|
UNHCR Press Releases
Twenty-one refugees missing, feared dead in Sudan river crossing
24 September 2008
KHARTOUM – Twenty-one refugees are feared to have drowned last night
when their overloaded boat capsized in the Atbara River, near the
Shagarab refugee camp in eastern Sudan. The bodies have yet to be
recovered.
Local administration and security officials, along with UNHCR and its
Sudanese government counterpart, COR, rushed to the scene. According to
eyewitnesses, the refugees were part of a larger group that tried to
cross the river in four boats at approximately 1:30 a.m. One of four
boats meant to carry 15 passengers at most, but packed with 26, capsized
some 600-700 metres from shore. Four Eritrean men survived by swimming
to shore along with one Somali woman who clung to a floating log.
Survivors were transferred a health clinic at the Shagarab II camp.
The five survivors carried refugee identity cards. One male who said he
arrived in Shagarab camp three weeks ago, was travelling to Khartoum in
search of work. He and several others were offered the trip across the
river and onward to Khartoum by road for a fee of about US $100 each.
Among the missing were 11 Eritrean and Somali families, including eight
women at least three children, according to this eyewitness. Two
suspected smugglers – also refugees – now are in police custody.
Meanwhile, arrangements have been made for a dignified burial of the
bodies, if and when they are recovered.
Last night's tragic incident highlights the plight of refugees in
eastern Sudan and the inherent risks of smuggling people. The boat
crossing was intended to bypass road blocks out of the camp as
government regulations stipulate that refugees must remain in camps and
receive assistance there. Poor living conditions, however, and the
absence of any prospects compel refugees, including women and children,
to embark on perilous journeys (most often at the mercy of smugglers) in
the hope of reaching Khartoum and, ultimately, a European destination.
UNHCR estimates the number of refugees in eastern Sudan at around
130,000. They originate mostly from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
Close to 100,000 live in 12 camps where they receive international
assistance while an estimated 40,000 eke out a living in rural and urban
concentrations.
This protracted situation has left thousands of Eritrean refugees living
in eastern Sudan for as long as forty years, along with Ethiopian and
Somali refugees. A steady flow of refugees from these countries continue
to enter Sudan through various entry points in the Gedaref, Kassala, and
Red Sea states.
Story date: 24 September 2008
UNHCR Press Releases
|
