A Call

We are Eritreans residing in Sotriba Refugee Center in the Red Sea zone of eastern Sudan for more than 20 years. The residents of the Center are technicians, drivers, carpenters , teachers, farmers and herdsmen by profession who were forced to leave our country as the result of the atrocities committed by the defunct fascistic colonial regime of Colonel Menghestu Hailemariam of Ethiopia. In other words the majority of us were previously living in towns and cities in Eritrea. The Sudan, UNHCR and the Eritrean refugees were partners of the 1976 agreement for establishing the Center. But this agreement came into effect in 1988, the year we were practically accepted to live in the Sotriba Camp. The Center is administered by the Sudanese Commission of Refugees (COR).

Like all Eritreans we and our children have contributed dearly to the Eritrean Struggle for Liberation and as a result of the sacrifices paid by the entire population our country won its independence in 1991. But to our dismay our dream of a peaceful, just and democratic Eritrea has not been materialized. We cannot return to our country as the result of the policies of the PFDJ dictatorial regime in Eritrea. It was only one year since the independence of our country that is was heard to say that he will not allow any activitiy by the opposition organizations to which we were an inalienable part during the struggle for liberation.

The opposition organizations and the Eritrean refugees were eager to return to their country and participate in the reconstruction and democratization of their country. The opposition organisations, in fact, have also shown their readiness to lay down their arem and negotiate with the Provisional Government of Eritrea, but to our disappointment the calls fell on deaf ears. To the contrary the regime established a police state, whereby, detention without accusation and fair trial, extra judicial killings, torture etc... became the order of the day. As the result of these atrocities a new wave of refugees, among which are recent repatriates, is flowing to the neighboring countries.

Under such difficult situations, the residents of Sotriba Refugee Center have been informed on 28 August 2004 by Mr. Roland Harson, a Swiss ciztizen and a UNHCR representant at Shwek Refugee Camp, to pack our goods and leave the center within 45 days.

We harbour the suspicsions that Mr. Roland can be an accomplice of the dictatorial regime of Asmara for the following reasons.

He was not willing to respond to our memorandum that we submitted to him in one of the meetings he held with residents of Sotriba Refugee Center.
We prepared another memorandum and went to Shewk Refugee Camp to hand it to him but he was not prepared to take it. He also rejected our demand to meet officials at higher posts. The response we got was the aid that war earmarked for you has been stopped and the only choice you have is to take 225 US dollars and leave the camp.
We met Mr. Giovanni, the director of the program, on 10 November 2004 in Khartoum on our own. He told us that he did not hear anything on our complaints. To the contrary he was informed that we were prepared to take the 225 dollars and leave the camp

In addition, Mr. Roland was trying to convince us that the Eritrean government is the only government in the region that is at peace with its people.

We, therefore, appeal to all interested Eritrean organizations and individuals to make our voices heard to Human Rights groups, NGOS, governments, parties and responsible UN institutions.

Finally, we like to express our appreciation to the people and government of the Sudan for their tolerance and the kind hospitality they extended to the Eritrean refugees in the last 40 years. We believe these tolerance and hospitability will stay in place in this very difficult period of time.

Praise and Glory to our Martyrs,

Praise and Glory to the People and Government of Sudan

24.11.2004

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