In reality, there are no independent NGOs based in Eritrea. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 16 journalists remain imprisoned for their work in Eritrea. Analysis: Can Ethiopias truce end its devastating civil war? Eritrean refugees living in Ethiopia continue to face hunger and attacks as fighting in the countrys northern areas continues. Hence, we urgently and strongly call upon the UNHCR and you as the High Commissioner to act immediately to effect safe passage to a third country, possibly to Sudan or airlift them to any other country that is willing to take them on humanitarian grounds. It did not say who carried out the attack. The president controls the appointment and dismissal of all judges; even nominally elected judges in local community courts are controlled by the Justice Ministry, according to UN investigators. The world must act now, as time is of the essence. Individuals also require permits to travel within the country.

According to refugees who spoke to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, unidentified men attacked the Barahle camp last month, killing five people.

Global freedom statuses are calculated on a weighted scale. Do various segments of the population (including ethnic, racial, religious, gender, LGBT+, and other relevant groups) have full political rights and electoral opportunities? Activists have used internet platforms and protests to oppose the government and raise awareness of government abuses. Those two camps were ultimately destroyed in what one aid group called a "rampage" after the area came under Eritrean control. Men and women have equal rights under laws governing marriage, nationality, and other personal status matters. According to the refugee accounts, more than 20 refugees have died within the last six weeks due to preventable diseases. Those in the regimes favor profit from the smuggling and sale of scarce goods such as food, building materials, and alcohol. Arbitrary detention is commonplace, and citizens are required to perform national service, often for their entire working lives. A number of factors including lack of details and conflicting statements continue to shroud the truce in mystery. Electoral laws have not been finalized. Large numbers of Eritrean forces are re-entering Ethiopia after June withdrawal, says US secretary of state. In December 2020, the Eritrean government forced 20,000 refugees back to Eritrea in contravention of their refugee protection rights. "The humanitarian community has a lot of reckoning and deep thinking to do around what's been going on in Ethiopia," she said. Do laws, policies, and practices guarantee equal treatment of various segments of the population? There are allegations that two of Eritreas nine recognized ethnic groups, the Kunama and Afar, face severe discrimination, including exclusion from the governments poverty alleviation programs. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Most were fleeing the authoritarian rule of President Isaias Afwerki. Another 190,000 received assistance in Afar and Amhara. If the remaining refugees are relocated to Dabat, a repeat of forced repatriation will almost certainly happen. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Afghanistan Human Rights Coordination Mechanism, Emergency Assistance and Thematic Programs. Rape of women and sexualized forms of violence against men are common in detention and in military service. In 2019, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that widespread physical and sexual abuse took place at Sawa. Deaths in custody or in military service due to torture and other harsh conditions have been reported, though authorities do not investigate such incidents. Eritreans who offend high-ranking government or party officials are also reportedly subject to arbitrary arrest. The EOCs patriarch, Abune Antonios, was deposed in 2006 and expelled from the EOC for heresy in 2019. The authorities regularly block access to social media platforms and shutter internet cafs. The aid helped about 10,000 people and at least 22,000 refugees.

Kasina of the U.N. refugee agency says more people are left without shelter.

It played out again this month, after the Bahrale refugee camp in the northeastern Afar region sustained what survivors described as a brazen assault by rebels from neighboring Tigray. Is there freedom for trade unions and similar professional or labor organizations? Sexual assault of female conscripts is endemic and has not been thoroughly investigated by the authorities. The only union umbrella group, the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers, is affiliated with the PFDJ. Humanitarian agencies have had difficulty accessing the populations in need because of roadblocks and insecurity. Does due process prevail in civil and criminal matters? Thousands of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience remain imprisoned. Given the current political and military dynamics in the region, we do not expect the Ethiopian government nor the Amhara regional government to protect the Eritrean refugees from the Eritrean forces. Petty bribery and influence peddling are thought to be endemic, and larger-scale corruption is a problem among some party officials and military leaders. In January and February, 70 Evangelical and Orthodox Christians and 4 Jehovahs Witnesses were released from custody. The governments control over foreign exchange effectively gives it sole authority over imports. Do individuals enjoy personal social freedoms, including choice of marriage partner and size of family, protection from domestic violence, and control over appearance? The attack marked the first time Eritrean refugees were targeted outside Tigray, where the war began, and was the first such assault on Eritrean refugees belonging to the ethnic Afar minority. Special anticorruption courts overseen by the military nominally exist but are mostly inactive. Survivors and witnesses say the Ethiopian allied forces went door to door for five days, targeting Tigrayans.

