8000 Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia eager to return home
By Tesfa-alem Tekle
November 4, 2007 (ASOSSA, Ethiopia) — Thousands of Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia said, they are eager to return back to their home land to engage them selves in different developmental activities along with their own people.
Some 8000 Sudanese refugees who fled in Ethiopia 10 years ago seeking safety are now in Asossa’s UN aided, Shrkole refugee camp with the help of Ethiopian and international aid agencies.
The Sudanese refugee at shorkol refugee camp said “We are keen to return back to our home land and serve our country, if a relative peace and stability is maintained.”
Most of the Sudanese refugees are woman while about 1500 of them are children.
Protection officer of the refugee camp Zenebe Tesema said “The Sudanese children who are at school age are all enrolled at the school founded near by.“
“We call on Ethiopia government and all concerned national and international agencies to arrange a way for our return” the refugees urge.
The refugees appreciated the over all aid they have been receiving since their arrival.
According to one higher official in Asossa town some efforts are under way to send volunteer Sudanese refugee home starting from December 2007.
UNHCR began a voluntary repatriation operation in Ethiopia in March 2006. Since then, it has returned more than 15,000 Sudanese by road. Some 55,000 Sudanese refugees are still sheltered in four camps in Ethiopia.
(ST)
Bob Tata
8000 Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia eager to return home
Dear Tesfa-alem Tekle
Repatriation of our beloved refugees who were forced by the 21 year disastrous war to abandon their homes and traditional ways of living to take Sanctuary in the Ethiopian highlands; should have been the priority of the corrupted SPLA/M dominated government of South Sudan(GoSS)!
But does that government care about them or even those who have already returned home voluntarily! I doubt that anyway! Thus, the UNHCR should make sure that the repatriation of those refugees is under the UNHCR administration or supervision! Because if that will be dealt with by GoSS, then, the definite outcome will be just like that of GoSS divide out of the oil revenue that is being disappeared and without any trace by the corrupted officials of GoSS!
Right now GoSS is very busy smuggling money out of the country for the private use of its corrupted officials while leaving its people who are already home to suffer all kinds of epidemics!! then, how can GoSS think of bringing home additional people while it can’t even manage to look after those who are already there?
Moreover, let the UNHCR supervise or monitor any cash released by the organisation for the accommodation or sheltering of those refugees once they set feet in South Sudan; because failure to do so will result into that money being swallowed by the SPLA/M dominated GoSS as the militia is good at doing that job!
By Bol Thourmuck of Greater Nuer Greater Nasir(UK)