By TesfaNews,
UNCONFIRMED reports from Eastern Sudan indicates that Rashaida Bedouins and Sudanese security forces reportedly staged a deadly attack upon Eritrean refugees inside the Shagarab-1 refugee camp in eastern Sudan.
This large refugee camp near Kassala serves predominantly as a transit hub for Eritrean migrants and is the first and most important base for arriving asylum seekers from Eritrea.
Eastern Sudan region is also vital for border trade between Eritrea and Sudan. It also hosts Bedouin family clans that engaged in criminal activities such as human trafficking, slavery and kidnapping of Eritrean refugees in collaboration with cruel, criminal traffickers in the Sinai.
Following the death of 8 refugees in an attempted smuggling on the Setit-Atbara River on Christmas eve and the kidnapping of four of the survivors by the Rashaida tribes for ransom purposes, anger flared among the refugees in the Shagarab camp resulting for an attack on a neighboring Bedouin village.
In an apparent revenge attack afterwards, members of Rashaida tribe armed with guns and swords reportedly force entered into the camp and caused a number of damages against the defenseless refugees including Eritreans, on Christmas day. The ensuing confrontation was reportedly bloody and resulted in a number of wounded people from both sides.
To maintain law and order, Sudanese security forces swarmed the camp and start beating indiscriminately and mercilessly anyone they find in their way and that also resulted in an increase of wounded refugees including women and children. According to an eye wittiness, the security forces have burned the improvised shacks used by the refugees with their belongings inside. They later rounded up and took dozens of young refugees to a place called Ghirba region.
This latest incident only shows how Sudan security forces and the UNHCR failed to provide adequate protection to residents of the camp who are yet under the constant threat of human traffickers and their accomplices with in the Sudanese police forces.
Here is our call to our brothers and sister who are living in various concentration camps across Sudan, Ethiopia, Israel, France etc…: Don’t you think this is too much already? You left your country aspiring for a better life not to spare your precious life for traffickers and some self serving opportunists. So why do you let others gamble and profit out of your misery? Is it worth to risk your life through Sinai, Mediterranean, human traffickers, organ harvester et al…? We understand life is tough back home, but so does every where. Blame no one but yourself for all the choices you made and the resultant consequences. Please, Go back to Eritrea! Return to your family!
