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ELF-RC Mission to Sweden Highlights
Plight of Eritrean Refugees and Youth
By
Nharnet Stringer (Europe)
The high-level ELF-RC delegation that visited Sweden between 6 and 12
October 2006 gave top importance to explaining the situation of Eritrean
refugees and the displaced youth in its official discussions with
Swedish governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as in
meetings with the public and the media.
The ELF-RC delegation that consisted of the chairman, Woldeyesus Ammar;
the vice-chairman, Tesfai Woldemichael (Degiga), and other leadership
members and senior cadres residing in Sweden, conducted on 7 and 8
October two important meetings with compatriots - one with members of
the organization, and another with the public.
In both meetings, the delegation stressed, among other things, the
urgency of finding a viable solution to the question of Eritrean
refugees, particularly the victimized youth who are losing confidence in
their own future. This point was repeatedly raised at smaller group
discussions with Eritreans as well as in the lengthy interviews of the
delegation with members of TV Adal and TV Zete of Stockholm. The theme
on the suffering of our refugees and Eritrea’s younger generation
because of the policies of the dictatorial regime was hammered upon at
meetings with governmental and non-governmental organizations.
At a meeting with representatives of the Swedish Red Cross, the
delegation raised the question of the now nearly non-existent relief
assistance to tens of thousands of Eritrean refugees in Easter Sudan and
to others in Ethiopia, including over ten thousand youth at the Shimelba
refugee camp. Mr. Staffan Wiking, the Eastern Africa Regional
Coordinator of international programmes for the Swedish Red Cross, and
Mr. P. Allan Olsson, Swedish Red Cross representative at the
Geneva-based Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
admitted that Eritrean refugees are not receiving the right attention
they deserved, and hoped that international relief organizations would
start to look to it as an urgent humanitarian question deserving
immediate attention.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the newly elected Swedish government
was also briefed on the general economic, political, human rights and
humanitarian situation in Eritrea which is suffering of regional and
international isolation because of the gross mistakes of the brutal
one-man dictatorship in the country.
Similarly, the ELF-RC was received in audience by top-level
representatives of parties, including the Social Democratic Party, and
the Swedish Left Party, who were urged to show interest in supporting
the Eritrean political opposition towards its capacity building as an
alternative force that can win the confidence of Eritreans at home and
abroad.
During the final day of its tour, the ELF-RC delegation met with Swedish
NGOs and journalists who were close to the Eritrean political
organizations during the prolonged liberation struggle. Likewise, the
delegation met with embassies of neighbouring countries for exchange of
notes on the situation of Eritreans in general and the situation of the
opposition in particular, including the causes of internal and external
shortcomings.
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