ERITREA: International NGOs to work with state relief agency

Oxfam International and Save the Children Fund are to join the Eritrean Relief and Rehabilitation Committee (ERREC) on a joint assessment visit to the southern border areas, where an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 people have been affected by the ongoing conflict with Ethiopia. The Eritrean government has previously restricted international NGOs. Oxfam International withdrew its operational presence in the country more than a year ago, though it retained a presence through continued funding. A spokeswoman for Oxfam International told IRIN on Thursday that it was taking part in the 10-day assessment mission, starting on Friday (29 April), "to see what the (relief) needs are from our point of view, and to see what Oxfam can do". The mission was a fact-finding exercise based on the current humanitarian situation but there was no commitment to Oxfam International operating in Eritrea, the spokeswoman said. The Acting Relief Director of ERREC, Yohannes Tseggay, told IRIN that some members of the assessment group arrived in Asmara on Thursday but that the itinerary and regions to be visited had not yet been finalised. Eritrea had not expected the war with Ethiopia to continue for so long and had made a renewed donor appeal following a fresh outbreak of fighting in February, Yohannes said. A spokesman at the Eritrean embassy in Nairobi told IRIN he was not aware of the mission, but played down any notion that it represented a change of direction for the government. "Our policy is to work with international organisations, we have nothing against them. The issue is whether they agree with our working mechanisms," he said. "We don't want our people to be dependent and expect donorship," he added. "We want our people to work hard to be self-sufficient - with the assistance of NGOs, okay, but doing it themselves."