Addis Ababa, July 13, 2021 (Walta) – The head of UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said that he is ‘extremely concerned’ about the conditions of Eritrean refugees in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
“….We have received credible and corroborated reports of reprisal attacks, abductions, arrests, and violence meted out against Eritrean refugees for their perceived affiliation with one side or the other throughout this bloody conflict” the commissioner said.
“I have been disturbed by general criminality against refugees committed, mainly at night, by various armed actors in the Mai Aini and Adi Harush refugee camps. In the past weeks, hundreds of Eritreans have been arrested in Shire,” he added.
The commissioner also highlighted that the UN has sought clarity from authorities in Mekelle.
“We have sought clarity from the authorities in Mekelle and have requested access to and the immediate release of any unlawfully detained refugees and asylum seekers. We have also heard reports of other very serious allegations of violence against Eritrean refugees and have called on both the Federal Government and the Tigray Regional Government to launch formal investigations into all credible allegations,” Grandi said in a statement his office released today.
Refugees are civilians in need of right to international protection under international humanitarian law.