Eritrea: Information on the Kunama, including their relationship with the post-independence government and their situation under the Mengistu regime at the time of the civil war
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ERT17131.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Eritrea: Information on the Kunama, including their relationship with the post-independence government and their situation under the Mengistu regime at the time of the civil war, 1 April 1994, ERT17131.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab55c.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to Ethnologue: Languages of the World, the Kunama number about 70,000 and are located in western Eritrea around the Gash and Setit rivers along the Sudan border to the west, and north and east into Tigray (1992, 253). For more information on Kunama culture, economic activities and languages, please refer to the attachments. Africa Events notes that the Kunama are one of the nine Eritrean nationality groups (June 1991). According to this source, the Kunama have not been enthusiastic about Eritrean independence. The Kunama preferred their own state or region under central government control, rather than joining the Eritrea of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) (ibid.).
An official of the Catholic Immigration Centre of Ottawa (CICO) states that the Kunama are one of the smaller ethnic groups in the new country (18 Apr. 1994). While the official could not describe the nature of the relationship between the Kunama and the Mengistu regime, he noted that the former government used them, as it did with the other national groups to ensure the breakup of the liberation movement. He stated that the policy could best be described as "divide and rule". With regard to the current government, the Kunama like the other ethnic groups, have been part of the democratic process that has been taking place in Eritrea. Before Eriteria's independence, the Ethiopian government made efforts to convince the Kunama to stay in Ethiopia instead of joining Eriteria. However, this effort was unsuccessful (ibid.). The DIRB is unable to corroborate the information provided by the official of the CICO at the present time.
A representative of the Consulate of Eritrea in Ottawa corroborated the information that during the civil war, divide and rule was the driving force of the Mengistu regime's policy towards the nationalities of Eritrea (19 Apr. 1994). In disunity, the representative stated, it was "easy for the regime to break the liberation struggle." The Mengistu regime used all of the military and political means at its disposal to ensure that all nine nationalities (ethnic groups) in Eritrea stayed in Ethiopia. According to this representative, the advantages and disadvantages of Eritrean statehood are the same for all nationalities, so the situation of the Kunama in post-independent Eritrea is no different from that of the other nationalities. Opportunities for education, employment and access to other amenities are equally open to all Eritreans. For instance, the nationalities are encouraged to organize and participate in the development of their communities. Also, education in its respective language is available to each nationality group up to the equivalent of grade five.
Notwithstanding the economic problems of the new state, the government's objective is to treat all nationalities equally (ibid.). The DIRB is unable to corroborate this statement concerning equal opportunity for all Eritrean nationalities at the present time. The Europa World Year Book 1993 acknowledges the existence in southwest Eritrea of a political organization called the Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization (ELF-UO), however, the movement has opted for dialogue with the EPLF since July 1992 (1993, 1058). Although based in the region of the Kunama, the source does not indicate whether the EFF-UO is a Kunama organization.
According to Country Reports 1993, in general the government respected human rights in 1993 (1994, 87). There were no reported cases of official discrimination based on race, religion, sex, disability or social status (ibid., 90). For additional information on the general political and human rights condition, which may give some indication of the situation of the Kunama in post-independence Eritrea, please refer to pages 87 to 91 of Country Reports 1993. This document is available at your Regional Documentation Centre.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Africa Events [London]. June 1991. "It Tolls for None."
Catholic Immigration Centre of Ottawa (CICO), Ottawa. 18 April 1994. Telephone interview with official.
Consulate of Eritrea, Ottawa. 19 April 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993. 1994. U.S. Department of State. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 12th ed. 1992. Edited by Barbara F. Grimes. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics Inc.
The Europa World Year Book 1993. 1993. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications Ltd.
Attachments
Africa Events [London]. June 1991. "It Tolls for None."
Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 12th ed. 1992. Edited by Barbara F. Grimes. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics Inc., pp. 252-53.
The Europa World Year Book 1993. 1993. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications Ltd., p. 1058.
