Eritrean refugees to be moved from border area

Thousands of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia are to be moved away from the border area which separates the two countries, the UN told IRIN on Thursday. The move follows increasing calls that the refugees, who fled Eritrea during the bitter two-year border war, should be moved from the Wa'ala Nihibi camp - some 20 km from the existing border - for their “protection and emotional safety". Furthermore, a fire recently swept through the camp, which is near Shiraro in western Tigray, destroying around 256 huts that were housing the Eritreans. Wa’ala Nihibi falls in one of the most hotly contested border areas: the Yirga Triangle – the flashpoint of the two-year border war. The camp is home to around 4,000 ethnic Kunama and over 1,000 other Eritreans. The UN’s Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (EUE) has called for relocating the refugees to a better site with improved facilities. It also called for new clothing be handed to the refugees, as some are ex-fighters from the Eritrean armed forces and are still dressed in their combat clothes. “The problem is critical, particularly with those who served in the Eritrean army,” the EUE said. “It is necessary that the problem is addressed by UNHCR and ARRA [Ethiopia's Administration for Refugees and Returnees Affairs] so that safety and the civilian character of the camp could be better ensured in all aspects,” it added. A UNHCR spokesman in Addis Ababa told IRIN that the relocation was planned for July. “The initiative to move these Eritreans comes from the government, and the new site is good enough to give them adequate protection,” he said. UNHCR is also currently assessing how last year’s decision to withdraw refugee status for Eritreans will affect those living within the camp. The new camp is Idaga Hibret – which is more than 50 km from the border - but it still needs extra facilities like good access, water and shelter.