Refugees in the Horn of Africa*

For the most part, African states have accepted Political Factors Contributing their postcolonial boundaries, though this has not been the case in the Hom, especially with to the Generation of Refugees- Somalia. The popular territorial ambitions of in the Horn of Africa the Somali people in general. including those living in areas of northern Kenya, and the areas of Haud and Ogaden in Ethiopia, increased by Peter Woodward tension throughout the region and contributed to the attack upon Ethiopia in 1977-78. Ethiopia repulsed the invasion. but not before a The exposue by the mass media of the large number of refugees fled to Somalia. conditions of refugees in eastern Sudan and of camps of displaced people in northern Ethiopia Somalia's active plrsuit of boundary changes is in October 1984 first alerted the world at large relatively unusual. though Idi Arnin made to the extent of the famine in that area But highly imaginative claims to his neighbow' clearly the problem is mom complex than most territories, and it war an incursion by his people then rdized, for in the Horn refugees. troops into northern Tanzania that provided the famine and politics an inexhicably linked. carus belli for the Tanzanian-led invasion of Uganda which brought about his downfall. Northeast Africa has the biggest concentration number. Also. the Sudan-Ethiopia border has been in of refugees in the world The largest single dispute on a number of occasions during the group are those from Eritrea and Tigre living in Tension in the region may in part be blamed on past twenty years, and at present, with refugees eastem Sudan. followed by the people of Haud the arbitrary borders bequeathed by colonialism. of both countries on either side, it is once again and Ogaden regions of Ethiopia who have especially in the case of Somalia, but often the a source of tension beween the two countries. sought refuge in Somalia and Qlbuti. In opposition movements do not regard Ethiopia there are also opponents of Somalia's inappropriate borders as the heart of their The presence of refugees creates serious government and refugees from the southean problems. For them the origins lie more in the tensions within recipient countries. Econo- Sudan. In addition there are Ethiopian refugees discrimination which peoples of regions have mically, the management of refugees is likely in Kenya, Ugandan refugees in the southern suffered at the hands of their government. Yet to be far beyond the capacity of the host Sudan, and refugees from Chad in western their suffering is not only the result of community, especially since border areas are. Sudan. The one generalization that can be developments in their own country, but also for reasons of domestic economy, often made L that they are all escaping from must be seen in the wider international setting. amongst the least-developed areas. The United conditions in which political conflict is as For instance, the strategic importance of the Nations High Commission for Refugees 1 significant as environmental degradation and Horn to the Middle East has meant that both (UNHCR) and a numba of other agencies have famine. Middle Eastern states and the superpowers have given large amounts of aid to refugees, but this become involved. All too often outside powers may only exacerbate local tekion. For It would be the contention of most host have exacerbated tension by supporting instance, the short-term aid provided for governments that refugees originate in the guerrilla movements or one government against refugees may not be available-to the local peripheries of the states involved. But the another. population who may, as in eastem Sudan in refugees themselves see their relationships to 1984-85. be in similarly desperate circum- the states from which they have fled as far more There are numerous examples of the stances. Likewise. longer-term refugee aid may complex. For example, people from the Haud international exploitation of peripheral groups include resettlement. and this will impinge on and Ogaden regions of Ethiopia, who regard in the Horn Libya's "radical" activities have local economic resources. The economic themselves as Somalis. would like to see the included support for the Sudan People's distortion that huge refugee communities can boundary of Somalia redrawn in such a way as Liberation Anny, as a result of Resident produce has been particularly obvious in recent to incorporate them in that country, a view Qaddafh opposition to ex-Resident Numeiri, years in Somalia; and recently in eastern Sudan. which is encouraged by Somalia and which while the southern Sudanese have also been there have been several incidents of tension conm%uted to the Somali attack on Ethiopia in assisted by Israel as part of its anti-Arab resulting from competition for scarce services, 1977. The Eritrems. on the other hand, are activities. In turn, a number of Arab states especially in such fields as education and health less concerned with boundary changes than with have aided the Eritrean Liberation Front, the Care. their claim for an