Africa-Press – Ethiopia. The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) said that it is aware of media reports that some Ethiopian refugees registered in Sudan have returned to Ethiopia and are allegedly involved in the conflict there.
It is to be recalled that Some TPLF soldiers infiltrating from Sudan have been captured carrying UNHCR ID cards.
The UN refugee agency said in a statement today that it is aware of reports that some Ethiopian refugees registered in Sudan have returned to Ethiopia and are allegedly involved in the conflict there.
“While there has been a modest decrease in the number of Ethiopian refugees in the refugee camps in recent months, UNHCR is not able to verify the whereabouts of those who have left, including those who may have returned to their country of origin,” the statement stated.
Refugee status is incompatible with active participation in armed conflict; the statement said adding that “Any registered refugees who may have returned to Ethiopia and joined the conflict are no longer considered refugees.”
UNHCR has stressed the importance of maintaining the civilian and humanitarian character of asylum, which can be a challenge in conflict situations.
“We continue to work with the government of Sudan in support of their responsibility and commitment to uphold this key principle, which includes separating identified combatants from the civilian population seeking asylum.”
According to the government of Ethiopia, the terrorist TPLF has tried to expand the conflict by entering the Benishangul Gumuz and Amhara regions crossing the long Sudanese border.
It is also reported that TPLF soldiers infiltrating from the Sudanese side have been captured carrying UNHCR ID cards.
Most of the time refugees who flee conflicts are children, women and elderly; however, the large number of Ethiopian refugees that sheltered in Sudan following the law enforcement operation in Tigray region are strangely young.
According to media reports, these are members of the armed group known as ‘SAMRI’ that are trained and deployed to distractive activities in Ethiopia by the terrorist TPLF.
The group is also confirmed to have committed the Mai Kadra massacre that claimed the death of several innocent civilians in Ethiopia.
It was also indicated that members of the group have made several attempts to join the distractive activities of the terrorist TPLF by crossing the border to Ethiopia.
“It is a clear violation of international law and UN Conventions governing the handling of refugees. This is happening while the international community has yet to condemn the TPLF’s use of child soldiers as young as 11 years old,” the government of Ethiopia said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
