A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delegation, which visited a newly built refugee camp for displaced Eritrean refuges near Dabat in Amhara region, called for more collaboration to support the refugees.
Regional
Bureau for the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes RegionDirector
Clementine Nkweta-Salami, who visited Alem-Wach refugee camp, expressed
confidence that working together with the government, partners and support of
the international community, will enable to put in place structures that
address the protection and the urgent assistance needs of the refugees.
“From what I see so far, I am confident that
working together with the government, partners and with support of the
international community, we will be able to put in place structures that will
address the protection and the urgent assistance needs of this population.”
Nkweta-Salami
noted that the refugees have been living peacefully in Ethiopia for many years
and even in some cases for decades.
“Unfortunately,
the situation is such that they had to flee the existing camps, but what we see
here is what we know as the traditional hospitality and generosity of the
Ethiopian people and of the Ethiopian government in having made the site
available for these people to now move to and to be resettled.”
Director General at Refugees and
Returnees Service, Tesfahun Gobezay said on
his part the refugee camp was made after attack by the terrorist TPLF.
“The need to
set up a new refugee camp is due to the heavy casualties suffered by Eritrean
refugees living in Tigray in connection with the war waged by the terrorist
TPLF,” he stated.
According to
him, the main reason for the establishment of the site is that the Eritrean
refugee camps in Tigray have been severely damaged in connection with the
TPLF-led war.
“It has
often been reported that at the beginning of the war, refugees, especially
children and adolescents, were subjected to numerous forms of abuse.”
Some 8,140
refugees have so far arrived at the, he revealed, adding that “we are working
to provide them with housing and basic services.”
Eritrean
refugees who were living in Hitsats and Shimeliba refugee camps were harassed
by the terrorist group, the director general said.
Tesfahun said
clean water facilities and toilets, including houses, have been constructed at
the shelter, and other basic services will be provided in the future.