independent state of Erieea, fvst guerrilla movement in northan Ethiopia. while the Tigrean movement seeks greater The superpowers have also provided military Politically. too, the presence of refugees can regional autonomy within a reformed Ethiopia aid to a number of govmunents in the region. generate a range of mexpected problems. Even enabling than to meet opposition with force. if refugees accept their new status and resettle, panicularly in Ethiopia they are likely to affect local, regional and even national political developments, as has become * ?he zutida by Paer Woodward. Muy Diand particularly evident in Somalia Similarly, Taha AWL were commissioned by the Refugee Leaving broader international rivalries aside for following the downfall of Amin in 1979. Studies Programme for the Independent Commission the moment, relations between neighbowing on International Hummitarian Issues, which has states are central to the problems which have refugees from Uganda have had an impact on Equatorial agdto rhei pubLicuiar in Refuge. ' generated refugees in the Horn. politics in the Sudan. Further, refugees usually feel involved in the Historically there has been rivalry and tension political issues that gave rise to their exile, and between Christianity and Islam in the Horn. News Digest this often leads to their support of guerrilla with Ethiopia traditionally regarded as a bastion movements. Many men from the Western of anti-Islamic power. More recently. Middle The next volume of Refuge will start with a Somali Liberation Front, for instance, left their East conflicts have had an impact on the area, Special Issue partly devoted to Bill C-55 on families in camps in Somalia and returned to with Israel first actively supporting Haile amendments to the Immigration Act. Articles the struggle in the Haud and Ogaden. even after Selassie, and subsequently the Marxist regime and commentaries in the Forum section will the Somali defeat in 1978. Similarly. Ethiopia against their common Arab enemy. Arab discuss the implications of the proposals. has ikequentiy alleged that the refugee camps in involvement in the Horn came fist through the There will also be a comprehensive section on eastern Sudan harbour its enemies from Eritrea, rival revolutionary activities of the Syrians and the refugee and asylum situation in the United Tigre and Wollo. Iraqis, who at various times have given States. Publication is anticipated for August/ financial and military expression to their September 1987. It is a short step from these allegations to solidarity with the Eritreans. accusations that neighbowing states are The Working Group for Refugee Women. condoning and perhaps even encouraging Although Arab and Israeli involvement has Canadian Council for Refugees. is conducting a subversive activities. Ethiopia has accused not become a factor in the Horn, it is not decisive. literature review of studies on Refugee Women. only Somalia and the Sudan but also a number The Eritreans in particular are not overly Many studies are difficult to locate bccause they of other Arab states. Similarly. the Sudan and dependent on their Arab supporters, nor are the are subsumed under larger research documents. Somalia have made counter-accusations about Israelis the major backers of Ethiopia Instead. If you have written a report or prepared a guerrilla movements in southern Sudan and superpower rivalry is the most significant bibliography, please call or write to Noreen northem Somalia factor in the polarization of political relations Nimmons at the Refugee Documentation in the Horn. Project, York University, 4700 Keele Stree~ In northeast A£iica in general there have indeed North York, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3, or been a number of interventions in the affairs of The growing US and Soviet involvement has telephone (416) 736-5061, extension 3639. neighbouring states. sometimes connected with contributed most to the polarization of the The editor and staff of Refuge would be refugees. Tanzania's army backed the Ugandan region and led to the initial international pleased to consider articles for possible refugees returning home after the overthrow of response to the 1984-85 famine, notably to the kclusion in future editions. ~rticlesshould Amin, Libya. the Sudan and Egypt have all criticism cast on the Ethiopian, Soviet-backed focus on refugee issues and situations, backed factions in Chad, some of which had leadership. Still. it would be too easy to W including government policy and social action, sought refuge in their territory; and the Sudan that their presence makes superpowers the and be properly documented ' in standard condoned and sometimes encouraged guerrilla dominant forces in the area. This is not the scholarly format and presentation. Please mail forces in northern Ethiopia. In turn. Ethiopia case, for none of the leaders in the Horn is a your submission to the Managing Editor of (and Libya) backed the Sudan People's puppet of the superpowers. In addition, neither Refuge (c/o Refugee Documentation Projec~ Liberation Amy in southern Sudan, some of