On Wednesday evening 24th of December 2014 at least 21 Eritreans from the Shegarab-1 refugee camp in the eastern state of Kassala have drowned and at least 8 of them have died trying to cross the Atbara River in Sudan.  Although the cause of the accident is under investigation, according to eye-witnesses they were drowned in an attempt to escape from armed tribe men that follows them to abduct and held them for ransom. While being held in captivity, the people could be subjected to torture, sexual violence or other types of abuse and could be killed or will die as a result of mistreatment.

Today 25th December 2014 as many people from the Shegarab-1 refugee camp went to the place of accident to search for the bodies of the dead that has not been found, the armed tribe men come again and took an identified people by force to unknown location. The Eritreans in return took 3 tribe men and hold them as a house arrest in the Shegarab-1 refugee camp although they later handed them to Sudanese officials. In the siege that follows many people get arrested, houses have been burned and there are reports of people wounded or dead.

This situation is not new as it happened countless times. Therefore we call the urgent attention of UNHCR Sudan, IOM Sudan, and the Government of Republic of the Sudan to bring a swift solution to the degrading security of Shegarab-1 refugee camp and provide a permanent solution by creating legal channels for the refugees’ freedom of movement, provide saftey measures and other necessary steps.

 

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