Eritrean Refugees Express Concern about Safety of Families Detained by TPLF
Eritrean refugees sheltered in North Gonder Zone of Amhara region expressed concern about the safety of their family members and fellows who are detained by the terrorist TPLF militants in Tigray.
The refugees expressed the concern during their discussion with officials of the Ethiopian Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA) and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday.
ARRA Director General Tesfahun Gobezay, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner – Operations, Raouf Mazou, UNHCR Acting Regional Representative, Charles Mballa and UNHCR Ethiopia Country Rep. Mamadou Dian Balde had visited refugees and IDPs in Dabat and Dabark, in North Gondar.
The delegates warmly welcomed by the Northern Gondar Zonal Administrator Yalelem Fantahun and his team in Dabark and briefed on the overall situation of refugees and IDPs.
During the meeting the Zonal Administrator underlined that most of the IDPs are sheltered in schools and are facing challenges as school opening time is approaching.
Therefore those IDPs are in need of shelter and it is their top priority right now, he added.
Then the team visited one of the IDP’s centers called Millennium. Some of the representatives of the IDPs reflected to the guests that they left behind all their livestock’s and their farm lands so as to save their lives.
The next destination for the delegates was the newly established refugee camp, Alem-Wach where they had been briefed by ARRA and partners representatives about the overall development of the camp.
The team had time to visit the refugees, who are at Dabat town in one of the public infrastructure called Menfesawi, according to statement obtained from ARRA.
There were also discussions with some of the refugees’ representatives in which they repeatedly voiced their concerns about their family and fellows, who are under detainees of the TPLF militants.
They urge UNHCR to take care of them, as it is only UNHCR that is present in the operation in areas where Eritrean refugees are detained by TPLF.
It was reported that the terrorist TPLF has been attacking refugee camps located in Tigray, abducting refugees and looting camp properties.
It is to be recalled that Eritrean refugees in Addis Ababa demanded the pertinent member of the international community to take urgent action to protect refugees in Tigray from TPLF’s attack in a rally weeks held weeks ago.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency