Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Eritrea
  • News

Group forced to flee

    NAIROBI

    More than 3,000 ethnic Kunama people have crossed from western Eritrea into Ethiopia after accusing the Eritrean army of trying to enforce conscription. The refugees are receiving assistance from members of the same community in Ethiopia, AFP reported. The Kunama are one of nine ethnic groups in Eritrea, representing about 100,000 of a total population of 3.5 million. They are considered as an opposition group in Eritrea’s strict one party state, and have been directly encouraged in that role by the Ethiopian government, a regional expert told IRIN. Western Eritrea was occupied by Ethiopian troops during the latest round of fighting in the two-year border war.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join