Washington nor Moscow has been able to York University, 4700 Keele Street, North whose members had fled there from 1983 determine domestic policy in the region York, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3) and enclose a onwards. But of course the most aggressive brief precis of the article. external attack was that launched by Somalia The political bases of refugee-generating against Ethiopia in 1977, allegedly in support conflicts are thus varied and complex and of the Western Somalis hmthe Ogaden who involve overlapping interests between domestic had taken refuge in Somalia forces, neighbouring states, Middle Eastern states and the superpowers. Each of these Intervention need not always be aggressive; one political forces has a degree of autonomy and a New Publications country may become involved with another in degree of dependence: while they influence each order to prop up a regime with which it has other, none has the absolute power simply to David Matas. Canadian Immigration Law friendly ties. dictate to others. Knowledgeable observers of (Ottawa, Canadian Bar Association. 1987). these various conflicts frequently conclude thal Matas stresses that "it is more important Still, such defensive interventions may do as given the improbability of achieving military to refugee claimants than to anyone else much to encourage conflicts, which contribute solutions, and the prospect of the continuation that they know the law". to the generation of refugees. as more offensive or even the worsening of the situation, some intervention. This is particularly the case when attempt to bring international pressure to bear Review '86: Outlook '87 (Ottawa: Noh the intervention gives the supported to encourage negotiation would be highly South Institute, 1987). This annual government, as in the Sudan, the confidence as desirable. Yet it follows from the above review focuses on foreign policy, human well as the financial and military ability to remarks that any dialogue would need to be rights. and Canada's om foreign policy repress marginalized groups, in that case, the between individual states and their internal with respect to international challenges. southern Sudanese in the early 1980s. opponents and could not be dictated from the outside. Until such time as permanen1 World Refugee Survey: 1986 In Review (Washington: US Committee for While relations between neighbouring states are solutions are found, it is the people of the Horr Refugees, 1987). Carries an excellent a significant factor in the conditions that have who will suffer. Irrespective of the rains anc generated refugees in northeast Afiica. thue are craps, the refugee crisis will continue. collection of statistics on refugees and two further political factors of consequence: internally displaced peoples and "cameos" regional politics and superpower rivalry. of refugee-producing countries. Eritrean Refugees

by Mary Dines

The ex-Italian colony of Eritrea was this, had peace prevailed it would have Peoples' Ll'beration Front (EPLF), has established as an autonomous state by the been possible for Eritreans to make already prepared a repatriation programme United Nations after the Second World provision for bad years by developing the based on settling returnees in agricultural War and, although Ethiopia wanted to considerable agricultural potential of the areas where they will have access to land, annex it, a federation of the two states was country. tools, seeds and training. created in 1952. From that time onward Eritrea's autonomy was under attack and Within Eriuea there is widespread Already the ERA has tried to enable on November 14, 1962 its federal status displacement of the population. Since the displaced persons to stay in their home was abolished. It was the failure of the late 1970s people living in villages near areas rather than be forced to seek asylum UN to take action then that has led to the towns garrisoned by Ethiopian mops or in the Sudan. Their first camp for twenty-five year war between Eritreans and along the main roads linking Ethiopian displaced civilians, Solomuna, was set up Ethiopians. And it is this war that has army bases have had to flee from the in 1977; at the same time, a boarding been responsible for the most serious major towns following the arrest or school, Zero, for unaccompanied children refugee situation in the Sudan. It has also killing of individual family members. was established. Both have been forced by been a major cause of the Ethiopian The effects of war have been particularly bombing to change locations on a number famine of 1983-84, and in spite of harsh for the pastoralists. Traditional of occasions, yet both have developed into reasonable rains since. Erirrea is likely to grazing land has been subjected to integrated communities. Further. schools remain acutely short of food. bombardment and nomadic caravans have and camps have since been established by been attacked. In some rural areas, whole the ERA, attempting to create new There are about a ha'f-million Eritrean settlements have been burnt to the ground. communities