Eritrean Refugees in Sudan Face Repatriation Amid Civil War
Sudan’s current civil war has been raging on for over a month. Conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been intense, and no end appears in sight. The war has been worsening an ongoing displacement crisis in the region, and Eritrean refugees in the country have been at particularly high risk.
Eritrea is known as one of the world’s toughest and most secretive autocratic states, having not had a national election since 1993. The government retains strict control over its citizens with compulsory national service (often including military service) for both men and women aged 18-40. Service can last decades, and discharges are rare. The UNHRC has even categorized Eritrea’s conscription methods as “enslavement.” Thus, deserting this national service and even fleeing the country isn’t uncommon. Many flee to Sudan, as fleeing through the extremely dangerous Tigray region of Ethiopia is often a less desirable option. However, evidence indicates that the Eritrean government may be forcing the return of refugees to their country.
It’s estimated that around 126,000 Eritrean refugees currently reside in Sudan, about 11% of the nation’s refugee population. However, aid directly from the Sudanese government has been minimal in the past, and the current conflict has only cut this off further. In fact, the only UNHCR-assisted refugee camp for Eritreans in Sudan is located in Kassala, not far from the border with Eritrea. This has proven to be both a dangerous and uncertain situation for Eritrean refugees, many of whom have to make the difficult decision of whether or not aid and assistance are worth the risk of forced repatriation.
As the civil conflict continues, disappearances of Eritrean refugees on the way to and around the refugee settlement have proliferated. For example, on April 24th, a bus from Khartoum to Kassala was apparently intercepted by unknown men, and its Eritrean occupants were threatened with deportation if they could not pay a bribe. Other reported disappearances of Eritreans on the road to Kassala seemed to have occurred at least three times in the past month. Further, reports from Eritrea’s human rights activists detail that at least 3,500 people were forcibly moved over the border from Sudan to the Eritrean town of Teseney, where nearly 100 were jailed. The majority of those who were detained and a significant proportion of those who were forcibly repatriated were military deserters.
Though the current evidence is not conclusive, it does still point to the fact that Eritrea is likely involved in forcing repatriation upon deserters and other refugees. A clear violation of international law, it’s likely that Eritrea will be held accountable for this policy, but no decisive action has been taken yet. It is unknown if these forcible repatriations will continue, but it seems that the current regional instability will.
Photo Credit: Hassan Lali/ BBC
