UNHCR begins relocating 20,000 Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA – The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Sunday it has started relocating some 23,000 Eritrean refugees who had been stranded at camps in Tigray region in Ethiopia.

As of August 6, at least 126 Eritrean refugees had been moved to Dabat, a new site in Amhara region, said Neven Crvenkovic, UNHCR spokesperson, in an interview with a Kenyan newspaper, The Nation.

“While providing immediate support, UNHCR’s priority remains to facilitate the relocation of refugees to a new camp in Dabat, in the Amhara region,” Crvenkovic added.

The relocation a month after the UN agency and its implementing partner, Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) were given a piece of land by officials of Amhara region for a new camp for the Eritrean refugees.

The new site, according to UNHCR, will accommodate some 25,000 Eritrean refugees who had long been sheltered at Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps in the Tigray region.

Refugees who have been moved to the new emergency accommodation sites have received basic relief items like jerry cans, mattresses, buckets, soap, blankets and food.

Featured Image: The required land has been officially handed over to ARRA & UNHCR Ethiopia
from the Amhara Regional & Local authorities on 26 of June 2021 for the construction of a permanent camp. [Photo ARRA]