rather than places in which refugees in the Sudan alone. About one- The threat of air attacks has prevented people can be parked until the situation fifth are congregated in refugee camps run small farmers, who eke out only a improves. Success requires careful by the UNHCR in the eastern Sudan and marginal existence, from ploughing. selection of sites with a continuous the rest are mainly unregistered refugees planting and harvesting. supply of water. Many of the camps have living in Khartoum. Port Sudan, Gedaref agricultural facilities, and since Eritrea has and other towns in the north. There are at The impoverishment of the civilian a high proportion of qualified doctors, least another hundred thousand Eritreans in population by the war has been greatly scientists and mechanics in the "liberated the Middle East, Europe and North exacerbated by periods of low rainfall that areas", these people have organized America. have affected all parts of Eritrea, training programmes in order to pass on culminating in the most recent, almost essential skills. For instance, mechanics Refugees are a barometer of the war in total drought. In many areas, water have been trained to repair and maintain Eritrea Although there is a continuous sources completely dried up and thousands the ERA'S fleet of trucks which transport flow of families and individuals into the of animals died. Whole communities were food and other necessary goods to the Sudan from Eritrean towns under forced to leave their homes in search of displaced population. Ethiopian occupation, the major exoduses food. Many found their way to the refugee have coincided with Ethiopian attacks on camps in the Sudan. On a number of occasions representatives civilian areas. During the Haile Selassie of the Ethiopian government and the era there were major flights in 1967 and A swey carried out in 1979 showed that Eritrean people have met to discuss ways 1970, and, since the military coup, the virtually all of the refugees would return to end the fighting. So far, these war has escalated into a major conflict, to Eritrea if that were possible. They meetings have been unsuccessful. Now with massive movements of refugees in would clearly be better off if they were what is needed is an initiative from an 1975, 1979 and 1982. In 1984-85 eighty able to retum to their home areas and get independent third party who can foster thousand Eriueans fled to the Sudan. It on with the business of developing their negotiations between the government and has become common practice to refer to land and improving their standard of the EPLF. Until such time, Eritreans will this pup as "drought victims", but this living. In addition, their return would lift continue to flow into the Sudan and the is an oversimplif~ation. Eritrea has been a burden from the Sudanese government. Eritreans' hope to make the "liberated subjected to periodic droughts for many The Erivean Relief Association (ERA), an areas" into economically viable regions years; since the early 1970s the rains have indigineous group founded in 1976 and will be doomed to failure. been erratic in many areas. In spite of working in co-operation wilh the Eriuean The Plight of the Oromo Refugees in the Horn of Africa

by Taha Abdi

The History of the Oromo people of Ethiopia of training, they are sent to fight their own The political motive behind the resettlement is one of colonization, subjugation and people or taken to other parts of the country to scheme -- namely. to denude the north of decimation. In fact, the first refugees on record fight against other resistance movements. Ethiopia, particularly Tigre, of people from in the Horn were Oromos who left their Many avoid conscription and possibly death by dissident areas -- is clear. The facts that homeland during the early period of Ethiopian fleeing the country. thousands of children have been orphaned partly occupation. Annexation by Ethiopia meant the as a result of the forced movement, and that loss of their main source of livelihood, the The forceful evacuation of Oromos from their thousands have died in the same process have land, and the denial of the most basic human traditional homeland to "protected hamlets" is been documented. and national rights. The situation prompted deeply resented by the peasantry and is another frequent armed uprisings, which have become cause of their flight. Forced resettlement of The end result is that there are at least 800.00 more organized in recent years. Conflic~ Oromos is motivated by the government's Ethiopian refugees in Somalia, about half of political persecution, and the inept and desire to separate the people from the Oromo whom are Oromos. While these people face destructive policies of the Ethiopian liberation forces. Similarly, their forced problems of status &termination. the Somali government have now displaced hundreds of collectivization and cultural harassment (by govemment has been exemplary in maintaining thousands of Oromos. These people live either such programmes as the literacy campaign in an open-border policy toward displaced Oromos in