KHARTOUM, Sudan, March 4 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency and the government of Sudan have launched a joint registration operation for tens of thousands of mostly Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees living in eastern Sudan. The registration, due to last for several months, started on Sunday and is expected to benefit more than 133,000 refugees.
Out of these, 95,000 live in open camps in Kassala, Gaderef, Jezzira, Sinar and the Red Sea states of eastern and central Sudan, while about 38,000 live in urban and rural areas of these states. Khartoum, the capital, is said to be hosting close to 30,000 refugees, who also need to be verified and registered.
The massive operation seeks to address the plight of refugees who, after decades in Sudan, are still relying on humanitarian assistance because of lack of access to employment, compounded by lack of proper identification documents.
“This exercise will clearly allow us and the government of Sudan to determine the exact number of Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees who are still in Sudan,” said Chris Ache, the UNHCR representative for Sudan.
“We will also be in a better position to reinstate those who had lost their refugee status but deserve it back, while at the same time we will collect enough information on their needs,” added Ache, referring to Eritreans affected between 2002 and 2004 by the so-called “cessation clause” that revoked their refugee status
The Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees in Sudan have mostly enjoyed protection for the past four decades, but it has been extremely difficult for those living in the east and in Khartoum to support themselves, particularly when they lack ID.
By registering these populations, the Sudanese government and UNHCR hope to determine the best solution based on the refugees’ profile. Some will require continued humanitarian support because of their vulnerability.
Others may require self-reliance support, while a number may be in need of resettlement in a third country because they can neither remain in Sudan nor repatriate. Ache said that at the end of the exercise the government would issue ID to all registered refugees.
Most importantly, the registration will translate into reconfirmed refugee status for nearly 70,000 Eritreans who lost it under the cessation clause. UNHCR considers that the end of the Eritrean war of independence in 1991 and the end of the border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia in 2000 removed the root causes of the Eritrean refugee problem.
The registration will also take into account the arrival since the beginning of last year of some 10,000 asylum seekers. Nearly 90 percent of them originating from Eritrea cited forced army recruitment as their main reason for flight. Others are from Ethiopia and Somalia. The last general registration took place in 2001.
The Eritreans and Ethiopians in Sudan represent one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world.
Republicans like Sen. Barack Obama nearly as much as they like their own likely presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, according to a new Fox 5/The Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll. The survey determined that a quarter of self-identified Republicans rated Mr. McCain most likable, but nearly as many — 23 percent — chose Mr. Obama as most likable. And among all adults surveyed, Mr. Obama was rated likable by more people than Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mr. McCain combined, underscoring the Illinois senator’s appeal to voters across the political spectrum… Read more >>
(Bloomberg) — Ethiopia’s annual inflation rate climbed to 19.4 percent in January as food costs jumped, the Central Statistical Agency said.
Inflation accelerated from 18.4 percent in December, the Addis Ababa-based agency said in a statement today. Food prices surged an annual 28 percent in the month, compared with 25.7 percent in December, it said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jason McLure in Addis Ababa via Johannesburg at [email protected].
(EA) – The Ethiopian experience in America is no different than all Americans. Most Ethiopians immigrated to America searching for the American dream — a dream for a better life and a new opportunity. Most arrived in America with the determination to fulfill the promise that America embodies; destined to realize this dream armed with little more than hope on their side. Ethiopians—like all Americans–embrace the message of Barack Obama, a message that our lives are intertwined with our infinite commonalities.
It was for this reason that Mike Endale, Theodore Fikre, and Jima Tufa set out to volunteer for the Barack Obama campaign. They embarked on a trip from Washington, DC. to Columbus Ohio eager to contribute their part to deliver a profound change to America and a victory in Ohio. For these three, the 420 mile journey was a deeply gratifying experience. They shared a common desire to transform a political discourse that far too often divides communities to one that embraces our differences as a source of national strength. Driving through the great state of Maryland and crossing through the mountains of West Virginia , they arrived in Ohio with a sense of purpose and optimism.
