Hundreds of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia’s restive Tigray region have been detained for undisclosed reasons, Filippo Grandi, U.N. high commissioner for refugees said on Tuesday in a statement.
The refugees were detained on alleged involvement in the Tigray conflict before the federal government left the region after eight months of fighting against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
“We have credible evidence that the TPLF forces entered Mai Ayni and Adi Harush refugee camps and committed widespread attacks against the Eritrean immigrants,”Grandi
The commissioner demanded TPLF officials in Mekele to provide clarification and immediate release of the refugees.
The U.N. refugee agency Monday warned that thousands of Eritrean refugees in northern Ethiopia’s conflict-ridden Tigray province are in desperate need of aid and protection. The agency also renewed its appeal to the government for access to the refugees.
Before the start of Ethiopia’s military offensive in Tigray in early November, the U.N. refugee agency cared for some 96,000 Eritrean refugees in four camps. Since then, the agency has lost control of the camps and of its ability to provide essential aid to the refugees.
MG/abj/APA