the safe area within the Oromos' region. which people are forced to learn Amharic), and others. and no refugee has been renuned occupied by the Oromo Liberation Front increase resentment and encourage people to against hisher will by the Somali government. (OLF), or in the neighbouring states of leave. But neither has this govemment facilitated any Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, the Sudan and voluntary repatriation. Kenya was once a beyond. Last but not least among the causes of sanctuary for the Oromo, but they are no longer displacement is the resettlement of the Tigre welcome there. Many who settled there earlier The major cause of displacement is the scorched- from the north. Moving northerners into the have since left and found asylum in the Sudan. earth policy of the Ethiopian government, Oromo homeland and employing them as an walking through Uganda, or in central Africa. aimed at suppressing the Oromo people and arm of state security is a policy begun by In fact, there are several thousand Oromos in taking control of the land wherever opposition Emperor Meneli, but institutionalized and the Blue Nile province of the Sudan, where is suspected. Though this policy has led to extended by Haile Selassie. The current their communities have obtained some degree Oromo uprisings, which have been cruelly put government hoped to move at least 1.5 million of self-sufficiency. down, it has been more evident since 1976 people from the same area under the pretext of when the Oromo liberation struggle resumed. drought-created famine. In an attempt to Djibouti once assisted the Oromos, but in The policy includes the confiscation of property finance the project through international relief 1984. (and again in 1986-87) with the of both individuals and communities suspected funds, the Settlement Authority merged with implementation of the Tripartite agreement of acts of sympathy or support for the Oromo the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission in between Ethiopia. Djibouti and the UNHCR. liberation forces. Villages and crops are burnt, 1980. One of the reasons that the govemment people were returned, in some cases forcibly, to women and girls are raped, livestock and people allowed the recent famine to reach catastrophic Ethiopia. are machine-gunned. Between mid-1984 and proportions was its desire to create large 1985 alone, measures taken by the Ethiopians numbers of helpless participants for the Others who faced forced repatriation went on to in the Hrarghe drove more than 100,000 resettlement scheme as well as to attract Somalia. while still others took fishing boats Orornos out of the region and to the safety of additional funding. But, try as it might, the and headed for Saudi Arabia and North Yemen, the Somali Democratic Republic. Many others government has not been able to reach its with varying degrees of success. remained inside the counv. in the areas under resettlement target, mainly because of the the contml of the OLF. paucity of voluntary recruits. Many of those Endemic conflict, famine and large-scalc who have been resettled were, in fact, abducted displacement in the Horn are the colonial Fear of persecution is another major cause of from their home areas. The project has proved legacy of Ethiopia and a direct consequence of displacement. Indeed, Ethiopia has become to be an economic and social disaster, and most the violence and destructive policies pursued by notorious for imprisoning without trial settlers continue to rely on food assistance for the Amhara ruling classes. The international suspected supporters of the nationalist years after bcing resealed. donor community. which provides relief movements or opponents of government assistance to care for the victims of Ethiopian policies. In Ethiopia, where prisons are as The resettlement of outsiders into Oromo atrocities and incompetence, has a strong moral numerous as schools and clinics, cases of country has been implemented in the face of duty to bring pressure to bear on the Ethiopian torture, executions anddisappearances have been strong objections by the Oromos and, more govemment to seek a political solution which welidocumented. recently, by those Wing resettled. Almost takes into account the representatives of thc without exception. this settlement has Oromos. the OLF. Until such time as a Another cause of the Oromo exodus is worsened the plight of the indigenous peaceful, honourable and enduring solution is conscription. In recent years, the government population. In all cases the best land has been found, Oromos will continue to fill the refugee has introduced the draft for men beween the allocated to the new settlers and the Oromos are camps of the Horn. ages of eighteen and thirty. After a short period pushed to less productive areas. on the train and deported By the time the train Report on the Djibouti Refugee Situation reached the border. six had died of suffocation. Although there has been no formal registration removal of ration cards. are conducive to volun*uy of asylum seekers since the government's Background