By Debteraw Associate Reporter
Khartoum (22 November 2006): Arresting, deporting and harassing Ethiopians continued. The house to
house search in selected areas of Khartoum has continued. This has paved the way for crooks, hooligans
and all other types of cheats who pretend as authorized search teams. According to reliable sources
reaching this reporter rapes, attempted rapes, flogging, entering houses by force, confiscating properties are
rampant.
Ethiopians on hunger strike at UNCHR gate in Khartoum
Ethiopian who escaped the attempted rape, the arresting and deportation have occupied the UNHCR’s
Khartoum office gate at Amarat street one. Cars can not go in and go out into the compound while people
can. These Ethiopian have started a hunger strike starting on November 21, 2006.
According to their representative Mewchaw, who was a university student at Arat kilo, the hunger strikes
have three demands for the UNHCR and the Sudanese refugee commission ( COR):
To be given Refugee IDs
If they can not issue at least temporally IDs to be taken to refugee camps and save them from
arrest and deportation
To protest the on going abusing of Ethiopians with no IDs.
Among the 211 hunger strikers
13 are children and 60 women.
There are also Elderly people.
The hunger strikers are
weakened not only by the
hunger but also the heavy cold
which has just begun and the
scorching sun.
According to ministry of
interiors statement published
in the Arabic news paper
Sudani on November 22, 2006
issue number 374 so far 1261
foreigners are arrested among
these 881 are Ethiopian and
380 are Asians. The ministry’s
statement further states no
refugee will be allowed in the cities and Ethiopian have no reason to stay as refugees in the Sudan.
According to reports many Ethiopians are in many jails in Omdurman, Bahri, Arkewit and Giref areas. Some
are freed by their employers help. Some were taken to court and sentenced to be deported after paying
100,000 Sudanese pound (around 50 dollars)
fines for being in the Sudan illegally. The
Sudanese authorities have deported so far No
less than 500 Ethiopian via Metema. There are
unconfirmed reports the Oromo Origin
Ethiopians are taken to Demazine Province
bordering the Benishangul area. The reason of
taking the Oromo origin Ethiopians to
Demazine is not yet established.
According to observers, which the ministry
of interior seems to confirm, the whole fiasco
of cracking down aliens turned out to be only
targeting Ethiopian whom UNHCR and COR
denied refugee status for no reasons.
The hunger strikers kindly request the following:
Ethiopians all over the world to voice their
concern
Ethiopian Media outlets to high light their
demands and the on going abusing of
Ethiopians.
http://www.debteraw.co.uk/Ethiopians-on-hunger-strike.pdf
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