tigray is a bone-dry region where access to water is a perennial problem. While the average daily per capita water supply across the four camps is 19.5 litres, in Hitsats it is just 16 litres – well below the minimum humanitarian standard of 20 litres per person per day.

Ann Encontre, the head of UNHCR in Ethiopia, said “efforts are being made to address the [water] shortage”, but the refugee agency has so far raised only 30 percent of its $385 million budget for 2020 – including the additional financing needed for its coronavirus response.

“Because we are refugees, if the government tells us to go, then we have no choice but to go.”

Established in 2013 in response to overcrowding in Adi Harush and Mai Aini, the Hitsats camp consists of more than 1,300 small concrete block shelters – measuring four metres by five metres – which serve as the cramped, shared living quarters for the refugees.

Despite the bleak conditions, “none of us want to go to Mai Aini or Adi Harush,” said Tesfay, who fled Eritrea after being jailed for refusing compulsory military conscription. “But because we are refugees, if the government tells us to go, then we have no choice but to go.”

In the dark

Four months after the announcement, no relocations have happened, and UNHCR says it is yet to receive any official timeline for the closure of Hitsats, adding to the sense of confusion.

“Neither information on the government’s plans around the future of Hitsats nor on the options available for the refugees living in the camp have been forthcoming,” said Laetitia Bader, Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“The lack of clarity makes it difficult, notably for humanitarian actors, to assess the impact and plan for any viable, safe alternatives,” Bader told TNH, noting that the uncertainty “risks creating significant confusion and fear for the Eritrean camp residents”.

In a letter in April informing UNHCR and other aid organisations of the decision to relocate the Hitsats refugees, ARRA said there were “relatively quality services and many unoccupied shelters available” at Adi Harush and Mai Aini, and insisted the move would be carried out in a “very coordinated way that can ensure the safety and dignity of the persons of concern”.

Read more → Amid border wrangles, Eritreans wrestle with staying or going

Encontre said her office has “not observed any expansion of shelters or other infrastructure in either Mai Aini or Adi Harush, or any other preparations to absorb the refugees from Hitsats”.

ARRA cited a lack of funding from UNHCR – which helps finance the Ethiopian government agency – as one of the reasons behind its decision to close Hitsats.

Although UNHCR has cut ARRA’s funding by 14 percent this year, “this would not justify a camp closure,” said Encontre.

TNH reached out to ARRA numerous times for comment, but did not receive a response.

Struggling with a refugee surge

Ethiopia has a long tradition of hosting refugees, currently sheltering around 769,000. Eritrean arrivals are typically escaping persecution by a violent and authoritarian government, an economy that cannot provide enough jobs, or are looking to reunite with family members who have already made the journey.

Last year, there was a surge of 70,000 refugees following a peace deal in 2018 normalising relations between the two countries who fought a two-year war that ended in 2000.

The influx “overwhelmed key infrastructure in the three camps, particularly shelter, water, and sanitation facilities,” Encontre told TNH. “This is precisely why UNHCR maintains the position that the planned consolidation of Hitsats camp requires adequate planning and time, as well as resources, to be able to expand the necessary infrastructure before any large-scale movement can take place.”

“Everyone in the camp is very scared to speak about what’s happening here.”

ARRA has given the Hitsats refugees the option of moving from the camp to cities or towns as part of Ethiopia’s progressive “out of camp” policy. More than 20,000 Eritrean refugees live in urban areas, according to UNHCR. 

But Tesfay said most people in Hitsats, located about 45 kilometres from the nearest town of Shire, do not have the money or connections to survive outside the camp.

As the months have passed since the closure announcement, distrust has grown between the refugees at Hitsats and ARRA staff, and officials have been accused of trying to pressure the camp’s refugee committee into persuading their fellow refugees to leave.

“They are causing infighting and disturbing the camp,” Tesfay said of the ARRA staff in Hitsats. “Now, everyone in the camp is very scared to speak about what’s happening here.”

ja/oa/ag

Read more about: Ethiopia Eritrea Migration