Ethiopian Refugees Under Threat of Hunger

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Ethiopian Refugees - Vis-à-vis Hunger

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90,000 Eritrean and Ethiopian Refugees are living under threats of hunger in eastern Sudan, some media sources said.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) issued an alert about those refugees and said they could go hungry unless more money is found to cover a 47% funding gap in the UN food relief agency.

"We need the world's support to keep feeding," Lopes da Silva, World Food Program's chief in Sudan, said. "We know that without food aid these people won't be able to feed their families. Their situation is precarious. Malnutrition rates among children are always the first to climb because they are the most vulnerable."WFP has appealed to donors to cover the gap. The International program said it has received 9.4 million dollars out of 17.7 million required to fill this gap.

"We appeal to the international community to remember the plight of these people who are dependent on food aid, cannot yet return home and currently have little chance of integrating into the local community. The least we can do is provide them with food." Ramiro Lopes da Silva said in his press statement.

At these emergencies, the UN is also struggling to feed millions Sudanese refugees displaced during the almost 50 years war in Sudan.

Drought, famine and civil war in Ethiopia during the 70th, and 80th; the first long freedom war between Eritrea and Ethiopia and the last short war forced millions of Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees into Sudan.

"Food distributions to the refugees are in real danger of being scaled down or even interrupted because of the lack of funds," said World Food Program's chief in Sudan, in his press statement.

The refugees are in 12 camps in eastern and southeastern Sudan, where they compete with locals and internally displaced Sudanese for work. Nutrition reports from the refugee camps indicate rates of malnutrition have reached "worrying levels."

Few have any chance of employment; the large proportions of families headed by women are particularly vulnerable because social and cultural factors limit their access to food and sources of income.

Concerns about general conditions in their homeland meant that far fewer Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees have came forward than were expected for voluntary repatriation assisted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Sudan Government's Commissioner for Refugees (COR). So WFP is feeding almost 50 percent more refugees than expected.

In July, WFP's partner, the Sudan Government's COR, distributed 1,880 metric tons of food to 89,498 people.. Another 16 tons from WFP was distributed through supplementary feeding centres run by partner Non-Governmental Organisations and reached 3,908 people. There are other activities to help the Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees, which include food for training and environmental rehabilitation work, supported by food aid.

However, chronic funding shortages, insecurity in the region at times curtailing access as well as problems in contracting enough trucks to carry food aid from Port Sudan to the camps have hampered WFP's efforts to maintain consistent supplies of food assistance to the Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees.

Nutrition surveys and reports from NGOs running selective feeding programmes in the camps show malnutrition rates reaching worrying levels. In April, nutrition survey by WFP, UNHCR and COR recorded global acute malnutrition rates among children under five of 12.7 percent in Um Gargour camp.

Contributions to WFP so far came from the United States (US$3.1 million), multilateral funds (US$2.6 million), the Netherlands, (US$1.7 million), Japan (US$660,000), private donors (US$180,000) and Switzerland (US$84,000). Commodity carryovers bring the total to US$9.4 million.

Chronic funding shortages, insecurity in the region at times curtailing access as well as problems in contracting enough trucks to carry food aid from Port Sudan to the camps have hampered WFP's efforts to maintain consistent supplies of food assistance to the Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees.

Since early in 1949 Sudan eastern borders had been the gate for the Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees to flee their countries to Sudan.

They wrought there in big projects like Al-Gazera, Al-Gadarif and a lot of them were settled in big cities like Port Sudan, Kasala, Madeni, Hasaheisa and the capital cities in Khartoum, Khartoum North and Om-Durman.

Those Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees played the positive role to assist their revolutionary groups in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Starting from the late fiftieth, considerable numbers of the Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees were funding those revolutionary groups.

The most important fund that the Eritrean revolution had received during its struggle was funded from Eritrean business projects in Sudan.

Some of them have possessed lands and agricultural projects. Coming to be Sudanese through their long living in Sudan, doesn't deny them their original identities.

The military religious dictatorial regime in Sudan forced them in the past to choose between being Sudanese or Eritrean to force them choose between the repatriation and staying in Sudan. They use them now as a political card.

The Eritrean government from its part has its conditions in the repatriation, because there're great numbers of those called Eritrean Jihad amongst those refugees. This Eritrean group has been funded, educated and prepared by the (National Islamic Front Government) from within its program to export terrorism to other states in the Horn of Africa.

The Sudanese dictatorial regime is showing the world by its peace agreement with the rebels that it changed its clothes this time as used to do during its history, but that doesn't mean it changed its project. This is a sensitive and very deceitful period of Sudan history.

To read about how this ruling party plays on the political scene and changes its name and some of its political tactics go to Sudanese Terrorists Change Their Clothes But Not Their Agendas! They know how to bow to the International wind of pressures! Snaky?

Considerable numbers of them are still using both of their identities. They're Sudanese while living in Sudan, and Eritrean and Ethiopian while they're living in their original homelands. No one denies them to be this or that in Sudan. So, there's no way for saying there's no equality amongst the people!

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