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Ethiopia/Eritrea: Update to ZZZ36633.E of 6 April 2001 on the return of Ethiopians of mixed or Eritrean origin or heritage to Ethiopia or Eritrea since the signing of the peace agreement

Several sources report on the repatriation of persons of Ethiopian descent or origin from Eritrea to Ethiopia (IRIN 13 Aug. 2001; Addis Tribune 9 July 2001; ibid. 22 June 2001; ibid. 18 May 2001; ibid. 16 Feb. 2001; ICRC 16-26 Apr. 2001; UNSC 5 Sept. 2001). Of those reported to have been repatriated, most seem to have originated from the Eritrean capital Asmara and its surrounding regions (ibid). As well, the repatriations were carried out with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and took place at the Mereb river crossing located between the border towns of Adi Kwala in southern Eritrea and Rama in northern Ethiopia (ibid.).

The 5 September 2001 Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea reported that, of the 3,533 persons of Ethiopian descent who had been repatriated during the reporting period, many individuals had been held in detention centres reportedly on national security concerns, others had had expired residence documentation, and still others had "opted" for repatriation due to adverse circumstances (UNSC).

The same report notes that, since December 2000, a total of 19,853 persons have been repatriated to Ethiopia (ibid.). For further information on the repatriation of Ethiopians from Eritrea please refer to ETH37357.E of 21 August 2001.

On 25 June 2001, 704 persons of Eritrean descent, many of them residents of the Tigray region in Ethiopia, were sent to Eritrea without ICRC assistance (UNSC 5 Sept. 2001). ICRC had refused to participate in the process, questioning the humanitarian nature of the operation (ibid). Reportedly, the Ethiopian government carried out the process without first gaining the expressed consent of those being repatriated (IRIN 12 July 2001) According to ICRC, the movement was the first involuntary repatriation since Eritrea and Ethiopia had ended the two-year border war (ibid.).

Protesting the Ethiopian government's actions in this event, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) cited article 2, paragraph 2 of the Peace Agreement of 12 December 2000 in which both Ethiopia and Eritrea had agreed to "afford humane treatment to each other's nationals and persons of each other's national origin within their respective territories" (UNSC 5 Sept. 2001). Responding to UNMEE, the Ethiopian government claimed that the persons had willingly repatriated to Eritrea after authorities had "ascertained that the individuals did surrender their Ethiopian nationalities in favour of an Eritrean one in accordance with the Ethiopian law" (ibid.).

As well, 285 Eritreans who had been living in the Tigray area of Ethiopia were reportedly repatriated to Eritrea with ICRC assistance on 1 June 2001 (UNSC 19 June 2001).

The 5 September 2001 Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea notes that, in cases of families of mixed parentage, repatriations have resulted in family separations where individual members are not able to remain together in the same country (UNSC). As well, many instances involving the repatriation of persons of mixed parentage resulted in a situation of statelessness in which the country to which that person had been repatriated did not grant him/her its nationality (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Addis Tribune [Addis Ababa]. 9 July 2001. "Red Cross Repatriates 502 Ethiopian Civilians From Eritrea." <http://allafrica.com/stories/20010709542.html> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

_____. 22 June 2001. "ICRC Repatriates Ethiopian Civilians from Eritrea." <http://allafrica.com/stories/2001060299.html> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

_____. 18 May 2001. "ICRC Repatriates 670 Ethiopian Civilians from Eritrea." <http://allafrica.com/stories/200105180214.html> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

_____. 16 February 2001. "ICRC Continues Repatriation of Ethiopians From Eritrea." <http://allafrica.com/stories/200102160513.html> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

Integrated Regional Information Newtork (IRIN). 13 August 2001. "Ethiopia-Eritrea: ICRC Repatriated 204 Ethiopians." <http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/ethiopia/20010813f.phtml> [Accessed 20 Aug. 2001]

_____. 12 July 2001. "Ethiopia-Eritrea: ICRC on Need for Voluntary Repatriation." <http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/ethiopia/20010712.phtml> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

_____. 9 July 2001. "Ethiopia-Eritrea: Ethiopian 'Repatriation' Practices Questioned." <http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/ethiopia/20010709a.phtml> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). 16-26 April 2001. ICRC News. <http://www.cidi.org/humanitarian/icrc/ix115.html> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

United Nations Security Council (UNSC). 5 September 2001. (S/2001/843). Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea. <http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/reports/2001/843e.pdf > [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

_____. 19 June 2001. (S/2001/608). Progress Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea. <http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/reports/2001/608e.pdf> [Accessed 25 Sept. 2001]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential

Africa Research Bulletin

IRB databases

LEXIS/NEXIS

Internet sites including:

AllAfrica.com

Amnesty International

BBC

Centre for International Disaster Information

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Office of the Government Spokesperson

European Country of Origin Information Network

Human Rights Watch

Integrated Regional Information Network

International Committee of the Red Cross

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea

United States Committee for Refugees

Walta Information Centre

Topics: Peace agreements,