KHARTOUM (ST) — Sudanese Police are reported to have began a series of crackdown on the neighborhood of Ethiopian and Eritrean refugee communities in the capital, Khartoum.
Since July 5, truckloads of Sudanese police along with government security forces have raided homes and refugees-owned business centers of hundreds of Ethiopians and Eritrean refugees confiscating properties of their restaurants and homes.
Some refugees on condition of anonymity said that some women and children were beaten and raped by members of the joint force.
UNHCR protection officer in Khartoum Teresa Ongaro confirmed to VOA that there was a series of raids of “refugees and illegal workers over the weekend.” But the UN officer said that she has not heard any reports of police raping women and children.
There are about 30 thousand refugees in Khartoum and about 100 thousand in Eastern Sudan bordering Eritrea.
Many go to Khartoum to find a better life, but are exposed occasionally to ill treatment. She said UNHCR personnel and lawyers have interviewed 314 victims of the recent raid, and determined that 91 fit the UNHCR qualifications for refugees. She said these refugees were freed the next day.
The refugees say more than 50 have already been deported.
Similarly, southern Sudanese authorities are carrying out crackdown in all the Southern Sudan’s ten states, targeting illegal immigrants whose influx has now been blamed on the worsening insecurity in the region.
Local authorities have blamed a number Kenyan refugees for increased insecurity in the region, most of whom are perceived to be part of several heavily armed gangs that have been terrorizing residents of Juba city and its environs especially at night.
Last month, the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) directed security agents to firmly deal with rising cases of insecurity that have also seen a number of foreigners lose their lives in attacks by gangs.
7 thoughts on “Sudan police on a rampage against Ethiopian refugees”
People,
The dictators of East Africa: Meles, Bashir, Musevni, Kenyan president(now becoming dictator),etc. are collaborating with eachother. When one dictator is threatened, the other dictator make sure it punished the refugees of the respective country whose dictatorship is threatened. Meles discussed with Bashir that there are Ethiopian political dissidents in his country that can threaten Meles and Bashir ordered this probably to threaten the political refugees. This is very clear and evident.
Sudan security elements have a history of abusing migrants.in 1989 A sudanese women was taken to custody while walking in Kartoum airport.Wrongly assuming she was Ethiopian immigrant, she was verbally abused by this mindless people.It caused a national disgrace and international rights NGO’s and some sudanese intellictuals got involved in this security person involved in this case has to loose his job.
I think it is good idea to contact the Sudanese Minstry of Interior asap and highlight the plight of migrants/refugees from Eritrea in the Sudan.
Like Peace said, Al Bashir is doing Meles’s bidding. I suspect Meles fears the Ethiopian refugee community in Sudan might be used as fertile ground for recruiting liberation fighters by groups like the G7. Al Bashir is doing Meles a favor (possibly returning one) by carrying out this preemptive attack on these poor people.
Yes in Ethiopia when they come to home land meles will kill them . but in Eritrea only natinonal service. national service is must for all cantry and must serve. but what the gevernement of sudan is working with the burutiual meles zenawe. becuse when the election come he need to control all direction to protect him selv. Meles will rigng the vote now olso. so if the ppl living in Sudan thire may they will go to Eritrea and trianing to fight weyane. this is the resen why they have send to homeland. pls ppl do not belive sudan gevernement what ever he peromis you. long live mama ethiopia.
If the dictators form an ally against the people. The people need to form an ally against the dictators .I am marching for the Darfur people’s massacre this afternoon in San Francisco. I always knew we need to support the Darfuris. I heard lots of concerned Ethiopian individuals showed up in front of the White House in DC on the 22nd of July.Bravo !!
It is a pity to hear what is happening to illegal immigrants in the Sudan. However, our reaction to what ever is happening to Ethiopians any where in the world, should be seasoned with wisdom, capacity, and outcome. Although it is very hard to be emotions free, our actions should not be spoiled by them. As Aba Mocha (2) pointed it out it is good for all concerned in unison to appeal to all who has an influence including the Sudanese authorities and intellectuals about the situation. This lobbying, I think, must be based on an understanding of Sudanese interest to combat gangs and an attempt to forge alliance with Zenawi. To be an advocate to “Darfuris” as Nefasmewcha(5) noted won’t help our case. We should stop mingling Ethiopian interest with the pseudo democracy West interest. We should be able to maintain good relations with neighboring countries existing governments to strengthen the base of our opposition forces. If we try to fight who ever disapprove at the same time we will fall indeed.
The Sudan Arab-Muslims police may have a valid reason why they are after the Ethiopian refugees.
The Ethiopian refugees in Sudan may have been talking politics without knowing they are in a foreign Islamic country that promotes the Sharia law and disdains the human rights’ concern about the rule of law in that country.
Ethiopian refugees should not be talking about the arrest warrant of Al-Bashir of Sudan for the violation of human rights, and they should not talk about the giveaway of some Ethiopian lands to the Sudanese government by the Woyanne regime in order to silence the would-be Ethiopian freedom fighters, perhaps, still residing in Khartoum.
The two dictators, throwing aside the two irreconcilable faiths they have, Islam and Christianity, have worked out their homework to agree on everything that concerns the protections of their lives, and when it comes to the protections of their lives, they would prefer to have as much as many Darfuri-like tragedies in the regions of each one of these two dictators to exposing themselves to the ICC. They will defend themselves in the court to the last penny they have.
The Ethiopian refugees are just the scapegoats for Al- Bashir’s horrendous crimes on the human rights abuses. In this case, Al-Bashir is behaving like the roman Emperor Nero during 64 A.D. when Emperor Nero himself set Rome on fire to amuse himself by the burning of Rome into ashes. Then when the Romans got angry at him, he blamed the Christians as if they were the ones who burned the city, and because of this false accusation, many Christians lost their lives. Among these Christians who lost their lives were St. Paul and St. Peter, both being beheaded and crucified respectively.
In the same way, the Sudan Arab-Muslims police ordered by their leader, Al-Bashir, are arresting and raping the Ethiopian Christian refugees instead of arresting Al-Bashir, the criminal and giving him up to the ICC even though some members of the OAU, venal and greedy, has protected the criminal Al-Bashir from being arrested by the ICC.
Al-Bashir has attempted to put on someone the crime he has committed on his own people – the Darfuri – so that he could be free from being persecuted by the ICC. It is also true Meles Zenawi has tried not to take any responsibilities for the massacre his federal army successfully carried out on May 7, 2005. These two dictators have now agreed to commit another heinous crime by harassing and tormenting the Ethiopian refugees wherever they are.