June 13, 2003

There is for once an encouraging news coming from the Sudan as the UNHCR has opened its gates to all Ethiopian refugees who were denied their refugees' status by the controversial screening process which took place at the end of 2000. Due to this ill- advised decision, Ethiopian refugees in the Sudan have had to endure indescribable suffering of all sorts. They were routinely targeted by the police and the security forces and harassed as illegal aliens. Some were forced to flee the Sudan for fear of deportation. Post 1991 refugees were not spared the wrath of the authorities as there was no ID renewal or issuing of new IDs for the last three years for Ethiopian refugees in the Sudan.

The refugees, helped by compatriots in the Diaspora , had waged a fierce struggle to regain their refugee status. After this determined struggle, the UNHCR seems to have finally listened to the cry Ethiopian refugees' for justice and taken the first step by promising to give an appeal chance to the refugees. SOCEPP commends the bold step taken by the UNHCR..

Form reliable sources in Khartoum SOCEPP has learnt that :

all pre- 1991 Ethiopian refugees are being registered and given protection letter until their case is processed and their IDs are to be renewed( for indefinite period of time)

all Ethiopian refugees who have no IDs are given a temporally protection letter until their case is decided( for 14 days)

all post 1991 refugees' IDs are going to be renewed.

This is indeed an encouraging development. Nevertheless SOCEPP would like to highlight some of its concerns. SOCEPP believes the coming appeal hearing should take into account the followings so that it would be fair.

The case of the interviewers - we recommend the interviewers be familiar to the present and recent past politics of Ethiopia and its actors.

The case of interpreters . Interpreters should be people on whom the refugees have confidence. Most important of all the selection process should be transparent.

The case of married refugee women -Their fate should not be decided by their husbands' fate as it was done before. They must be given a chance to present their case which should be decided irrespective of the decision given to their husbands.

(4) The case of bogus refugees- Some cadres and spies of the regime pose as refugees to get refugee status to facilitate their mission inside the refugees communities.

The interview environment - Unless there is a conducive atmosphere during the conduct of the interview it will have a negative impact on the refugees.

 

SOCEPP hopes this time around justice will prevail.

 

IN RELATED NEWS;

On May 4, 2003 at mid- day (local time/Sudan), four Ethiopians were arrested from their working place at Suq Al Shabi, in Khartoum. On May 20, 2003 a Khartoum Two High Court sentenced them for three months imprisonment with hard labor. Three of them are serving at Soba prison while the forth is at Umdurman prison. Those at Soba are Addisu Zenbe Tilahun age 30, Leikun Fisha age 32, and Alebel Ayalew Biru age 35. The one at Umdurman is called Adis.

The reason for their imprisonment is lack of proper IDs. This is reported to the UNHCR but no concrete action ha been taken so far by the UNHCR. It is to be remembered the UNHCR was not giving refugee IDs for Ethiopians for the last three years.