The Administration for Refugees and Returnees Affairs’ (ARRA) report shows that there are over 900,000 refugees in Ethiopia sheltered in different parts of the country. Ethiopia is the largest refugee hosting country in the world, and as of October, 2018, continues to be a place of safety for 926,263 refugees who fled their homes as a result of natural or man-made crisis in their countries of origin, retrieved from ARRA.
The major refugee source countries include: South Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Yemen and Syria. The government of Ethiopia has further strengthened its commitment to protect and assist that the refugees are generously hosted in the country. The UN Refuge Agency, UNHCR, and other partners have recently launched an appeal for US$2.7 billion to address the lifesaving humanitarian needs of South Sudanese refugees in 2019 and 2020, including those in Ethiopia.
Five years on since the onset of a brutal civil war in South Sudan, over 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees have sought safety in six neighboring countries. Ethiopia is among them. Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR) are the other countries hosting refugees.
Very recently, the number of refugees in Ethiopia has also arguably increased due to the fact that refugees are coming from Syria and Yemen to escape wars in the two respective Middle East Countries since 2015. There are about 2000 new refugees in the capital, Addis Ababa, of which 1900 are Yemeni and the rest 98 are Syrian refugees, according to ARRA. The Amharic Daily, Addis Zemen has made observations in different parts of Addis Ababa and come up with the finding how the refugees are living in the city.
Salih Ahmed, is among the Yemenis living in Bole Rwanda vicinity of Addis Ababa and runs a small honey shop. Salih noted that he is engaged in some income generating activities in Addis, as Yemeni Embassy here in Addis in collaboration with Ethiopian Authorities have provided him with the support to do so. He managed to make his life easy with the help of local authorities who provided support so that he starts his own small business. “I feel at home since I came to Ethiopia,” he said. Like Salih, Fatuma Ja’efar is also a refugee who came to Ethiopia recently, escaping the civil war in Syrian. She managed to come here crossing the Red Sea and horrendous deserts. Like Fatuma, many Syrians flee their homes and became refugees around the world.
In order to address communication barriers, Fatuma holds a written statement in Amharic and begs penny from drivers in the capital. Fatuma was born and raised in the town Duma located 10 km from Damascus, capital of Syria. The Syrian civil war did not allow her to live her life peacefully in her home town. She also lost her family due to the war, but one of her sons has escaped death yet wounded because of a bomb thrown from an airplane. Now he moves with the assistance of a wheelchair, she said. She said though she is struggling to cope with life in the streets of Addis, she is breathing the wind of peace and feel stable here. “Ethiopians are kind and always willing to help people,” she said.
The other refugee, Nuria Yusu, born in Gothena, 15 kilometers from Damascus. After she came to Ethiopia, she is leading her life by engaging in begging around Bole, holding a sign written in Amharic “Erdugne” which means help me. She lost her family and became homeless. She came to Ethiopia via crossing Egypt and Sudanese border in July 2010 E.C. “ While I am here I still feel pity for the people of Syria who are in terrible condition,” she said. Mohamed Mugenet, another refugee was born and grew up in Damascus. He said that millions of children and the youth in Syria are forced to migrate to various countries. Schools and various service providing institutions have been closed since the start of the war. Junedin Reshid, Communications Director at ARRA, said that his office is investigating how the refugees managed to cross the borders to enter Ethiopia to give them refugee status. Junedin noted; after the Agency has come up with the detailed information about the refugees, activities will be undertaken to prevent any possibility of threat that may come to the country in the name of refugees.
The Main Department for Immigration and Nationality Affairs for its part stated that checkpoints along all the border sides will be alert to control any risk that may pose against Ethiopians.
The eastern border points along the Jigjiga-Moyale have started to provide one stop visa services for any nationals entering the country to be legal. Other checkpoints will start the same service in the near time, Yemane Gebremeskel Deputy Head of Communications of the Main Department told The Ethiopian Herald.
Herald December 20/2018
BY HAFTU GEBREZGABIHER
and MULATU BELACHEW