thc repatriation. . Most alarming, as is are circular, some of these deportees may have been everywhere in Africa. not all refugees are registered In 1982-83 u a result of a tripartite agreement asylum seekers (ten of them had non-Muslim of and in Djibouti. those who did not have iden~ification krwccn the governments Djibouti and Ethiopia cards had no pmtection. and wen removed not as names and were therefore not "argos"), and and the UNHCR. the implementation of a refugees but as "illegal immigrants". refugees in Djibouti report that one of the dead repatriation programme was begun. The voluntsy was a registered refugee. It is hoped that the of As in 1982-83, over the past few months there have nature this reptriation was widely questioned. UNHCR is now investigating this clakn. (See Jeff Crisp's "Valmtary Repavktion been calk for an independent monitoring of the Rognmmer for African Refugees: A Critical npauiation. Given the number of disquieting reponc Whatever the case, GOD is highly embarrassed Examination", Refugee Iw, Vd 1, No. 2) fmn Djibouti me agency did send a staff manber to about the publicity given to the incident, which Effor~ to pwure refugees to luve the cany assess the cum situation in light of the has certainly had an adverse effect on the began again when on July 29. 1986 refugees in Government of Djibouli's (GoD) circular. A repoct repatriation programme. Djibouti were issued a circular informing than that was presented to the BRC. As a result of this thcy had "no fu~urein a refugee camp nor on information. a British puliunentPry cornmiace Djiboutian d"It continued by observing thnt proposed to visit Djl'bouti. but rhs Govanmart of Repatriation ". . . the ma&& of you left your country for Djibouti has dedined permission. giving the re- which have ceased to aisttoday ud therefore upcoming eieuians u the rason. There have so far been three repatriation trains, you should no mac be considered u refugees." The report (most of which is reproduced here) on December 8 and 19. 1986 and January 5. Refugees were rrminded that chc Miopitn emphasizes the nlucunce of refugees to repatriate. 1987. A total of just over 1.200 people gwemment had promulgated an amnesty law in pointing out: travelled on these trains, and another train was favour of all rrprtliants in 1983. scheduled for January 12th. Refugees wcm furrhcr informed that if anyom did not The resurgence of the Ethiopian Peoples' "rccep to rrpuriate volunurily", he mua "request Revolutionary Party (EPRP) in the last The campaign to get people to register for individually tbc continuation of his refugee status". eighteen months and the strength which its repatriation has been left largely in the hands of ldartifiution cadspreviourly issued wen declaredm operations have gained in the rural areas, have the Commissaire of Dil, a man well-known longer valid, and new onu would be issued to those provoked new levels of intolerance of any kind for his eccentric and irrational behaviour, and who durely dudto repetriate and who prscd of opposition on the part of the me. the Dikhil ONARS staff. The Commissaire the re-screening exercise. The circular informed the has made much use of various harassment refugees that r special canmiuea hsdbestablished Many of the political refugees in Djibouti are techniques to convince refugees that they are no to examine thore requests and which would "take there because of their own or their relatives' be. longer welcome in. Dilchil: he has driven dcciiions rapidly which would not subject to involvement with the activities of the EPRP. the a@. Those who puscd the re-screwring would be through camp with a megaphone moved to a new refugee camp in the regian of Obodc, or merely because suspicions have been raised anrtouncing that all refugees must register, and a region in which it would not only be impossible against them of such involvement, and the that any who do not are in Djibouti illegally; for refugees to cultivue land but whm they would reprisals which they thus incurred are still fresh he has been seen to slap elderly refugees and also be. cut off fmm any other annmcrcial activitia in their minds. The UNHCR branch office abuse them; last December there were frequent that might help them supthemelver. therefore lays itself open to disbelief and visits by parties of soldiers to the camp in the The circular wuned that those who refused to ridicule when it echoes the GOD'S statements small hours of the morning. opening tents and repatriate vohurily md who did not pass the re- that they have nothing to fear from the Dergue shouting that people must leave, resulting in screming cxucir must immcdiiy leave Djiboutian and a full amnesty awaits them. Refugee con- refugees spending the nights in the hills ItTTitOly. Thy will not receive any arrirlMcc of fidence in the UMICR is at an all-time low. surrounding the camp for fear of being forcibly any kind cu oppard to tha~who will recpuriole deported, ONARS announced that starting wlrcnlarily. As of January 1, 1987 dl old refuge An increase in the generally xenophobic Dccember 31. 