“The extent of mass atrocities committed in Eritrean refugee camps in Tigray still remains unknown” Perspectives | NataliaPasz
On the early morning of November 27, 2020, in gloomy London under lockdown, I received a phone call from a former colleague from Ethiopia. Sobbing, she told me that three security guards who worked for our organisation had been killed in Hitsats Eritrean refugee camp amidst heavy fighting.
The extent of mass atrocities committed in Eritrean refugee camps in Tigray remains unknown. Mine here is a humble attempt to shed light on what happened to thousands of mainly very young people from Hitsats, who have become, yet again, victims of political violence. Despite their humanitarian protection status, refugee camps are often attacked during conflicts; they are also usually located in politically volatile borderlands, which further increases the risk of violence.
Other militiamen came to the camp on motorbikes, which are widely used to travel small distances. Fighting continued for several hours every day, and refugees spent as much time as possible inside their shelters. During those few days, the Eritrean army also abducted between 25-30 members of the refugee committee. It is unclear why they were targeted; however, kidnappings of well-known opposition activists used to occur in the camp before.
Nonetheless, when heavy fighting resumed on December 4, a group of around 1,000 refugees decided to seek safety in another refugee camp, Shimelba, a nearby Eritrean refugee settlement. Shimelba was the oldest of the four so-called Shire camps, established in 2004 to accommodate refugees who fled the short but bloody Ethio-Eritrean war of 1998-2000.
Solomon who fled the camp with his three-months-pregnant girlfriend, four other women and eight men, witnessed 4-5 hours of sustained violence on the night between 5 and 6 December. The group was initially surrounded by several militiamen who were later joined by thirty other men. They raped all the women, including Solomon’s pregnant girlfriend, and later shot them. His eight friends were also killed.
The refugees had to walk for 12 hours non stop – this was the shortcut that only the local people knew – without any water or food. Those who were too weak to continue walking were beaten up or killed. Eritreans accused of having any previous disagreements with the host community were told to pay them money. Later they were all released to their shelters.
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