UN agency dismayed by Sudan's deportation of Eritrean refugees
18 October 2011 -
The United Nations refugee agency today condemned the deportation of more
than 300 Eritrean refugees and asylum-seekers by Sudan after weeks of
detention and in spite of a previous agreement with the UN.
Adrian Edwards, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (
<
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home> UNHCR),
<
http://www.unhcr.org/4e9d47269.html> told reporters at a press briefing in
Geneva that his agency was concerned that the rights of refugees were not
being respected, even though Sudanese authorities had assured otherwise, and
said Sudan's actions breached the agreement between his agency and the
Government.
"The deportation took place despite an agreement between UNHCR and the
Sudanese Commissioner for Refugees that the Eritreans would be transferred
to Khartoum for joint screening - the aim being to identify people in the
group who already had refugee status and to allow others the opportunity to
lodge asylum claims," he said.
The deportation took place despite an agreement between UNHCR and the
Sudanese Commissioner for Refugees that the Eritreans would be transferred
to Khartoum for joint screening.
Upon arrival, the refugees were convicted on charges of illegal entry and
movement in Sudan, and were subsequently detained for several weeks in
Dongola in the country's north, before being deported yesterday.
Mr. Edwards said deportations like these violate the
<
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49da0e466.html> 1951 UN Refugee Convention as
well as the 1974 Sudanese Asylum Act.
According to UNHCR, Sudan has recently forced asylum-seekers on various
occasions to return to Eritrea, where they risk persecution.
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Received on Tue Oct 18 2011 - 16:52:10 EDT