1986 (the deadline mentioned on cards, cuda &n' attitude of Djiboutians is easy to detect at the don and asylum atmtatkms the circular), there would be no more water or will not be valid anymore." Ihe circular, signed by ascribed moment, and may be at least partly to rations whereupon the water was shut off in the the Mister of Interior, ca~luded with the the forthcoming elections. However, it would camp for three days (rations are in any case two following: "In the meanwhile and with immediate as be a mistake to see the government a months in mean). effect dl programmes of assistance for resettlement to monolith with regard to the refugee situation third QXlllViesare suspmdcd." since many of its members are not native-born Once registered, refugees do not have the right Several organizations, including the British Rdugee Djiboutians but came themselves originally to change their minds. Five families who did Council (BRC), forwarded strong objections to the from Ethiopia, and many more are related to the so were visited by the Commissaire with a UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Although the Issa refugees who make up the majority of the party of soldiers. who dismantled their aqals UNHCR was mpottedly successful in persuading the Dikhil camp population. From a fmancial as amidst much verbal abuse, and the Djibouti government to relent on the issue of resculancnt of refugees in a third country, the well as a political point of view the refugees Cornmissah, hitting anything in range with repatriation programme began. cannot be so easily dismissed: fortunes have his stick. loaded them and their belongings been made and continue to be made by those onto a truck. and took them off to catch the working for ONARS who handle refugee train. Is the Repatriation resources and asylum applications. Voluntary? Asylum seekers and political refugees have also The anti-alien atmosphere has recently received much "encouragement" to repatriate. As in 1982-83, there are contradictory rcporu fran manifested itself in a series of round-ups of Several asylum seekers have registered Djibouti ccnrrrning the voluntary character of the illegal immigrants in Djibouti town. The voluntarily (fourteen of whom are reported to repatriation. h is very difficult to accept assumncu latest of these resulted on December 29. 1986 have left the train and headed for Somalia). but now that the conditions under which refugees must in 125 "argos" from Wollo being ane~ted, one man who spoke out against the methods decide whether or not to repatriate, which include the beaten and loaded into closed metal containes being used was forcibly registered and was due to be repatriated on January 12th unless the campaign. There is no permanent protection Several asylum seekers have repatriated: it is UNHCR intervened. Several political refugees presence in Dikhil, and thc Protection Officer. assumed that these were people for whom lie received papers "convoking" them to appear at when asked about the situation during his in Ethiopia presented a rosier prospect than the repatriation office to register, and when they weekly or fortnightly visits. has either refused continuing uncertainty in Dikhil. Under presented themselves and refused to register. to discuss it with them or has told them that it extremely tough material conditions (rations for were told that they should inform the rest of is better for them to repatriate. those arriving before July 1986 consist of onc their community that they would all have to cup of sugar. one cup of oil and 5 kg of rice per There is much anxiety about the forthcoming re- repatriate. month). many have decided to risk going to examination of refugee status: the political Djibouti town in search of other solutions. One fact on which the UNHCR has failed to refugees in Djibouti know what they went Others chose more radical routes: on January through to get accepted the first time, and dread comment, but is commonly noted among the 8th, four asylum seekers, two new arrivals, and a reenactment of it The WR'splatitudes. refugees, is that over 90% of those who have two who had been waiting for refugee status for so far repatriated have been Gurgura people along the lines of "if you have a genuine case more than two years, left Didto hly to walk you have nothing to fear" hold ,little comfort -- Somali agro-pastoralists. not related to the to the Sudan across the Danakil desert and and made Issas the Afars, who up perhaps 35% for those who how that the UNHCR has no Eritrea. Desperate measures such as these seem control over the asylum process. of the Dikhil camp population The two other to be on the increase. There is little evidence groups of rural refugees, the Issas and the to support the High Commissioner's bland Afars, will not be repatriated because they have Asylum Seekers statement in his letter to the BRC of October each made deals with the government, the Issas 20th that "asylum will continue to be given to being ethnically identical and physically related Asylum seekers are those who have entered Djibouti with the intention of gaining new arrivals who