About 150,000 Eritrean refugees live in Ethiopia. Public gatherings of more than seven people require a permit. He has remained in office since then, without ever obtaining a mandate from voters. Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers who are repatriated from other countries are subject to detention under harsh conditions. Since then, refugees there have faced extended cuts to food and medical aid, and three were killed in a drone strike in January. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. She says Eritrean refugees are fleeing conflict areas to safer areas. Abune has remained under house arrest. The government has banned the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Does the government operate with openness and transparency? In March 2021, Human Rights ConcernEritrea reported that boys were being pressed into military service and sent to the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

National elections have never been conducted. Eritrean soldiers and Ethiopian rebel fighters raped and killed refugees in Ethiopias Tigray region, rights group says.

Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Yet in other respects, the incident followed a familiar pattern -- one analysts say highlights failings of the Ethiopian government, the rebels and the international community at large. Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system free of undue obstacles to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings? "Others have been wounded and some have also been killed. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. He also pointed out that UNHCR had been calling the warring parties to ceasefire and guarantee safe passage for UNHCR to voluntarily relocate more than 25,000 refugees from Tigray Region to the Amhara region at Dabat, but in vain. Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution? We also believe that the lives of these refugees are in the hands of the UN in general and the UNHCR in particular. Former students say they were given insufficient food and were forced to perform manual labor. From 2017 to 2019, the government took steps to nationalize an Islamic school in Asmara along with seven other schools operated by religious organizations, though no subsequent actions have been reported. The same day they started looting property," recalled one survivor, according to testimony collected by an aid agency and shared with AFP. In a press statement on 21 January 2022 at the Palais des Nation in Geneva, UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov stated that the UNHCR is deeply alarmed at the deteriorating conditions faced by Eritrean refugees in the camps in Tigray. FILE - A general view shows Mai Aini Eritrean Refugee camp near Mai Tseberi town in Tigray Region, Ethiopia, June 26, 2021. A number of Eritreans are leaving to other countries especially through Kenya border to Uganda," said Tekle. Power is concentrated in the hands of the unelected president, who reportedly determines policy with the help of an informal circle of advisers, leaving the cabinet and security officials to merely carry out his decisions. A TPLF spokesman dismissed claims that its fighters attacked refugees as "lies". Before the current conflict broke out, some 113,000 Eritrean refugees were registered in Tigray and Afar, according to the UN. In 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) noted that military personnel were overrepresented among the presidents closest associates. The overwhelming majority originate from South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. The Treasury Department blacklisted General Filipos Woldeyohannes, the chief of staff of the Eritrean Defense Forces. FGM remains widespread in rural areas, though awareness campaigns have contributed to a decline in the practice. UNHCR continues to respond to the situationof Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ethiopia, leading and co-leading the Protection and Camp Coordination & Camp Management (CCCM) Clustersand providing protection, emergency aid and other support to IDPs and IDP returnees. The government places strict limits on the exercise of religion. Those who protest face the threat of deadly force at the hands of state security officers or arbitrary detention. The government shut down all independent media in 2001. Were the current national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections? Periodic local and regional assembly elections are carefully orchestrated by the PFDJ and offer no meaningful choice to voters. Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies? The judiciary has no independence from the executive branch. While the Eritrean government has ratified the International Labour Organizations eight fundamental conventions, no independent trade unions function in Eritrea. Eritreas conscription system ties most able-bodied men and womenincluding those under 18 who are completing secondary schoolto obligatory military service, which can also entail compulsory, unpaid labor for enterprises controlled by the political elite. Security forces employ lethal violence arbitrarily and with impunity. Following Eritreas formal independence from Ethiopia in 1993, an unelected Transitional National Assembly chose Isaias Afwerki to serve as president until elections could be held under a new constitution. Are individuals able to exercise the right to own property and establish private businesses without undue interference from state or nonstate actors? Groups were hosted in Ethiopia in the past, but its government ordered many of them to cease operations after the two countries sought rapprochement in 2018. Without urgent action, hundreds of vulnerable women and children will be dying from lack of access to water, food, sanitation, proper nutrition or basic