Ethiopia: Status of Ethiopians of Eritrean extraction when they return to Eritrea; and their treatment given the current hostilities between the two countries
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH31441.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Status of Ethiopians of Eritrean extraction when they return to Eritrea; and their treatment given the current hostilities between the two countries, 1 March 1999, ETH31441.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab0484.html [accessed 2 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 Amnesty International, about 52,000 Eritreans have been arbitrarily deported from Ethiopia, stripped of their citizenship without any warning, legal process or right to appeal (Africa Policy Information Centre 2 Feb. 1999).
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998, states that Eritreans who were deported from Ethiopia were allowed to resettle in Eritrea (22 Mar. 1999).
The deportees were provided with a $200 (1500 nafka) grant from the Eritrean Relief and Refugee Commission, and, if they wished, placed in villages with friends or family. Those who no longer had connections in Eritrea were placed temporarily in refugee camps before being settled in the general population. In order to facilitate the deportees' integration into society, the Government has provided them with documentation of Eritrean citizenry (ibid.).
This information was corroborated by an official of the embassy of the State of Eritrea in Ottawa, adding that the government has already found employment for 20 per cent of the deporteees, particularly, professionals such as nurses, teachers, and doctors. The government is also trying to provide primary services such as roads, schools and hospitals (23 Feb. 1999).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate 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 Policy Information Centre [Washington, DC]. 2February 1999. "East Africa; Eritrean Conflict." (Africa News/NEXIS)
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998. 1999. [Internet]
Embassy of the State of Eritrea. 23 March 1999. Telephone interview with official.
