Press Release - Recent fighting between Ethiopian government forces and Fano militias in the northwestern Amhara region has put Sudanese refugees in and around camps near the Sudan border at grave risk, Human Rights Watch said today.
Recent fighting between Ethiopia n government forces and Fano militias in the northwestern Amhara region has put Sudan ese refugees in and around camps near the Sudan border at grave risk, Human Rights Watch said today. The Ethiopia n government should step up protection of the refugees, who, for more than a year have been subjected to abuses and fighting by unidentified gunmen, militias, and more recently government forces.
Between May and September Human Rights Watch interviewed by phone twenty Sudanese refugees at three refugee camps and at a transit center in the Amhara region, and spoke to Sudanese activists and aid workers. Human Rights Watch also analyzed satellite imagery of the camps and transit center, and videos and photographs sent to researchers or posted online.
"We wanted to be safe when we left Sudan, but the beatings and robbery were a lot for us to take," said a 45-year-old refugee."We have been going through this for one year, and every time the promise something, nothing changes. We couldn't take it anymore." "I got beaten on my right ribs five times," said a 45-year-old refugee."My kids were crying. Someone asked the military and police to stop beating me in front of my kids. They started insulting us, saying if we didn't want to stay in Ethiopia, then we should go back to our country, to Sudan."
Ethiopia is party to the UN refugee convention and the 1969 African refugee convention, both of which prohibit refoulement, the return of refugees to a place where their life or freedom would be threatened. This includes so-called"constructive refoulement," in which a government puts so much direct or indirect pressure on refugees that they feel compelled to return to their home country.
Ethiopia's international partners should press the government to ensure the protection of refugees, halt any forced returns, and increase humanitarian support to refugees, including relocation to safer areas.There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.
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