health services. Ethiopia - Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 27 Jun 2022, Ethiopia - Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 16 June 2022, Ethiopia - Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 11 June 2022, Ethiopia - Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 3 June 2022. Reuters could not reach the spokespersons for the Tigrayan forces or the Afar regional forces for comment. Academic freedom is greatly constrained. While we understand the good intentions of UNHCR, we at ERIPS do not think that Dabat in the Amhara region is any safer for the Eritrean Refugees than is Hitsatse or Mai Aini. UN refugee chief says more than 100 million people around the world are displaced as a result of war and other crises. ", People seat a the shade of an abandoned truck at the compound of the Agda Hotel, in the city of Semera, Afar region, Ethiopia, on February 14, 2022, By using this website, you agree with our use of cookies to improve its performance and enhance your user experience. Afar is of strategic importance because its territory contains the main road and railway linking Addis Ababa, landlocked Ethiopia's capital, with the sea port of Djibouti. There is no operational system of public defense lawyers. Eritrean forces continued to support the Ethiopian governments military campaign against the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), though they reportedly left three towns in the Tigray region in June. Are safeguards against official corruption strong and effective? Women and various ethnic groups are nominally represented within the PFDJ but have no practical ability to organize independently or advocate for their interests through the political system. "UNHCR is working with the Ethiopian authorities and partners to provide emergency aid to thousands of Eritrean refugees who fled Barahle refugee camp and its environs in the Afar region after fighting engulfed the area," the agency said in a statement. The situation continues to be extremely worrying for refugees, particularly because a lot of them have to deal with the reality of being forced to flee yet again.. Senior military officials have allegedly profited from smuggling Eritreans out of the country. Followers of other denominations are subject to arrest, imprisonment, and the loss of property. The government operates without public scrutiny. The Eritrean government holds prominent dissidents and family members in detention; a group of 11 has reportedly been held incommunicado since 2001. They have been killed, raped and imprisoned by belligerents on both sides of the conflict and cut off from aid for months at a time. Freedom of assembly is not recognized by the authorities. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. In August 2021, Amnesty International reported that Eritrean forces and an Eritrean militia group engaged in rape in Tigray. In March, 35 people were arrested while attending two prayer meetings. UNHCR, the Governments Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) and partners, continue to reinforce prevention measures in refugee camps and sites hosting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Prisoners, including children, former members of the government, and their family members, are routinely held incommunicado for indefinite periods without charge or trial, with the authorities refusing even to inform family members whether they are still alive. Most of the refugees are sheltered in the Tigray region, scene of the heaviest fighting between Ethiopias government forces and the Tigray Liberation Peoples Front rebel group. The U.N. humanitarian agency says its operations in the north of the country continue to be restricted, at a time when about 870,000 people need its assistance each week. President Isaias and the PFDJ have been in power without interruption since independence. The Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), headed by President Isaias Afwerki, is the sole political party. However, members of the diaspora are also subject to government surveillance and harassment. Former finance minister Berhane Abrehe, meanwhile, was detained in 2018. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Those lucky enough to escape are now scattered across Afar, awaiting an uncertain future in a country they once saw as a haven from their repressive homeland. PK ! Amnesty International Horn of Africa researcher Fisseha Tekle says some Eritrean refugees are leaving Ethiopia altogether. Religious practice is prohibited among members of the military. Reporting by Giulia Paravicini; Freedoms of expression and private discussion are severely inhibited by fear of government informants and the likelihood of arrest and arbitrary detention for any airing of dissent. NAIROBI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - At least five Eritreans were killed when gunmen attacked a refugee camp in Ethiopia's northeastern Afar region during fighting between rebellious Tigrayan and Afar forces in the area on Feb. 3, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday. In September 2021, Amnesty International noted that nine may have died in detention. Basic data about the state budget and its appropriations are not publicly disclosed, and officials are not required to disclose their assets. Eritrean forces continued to operate in Ethiopia in support of Addis Ababas military campaign against the TPLF during the year. Join the Freedom House monthly newsletter, 1850 M St. NW Floor 11 Eritrean forces were accused of committing human rights abuses during their deployment in Ethiopia, including the forcible repatriation of Eritrean refugees, killings, and rape. Eritrean society is dominated by the military, with most citizens required to perform open-ended military or other national service.