meet internationally accepted to those in power, and the Afars through the criteria". intervention of Ali Miah, their Sultan. who recognition as refugees, but to whom sent his son &om Jeddah whae he is exiled to recognition has not yet been accorded. They negotiate with GOD. An alternative theoretically enjoy the same rights of The UNHCR arrygement has apparently been made by Ali protection as do recognized refugees during this period. The staff of the UNHCR Branch Office in Mirrah with the Government of Somalia to Djibouti seems satisfied with the progress of shelter the Afars, should the need arise. At a It is certainly true that a fairly constant stream the repatriation so far. They admit that some rough estimate, there are not more than about of asylum seekers has been making its way of the encouragement given to refugees to 700 Gwgura people left in Dikhil camp, and it into Djibouti over the past few years, and that registcr has been a little heavy-handed but see may therefore be assumed that the repatriation this flow has bem reduced to a trickle since the this as being an essential part of the operation. is almost over in terms of those who are ending of registration for resettlement in They have been pleasantly surprised by the willing to leave. February 1986. It must therefore be deduced flexible attitude demonstrated by the Ethiopian that a strong reason for seeking asylum in government in allowing those repatriated to Perceptions of Political Djibouti has been, in the past, the lure of move to wherever they wish. Refugees resettlement. However, this being the case, it The Representative was unconcerned by the fact must also be deduced that those who have Since it is widely recognized that GODwill not entered Djibouti since February 1986, and that eligibility to request asylum is being force repatriation on either Afar or Issa especially since July 29, 1986. must have decided at the border by illiterate soldiers with no knowledge of international conventions: he refugees, it is assumed that the current extremely good reasons for wanting to leave campaign must be aimed against political Ethiopia. Yet since the GOD'S circular, the held the view that genuine refugees will always find ways to cross. He stressed that no refugees. The UNHCR had done nothing to decision on who is allowed to enter the territory protection of any kind can be offered to asylum dispel thii view, giving no assurance about the to seek asylum has been lcft to the border seekers who leave Dikhil, and was dismissive safety of political refugees or about guards. with no supervision &om UNHCR. of claims that rations issued to them in Dikhil continuation of their status. Those who manage to convince these guards case were below subsistence level. Many refugees have decided in the past six that they have a (which usually involves months that their situation, in the absence of substantial bribes), are then taken to Dikhil On the question of the need to extend protection such assurance from the UNHCR, is too vulner- where there is currently no form of registration to genuine political refugees. the Represen- able in Djibouti and they have left the territory or issue of identity documents. The asylum tative offered the view that there were very few by more or less hazardous routes. Some went process has been completely halted for the past such refugees in Djibouti, and that only the by boat to Jizan, hoping to get from there to six months; no rations, tents, or materials of Eritreans and Tigreans had a real case. He did the Sudan: it is reported that one of these was any kind have been issued to those arriving not consider most Amharas to be genuine intercepted by the Ethiopian navy and has been since July. One meal a day is provided from a cases. taken to Addis. while another fifteen are in canteen run by the Protestant Church, and prison in Jizan. Some left for Somalia on foot, asylum seekers have been subject to the same The attitude of the Branch Office staff to and the fate of many others is not known. "encouragement" to repatriate as other refugees. requcsts by refugees for clarification of thcir status can only be described as casual. They The month of December was a period of real Dikhil has been designated as the place where see no reason to give the refugees any such terror in Dikhil camp: almost daily visits by asylum seekers must register. If they more clarification at this stage. Nor do they see the the Commissaire, announcing that their outside of Dikhil. asylum seekers are regarded need to point out that, despite what the GOD'S presence is illegal and he can do what he likes as illegal immigrants and are under threat of circular states, refugees have not become illegal in Dikhil, summonses to the repatriation office summaty deportation. The UNHCR has stated as of December 31st. They are still hopeful compounded by nightly visits by the military that it can offer no protection of any kind to that a re-examination of individual refugee giving heavy-handed encouragement to the asylum seekers outside of Dikhil. status will take place within the next few