October 25, 2003

As if the States in the region of the Horn of Africa have vowed to make the life of the Ethiopian refugee unbearable, it is Somaliland this time that has launched a campaign to round up, harass and even deport Ethiopians living in the breakaway self-declared independent Somaliland.

The number of Ethiopians living in Somaliland is not precisely known but estimates have put the number in a few thousands. Many of these are refugees and over the years dozens have died while trying to sail from Somaliland to Yemen, another country that is also mistreating Ethiopian refugees who are being used as scapegoats by the States in the region as a whole without the UNHCR lodging a serious and effective protest on their behalf. The authorities of Somaliland are yearning for international recognition and in light of the American declared "war against Terror" they is jockeying for US support by projecting themselves as serious partners in the war against terror.

The Somaliland campaign against Ethiopians (Kenyans and other Somalis) comes on the heel of the murder of at least two British citizens by unknown gunmen. The authorities seem inclined to allege the killings to "terrorists" and thereby, like Djibouti, to move against "foreigners" with the hope that this would give them weight and relevance in the eyes of Washington. That Ethiopian refugees are being forced to pay for such political machinations is indeed tragic.

SOCEPP calls on the authorities in Somaliland to stop their illegal; and repressive actions against Ethiopians living there. Once again, it calls on the UNHCR to defend the rights of the refugees and to impede the Somaliland leaders from using refugees for their political ends.

SOCEPP