Ethiopia is the third-largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, sheltering 837,533 registered refugees and asylum-seekers as of 28 February 2022. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. The 15-month-old war has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions. "Ethiopia is no longer a safe place for Eritrean refugees - that's quite clear.". Others have moved south to the Afar and Amhara regions, where the TPLF is battling pro-government militias. Students in their last year of secondary school must perform military service at the Sawa military training center. The Eritrean refugees have already been through so much pain and hardship to be exposed to another danger. l Q [Content_Types].xml ( Ok@|bC)rMzwd/w$"N$^{Yw#d1Tu%~>I\P\}X`/RWXW"k~Pk'c 4C,WPI28}aU Z`Hu %+@ ;&[t. Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment, or education? But attempts to establish new sites elsewhere in the country have moved slowly.

Last July, fighting reached two other camps farther south in Tigray. Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia Forced to Move to Escape Attacks, Hunger, TOPSHOT - Children stand amidst fog on the site of a future camp for Eritrean refugees, in a rural area near the village of Dabat, 70 kilometres northeast from the city of Gondar, Ethiopia, on July 13, 2021. United Nations says attack on Mai Aini refugee camp also wounded four other refugees. However, authorities arrested 35 religious followers at two prayer meetings in March. War-fuelled food crisis to add to staggering number displaced, UN: Eritrean troops shelled school in north Ethiopia. In addition, Ciham Ali Abdu, the daughter of former information minister Ali Abdu Ahmed, was detained in 2012 when she tried to flee to Sudan. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all. Ethnic cleansing: Ethiopian allies accused of Abala massacre, Two children among 3 Eritrean refugees killed in Tigray air raid, US issues religious freedom concern list, removes Nigeria, US sanctions Eritrean army, ruling party over Ethiopia conflict, US threatens new sanctions over conflict in Ethiopias Tigray, Attacks on Eritrean refugees in Tigray clear war crimes: HRW, US, EU warn of influx of Eritrean troops in Ethiopias Tigray, US sanctions Eritrean general over rights abuses in Ethiopia, UN experts demand Eritrea release journalist jailed for 20 years, They raped and starved us: Amnesty report details Tigray horror, Claims of bias against aid workers in Tigray dangerous, says UN, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. The conflict has also reached some of those refugee camps in those three regions where we have seen refugees being displaced, forced to flee yet again," said Kasina. Ethiopia plans to house them in a "temporary site" in Serdo, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Semera. Eritrean forces engaged in violence against civilians during their deployment. Asmara reportedly committed to withdrawing from Tigray in March, with Eritrean forces leaving three Tigrayan towns in June. Ethiopia hosts at least 140,000 Eritreans who fled persecution and other abuses in their country. "If God took my family and my home from me, I don't have anyone to ask about it, I will accept it," said Halima Kedir, who has located just one of her eight children since the attack. The law requires all nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to undergo an onerous and arbitrary annual registration process and limits their activities to providing humanitarian relief. Alternative groups must operate from abroad among the diaspora. They do not have any other hope. There are no independent agencies or mechanisms in place to prevent or punish corruption. Eritrea is a militarized authoritarian state that has not held a national election since independence from Ethiopia in 1993. "Most of them while en route they are arrested by police officials at the border or after crossing the border and many of the times they are taken to court and fined especially in Kenya though some of them were able to make it to Uganda.. Eritrea officially recognizes only four faiths: Sunni Islam, Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism, and Evangelical Lutheranism. Are individuals free to practice and express their religious faith or nonbelief in public and private? The scene has become all-too-common during Ethiopia's drawn-out war: thousands of Eritrean refugees, shell-shocked and separated from loved ones, fleeing on foot through harsh terrain to escape artillery and gunfire. The PFDJ is the only legally recognized political party in Eritrea.