Tunisia- May 24: Eritrean Refugees between two fires

Tunisia- May 24: Eritrean Refugees between two fires




Eritrea was celebrating its 20th birth day, and its citizens in Shousha camp in Tunisia got no time to remember for their independence day. Even all the days before were all tempting for Eritreans, and tensions escalated since May 22. The situation becomes calmer latter late in the evening after the calash took so many lives and injured many others.

We woke up by laud cry. It was about 3:30 am, Sunday may 22nd. At first we thought is clash among some different nationalities, but after hearing gas container explosions, we realized it is fire. We rushed to it. We were too late to extinguish it. The fire extinguishing team was bit far and they have been in their dream. Wind blow high, fortunately, not as high as the day before and distribute the fine to 21 tents in a matter of less than 10 minutes. Now after the fire stopped burning new tents, the fire fighters also arrived and did whatever they believe to help them from responsibility. Now, we realized and watched four bodies lying on the burned tents. It was difficult to distinguish on their identity. People told us their identity only from the way they were lying on. Now, the police were also good after everything was over. They picked up the bodies without even taking photos that can help detectives to look in to the crime.

Before sun rise, all Eritreans heard what has happened to their desperate brothers, and they all burned with anger. But, there was no any available solution that can stabilize us. We marched to the police station in mass as a protest and delegates spoke with security personnel. Thus, hoping the rule of law will do something on our behalf, we returned back to the big tent for mourning. It was all unbelievable. Our unity reflected there and spent all the day and night there remembering those who passed away in a flame of tents. Somali and Ethiopian Oromo came to the camp in mass to show their condolences and prayed for the dead once.




In May 23rd, those believed to be the crime makers, they organized all sub-Saharan Africans to join them in protest and they united to block the Libyan-Tunisian road- THE LIFE LINE. They did this protest intentionally to block Eritreans from leaving to third world country and attract the world by blocking the LIFE LINE. So they did. IOM bus couldn’t enter the camp, and the trip canceled. They were happy in the evening singing… Africa sem sem… meaning Africa is united and we are all the same. But not true… some of them are migrant workers and the rest refugees or asylum seekers. UNHCR was handling their cases differently according the need. Late in the evening clashes seemed obvious as tensions escalate.

The next day, the clash erupted abruptly. It started near the big tent where Eritreans were in Mourning. There are different responses as how it first erupted, but the conflict was between Eritreans on one side and the other entire sub Saharan African on the other side. It was unbalanced conflict. Soon, Eritreans could not resist the mass attack orchestrated by Sudanese and Ivoirians. We flee towards the neighboring Tunisian town Ben Guerdan. In the conflict, many Eritreans and from the other front injured seriously, fortunately, there was no death in this part of the conflict. But, another greater danger was coming from the nearby town.

Angry Tunisians meet us in the way. They thought first as if we are marching to attack their town, latter we explained we are attacked and pushed out of the camp by other groups and we have nothing to do with closing the LIFE LINE. They threaten us and left to attack the campers, so they did. They looted, robbed and burned every tent. They, with the help of the local police attacked all sub Saharan Africans without discrimination. The number of causalities is much higher than the official news broadcast. Thanks God, Tunisians forgot what they came for and tend towards robing all the stores. Before sunset all the properties of the camp were transported to Ben Guerdan. The police were just watching silently the whole day, but latter they have to do some easy drama… they chased the robbers when there was nothing left behind. Another shameful drama was by the fire extinguishing team. They just follow the burners (they are their friends) and pour their chemical for nothing but to show their boss they use all their effort in Firefighting. Shameful.

Late in May 24th, after losing too much lives, the repatriation started and majority of the migrant workers left the camp and flew to their countries. Yet, the rest remained on bare desert with out any tent for days fearing another burn and loss of lives. I remember nights of patrol to safe guard our people from possible night fire. Now,I left the desert camp to a safe place, but I am still spending sleepless nights thinking about the situation of those I leave them in the sandy desert. May God deliver them soon!!

Eritrean refugees arrive in Romanian emergency transit centre from Tunisia

TIMISOARA, Romania, April 20 (UNHCR) – Thirty Eritrean refugees have arrived at an emergency transit centre in western Romania after fleeing Libya and spending weeks in a crowded camp in Tunisia as UNHCR and its partners sought a solution for them.

The Eritreans, including three women and a boy, will spend up to six months in the centre in Timisoara before being resettled in the United States and the Netherlands.

Unlike most of the foreigners who have fled from Libya since mid-February, hundreds of Eritreans and Somalis stuck on the Tunisian and Egyptian borders with Libya cannot return to their countries because their lives would be at risk.

This is the first group to be flown out of the country ahead of resettlement. Their evacuation was organized by the UN refugee agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Romanian government. UNHCR officials said more were expected.

The Eritreans said they fled their country to escape forced military recruitment and claimed that they had been detained and physically abused in Libya. People from sub-Saharan Africa have also been at risk in Libya because of rumours that the government was using them as mercenaries.

One 36-year-old refugee, after thanking UNHCR "for saving me and my brothers, said he had spent six year in a Libyan prison.

Eritreans who made it to Tunisia have had to remain in the Choucha transit camp as tens of thousands of workers from other countries in Egypt and Asia were repatriated by their governments or UNHCR and the IOM. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has repeatedly urged resettlement countries to help the refugees.

Meanwhile in Geneva, UNHCR on Wednesday presented its Global Resettlement Solidarity initiative to resettlement countries. This programme is aimed at addressing the resettlement needs in Egypt and Tunisia arising out of the Libya crisis. UNHCR called on the resettlement countries to provide 8,000 dedicated places for the refugees at the borders with Libya.

"We call on states to provide additional places [to their current resettlement quotas]," stressed Johannes van der Klaauw, UNHCR's senior resettlement coordinator. "The numbers of people in need of resettlement from Tunisia and Egypt increases by the day and may soon be in the thousands rather than the hundreds," he added.

Van der Klaauw also noted that resettlement out of the region could ensure that fewer of these vulnerable refugees risk taking dangerous boat journeys across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. More than 500 people are known to have lost their lives attempting the crossing in recent weeks.

The Timisoara Emergency Transit Centre was set up in 2008 by the Romanian government, UNHCR and the IOM to house people in urgent need of international protection until their resettlement applications have been processed. It can accommodate up to 200 people and has hosted more than 600 refugees since opening, including Eritreans, Sudanese, Palestinians, Ethiopians, Sri Lankans, Iraqis and Nigerians.

By Roland Schönbauer in Timisoara, Romania and Leo Dobbs in Geneva