Blog #2: Somaliland Deportation of Ethiopian Refugees

In 2008, Somaliland, a self-declared state in the northern region of Somalia, suspended registration of refugees and asylum seekers. Since then, Somaliland has been deporting any Ethiopian refugees, re-registering only those who registered prior to 2008; there are more than 20,000 undocumented Ethiopian refugees suspected to be living in Somaliland today.

On August 31^st almost 75 Ethiopians were sent back across the border to Ethiopia, many of them women and children. The police raided the Social Welfare Centre (leased by the United Nations High Commissioner to Refugees to house refugees until the lease ran out last December) the 30^th and 31^st, arresting refugees and deporting them. It is reported that the owner of the land nearby insisted the Ethiopians leave; the Ethiopians refused, fights broke out, and the police showed up with ammunition. They deported what was likely a hundred refugees that day and the previously mentioned 70-something people the next day. UN agents picked the 72 people up at the Ethiopian border and took them back to the Social Welfare Centre; however the Somaliland authorities refuse to allow the UN refugee agency to help others living in Somaliland. An unconfirmed report states that around 30 men were sent to the Ethiopian border and taken by Ethiopian authorities; their location is still unknown.

This refusal to register and deportation of Ethiopian refugees is a direct violation of Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Whether wanted or not, Somaliland is obligated to recognize these people as refugees and asylum seekers, and allow the United Nations to aid them. It is also against international law to send Ethiopians back to Ethiopia, where they will likely face detainment by the authorities and be subjected to prison time and torture. By refusing to register these refugees Somaliland is breaking another international law which prohibits countries from refugees before they have had a chance to validate their claims of asylum. Every person deserves the right to escape a state of prosecution and seek safety in another country, yet Somaliland is refusing Ethiopian people this right. Regardless of any rationalization the Somaliland authorities might have for these actions, they are violating Ethiopian refugee’s human rights, and it is something that needs to be reprimanded and amended immediately.

The article: http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/04/somaliland-stop-deporting-ethiopian-refugees

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml

Reagan Overton

September 7th, 2012

4:53 pm