By Tesfa-alem Tekle
December 25, 2007 (MEKELLE, Ethiopia) — The Eritrean government’s
cross-border abduction of Eritreans in Sudan is significantly in a
bigger scale than originally, reported the Eritrean opposition
awate.com website.
"About 4 thousand Eritreans, mostly recent escapees from the
mandatory national military service are picked up from some temporary
refugee centers in Sudan over the past few weeks and loaded in vehicles
forcibly back to Eritrean border" the source said.
Eritreans are continuously abducted and secretly loaded back home by
some Eritrean government agents under a cover trick says Andu Mana,
Eritrean Kunama Democratic Front’s Chairman here in Mekelle.
"This is not the first or second time report of such action by the
government but Eritrean spies have been repeatedly abducting Eritreans
who has been fleeing to Sudan seeking safety."
He also said that the refugees are lured by the government agents
who promise them better jobs in Khartoum and other Sudanese business
cities.
"Eritrea is breaching the international law on refugees as it
wishes, and Sudan is turning a blind eye from stopping the crime." Andu
added.
After several years of support of their respective opposition
parties, relations between Sudan and Eritrea have now very excellent
relations since 2005.
Some Eritrean refugee rights advocates have already began
complaining to UN commission on human rights over what is happening,
the website said.
Many Eritrean politicians in Mekelle, Ethiopia agree that the
cross-border mass abduction from Sudan by Eritrean Special Forces is
believed to be the main reason for the current increase in the number
of Eritreans fleeing to Ethiopia where there is relatively no risk of
cross-border abduction by Eritrean spies.
Recently Eritreans fleeing to neighboring Ethiopia has reached high on record.
"An average of 600 Eritreans cross to Ethiopian borders every month" the north Ethiopia military command post says.
This figure is double compared to 3 to 4 months ago.
“One-third of the total Eritreans fleeing to Ethiopia are, Eritrean
military members” the command post said adding "12 Eritrean air force
and navy members have also crossed to Ethiopia after new Ethiopian
millennium turns in."
(ST)
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