Djibouti: Information on the conscription of Ethiopian refugees into the Djibouti army
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | DJI25007.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Djibouti: Information on the conscription of Ethiopian refugees into the Djibouti army, 1 September 1996, DJI25007.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abbd98.html [accessed 17 May 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. |
Information on the above-mentioned subject could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB. However, it is important to note that there have been massive voluntary repatriations of Ethiopian refugees from Djibouti. According to an 18 April 1996 Xinhua New Agency, a total of 35,930 Ethiopian refugees were voluntarily repatriated from Djibouti between 20 September 1994 and 11 April 1996, under UNHCR auspices. Country 1995, corroborates this information, but adds that "in March [1995] the government expelled several hundred Ethiopians, some of whom had been long-term illegal residents in Djibouti" (1996, 75). A 31 August 1996 report in The Indian Ocean Newsletter states that one Ethiopian refugee, a former combatant in the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) who defected to join the fallen regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam, was removed from a refugee camp by agents of the ruling Ethiopian People's Democratic Revolutionary Forces (EPRDF) and Djibouti police officers and forcibly repatriated to Ethiopia.
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
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995. 1996. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
The Indian Ocean Newsletter [Paris]. 31 August 1996. No. 730. "Who's Who: Girma Moges Newaye Mariam," p. 8.
The Xinhua News Agency. 18 April 1996. "1,000 Ethiopian refugees Repatriated from Djibouti." (NEXIS)