The three days in Ohio was a memorable experience; Mike, Theo and Jima volunteered in the Pipe Fitters Union Hall and the Barack Obama headquarters. They canvassed with fellow supporters, knocking on doors and being greeted overwhelmingly with enthusiastic supporters of Barack Obama. On Sunday, they reached out to the Ethiopian community in Columbus. They embarked on outreach efforts to the local Ethiopian churches and the various Ethiopian markets. They were greeted with effusive support from every Ethiopian they met; most enthusiastically stating their intention of voting for Barack Obama and cheerfully putting on Obama pins to display their support. Ethiopians of all ages–men and women–were eager to vote for Obama because they identified with Obama’s optimism for the future and the hope that set him on his impr obable journey.
Mike, Theo, and Jima came to Ohio to inspire the Ethiopian community to believe in the change that Barack Obama exemplifies, instead they went away inspired by the same Ethiopian community’s wholehearted embrace in a change they already believed in. Along the way, they met and befriended fellow volunteers who made the same journey to Columbus from far away places such as Boston , Minnesota, Chicago and South Carolina. They drove back to Washington armed with the optimism that the Ethiopian community will deliver a resounding victory to Barack Obama on March 4th.
JERUSALEM, March 3 (UPI) — Despite official bans on the practice, Israeli education officials say many teachers are asking Ethiopian immigrants to change their names to Jewish names.
Many Ethiopian students say their teachers are persuading them to change their first names from things like Habtam, which means “wealth,” to Hannah and another student from Natab to Sarah.
Ethiopian heritage places great significance on first names and members of the community say they see the practice as an effort to detach them from their heritage, Ynetnews reported Monday.
Education officials in Israel said the wishes of the parents should be honored and stressed immigrant students shouldn’t be asked to change their names.
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New York, March 3, 2008—Government soldiers raided three radio stations in Somalia on Sunday and detained the director of one of the stations, according to journalists who witnessed the events. The raids occurred after heavy fighting and looting over the weekend in the central area of the capital, Mogadishu.
Journalists from Horn Afrik, Radio Shabelle, and Radio Simba told CPJ that government troops took key radio equipment, including computers, mixers, and microphones in order to shutter them. All three stations were off the air on Sunday but Radio Shabelle and Horn Afrik managed to renew broadcasting today.
On Sunday, government forces raided the central Howl-Wadaag district, including Bakara market, a day after at least 14 people were killed and 30 wounded in heavy fighting between soldiers and insurgents. Local journalists suspect key equipment was confiscated from the three radio stations in order to censor reporting of Sunday’s mass looting.
The minister of information, Ahmed Abdisalam, said the central government did not order the raids on the stations and that the prime minister called an emergency meeting on Sunday to investigate the incident, according to local journalists and a VOA report.
“Security forces must be reined in by the Somali government so they do not carry out their own personal agendas against journalists,” said CPJ’s executive director, Joel Simon. “We call on the authorities to ensure all the equipment is returned undamaged to the three radio stations.”
An estimated 20 soldiers in two armored vehicles raided Radio Simba, looting equipment and beating reporter Abdiaziz Hussein Hassan, local journalists said. Soldiers then proceeded to knock down the doors of Radio Shabelle, taking radio equipment and arresting Director Muktar Mohamed Hirabe. Hirabe was released the same day.
The soldiers also confiscated radio equipment at Horn Afrik and ordered the station to be closed, Chairman Saeed Tahlil told CPJ. Journalists at Radio Shabelle and Radio Simba said they were told they would be able to collect their confiscated equipment Tuesday, while Horn Afrik already has its equipment back.
Journalists told CPJ that they suspect the order came independently from a top commander and relative of President Abdullahi Yusuf. Journalists at two of the stations recognized individuals who took part in the raids as security personnel based at the presidential palace.
The violence in Somalia has taken a heavy toll on journalists: Seven Somali journalists were killed because of their work in 2007—the world’s second-highest count behind Iraq. More than 50 others have fled Mogadishu, according to CPJ research.
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit www.cpj.org.
