Violence-wracked camp off limits to aid workers

A refugee camp in western Ethiopia where 41 people were massacred during a spate of ethnic clashes is still off-limits to aid workers, the United Nations said this week. The UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also said that looting had taken place within Fugnido camp, close to the Sudanese border. "Over 200 terrified refugees have fled Fugnido and sought refuge in a compound housing the offices of UNHCR and ARRA [the government's Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs], just outside the camp," UNHCR said. "Their huts have reportedly been looted in their absence." It also said schools in the camp had been looted. The refugee agency said “security concerns” meant that aid workers and UNHCR staff had been unable to return after they were pulled out for their own safety. "The clashes in Fugnido highlight the need for ARRA [the Ethiopian Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs] and the Ethiopian government to ensure the basic principles of refugee protection and monitoring," UNHCR said. Organisations have been unable to witness what is happening in the camp and are reliant on local information. But aid workers say they have identified 46 children who lost one or both parents in the clashes that erupted on 27 November. The camp, which was established in 1991, provides refuge to more than 28,700 Sudanese refugees. It is the largest of five refugee settlements in Ethiopia's Gambella region, where a total of 85,000 Sudanese are sheltered. Extra Ethiopian troops have been sent to the camp to try and contain the violence. Earlier stories: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31213 http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31190