Many IDPs still in camps, says report

Effective patrolling by the military component of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea has assisted in the return of the civil administration, police and militia to the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) on the disputed border. The report of the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council on 5 September said that to date a total of 170,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) previously accommodated in camps in the Gash Barka and Debub regions had returned to the their villages with the help of the Eritrean Relief and Refugee Committee and the international community. However, some 70,000 IDPs were living in “consolidated or newly established temporary camps, as their home areas remain inaccessible owing to the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance”. Other reasons were insecurity occasioned by the close proximity of villages to the southern boundary of the TSZ, and the fact that some villages were located in areas currently under Ethiopian administration, the report said. Following the return of most of the IDPs had returned to their home areas, the attention of the humanitarian community in Ethiopia and Eritrea has focused on providing emergency and reconstruction aid. Heavy rains have rendered shelter materials a priority. The absence of people from their homes and land meant that the agricultural sector could not reach pre-conflict levels in 2001, and as a result, “many people in both countries will continue to require food aid until next year’s harvest”, the report said. Meanwhile, the voluntary repatriation of Eritrean refugees from Sudan has slowed down because of the impassability of many roads due to heavy rains. Major repatriation efforts are expected to resume in later in September. To date, a total of 20,948 refugees have been repatriated, of a total of 62,000 who were expected to return in 2001. The report to the Security Council also noted that contributions to the UN consolidated appeal for Eritrea now stood at about 56 percent. “Although this is encouraging, additional food aid pledges for victims of natural disasters and internally displaced persons are urgently needed for both Ethiopia and Eritrea, and there are still significant shortfalls in all the non-food sectors.”