"We believe that from the Eritreans in Europe 30 to 40 percent are Ethiopians," said the ambassador".
November 13, 2015
Addis Ababa (APA) - The Ethiopian economy is indeed one of the most prosperous in the whole of Africa, still annually migrate thousands of Ethiopians - in the hope of better living conditions - from. They flee to Europe, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Illegal, because the legal labor migration has prohibited the government. But Ethiopia is also the destination country of many people from the region.
At present, the East African country is home to a population of over 94 million people around 750,000 refugees, an upward trend. Ethiopia is now the country with the largest refugee population in Africa. For its open-door policy towards refugees, the country receives wide acclaim. Mostly the migrants come from the neighboring countries - the Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia. The political situation in the Horn of Africa is unstable.
The refugee situation has a huge impact on Ethiopia, says Richard Barno of the regional organization IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development). In Kenya, the effects were a "complete nightmare," said Barno. There are currently only half as many refugees as in Ethiopia. Established that the refugee movements "negative impact on the already scarce resources in the country" effect. The security situation in neighboring countries - mainly in Sudan and Eritrea - would also directly affect the stability in Ethiopia.
Therefore, as well as Ethiopia itself one of the poorest countries in the world - 30 percent of the population live on less than one dollar a day - and many often have no prospects in their homeland, many Ethiopians leave their homes. And, although the Ethiopian government has forbidden its citizens to legally emigrate. Background is the labor migration, especially to Saudi Arabia, where many Ethiopians have to work under inhumane conditions. Since 2013, therefore, there is the law by which the fanned by the traffickers "mass exodus" a bolt to be pushed forward.
By "mass exodus" but can not speak - eastward it annually attracts about 100,000 Ethiopians. Official figures there are of course not, since there is also no legal emigration. In Austria, in 2013 only 20 Ethiopians have applied for asylum. For Eritrea, there were 59. 2014 Ethiopia counted not among the 15 most important countries of origin. As the Austrian ambassador in Ethiopia, Andreas Melan, explained in an interview with APA, but giving many Ethiopians as Eritreans from - these usually have a better chance of recognition of asylum. "As Ethiopians you actually only get asylum than opposition politicians, if one is homosexual or can demonstrate that you will be persecuted," said Melan. Also critical journalists often flee abroad. The Eritrean Community in Austria is very small, traditionally the number of asylum applications from Eritrea in Switzerland is relatively high. "We believe that from the Eritreans in Europe 30 to 40 percent are Ethiopians," said the ambassador.
In addition to Europe and the Middle East and the route to South Africa is a popular with Ethiopian immigrants. This, however, is the least explored, so Maria Temesvari by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Addis Ababa. No matter in which direction - the Ethiopian government wants not only legal, but also to curb illegal migration and therefore going for several months also strengthened front against traffickers. In July, legislation was passed that the penalties for traffickers increased massively. "This goes back to the death penalty," said Temesvari. Simultaneously, the government also trying to create better living conditions for the population, in order not to leave the reasons for fleeing arise. For this reason, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) supports projects in this field.
To migration and especially readmission agreements (repatriation of refugees in countries of origin) to go in Malta is also at the EU-Africa Summit in early November.