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Eritrean Refugees of Northern Ethiopia 
The Horn of Africa is one of the most volatile areas in the world.  Due this the countries in the area host numerous refugees
who are escaping turmoil and persecution in their home.  With it’s central location, Ethiopia is an important host for refugees  
from Southern Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia. 
For the last year I’ve been living in  
Shimelba refugee camp which house  
more than 12,000 Eritreans.  I’ve been  
working with the International Rescue  
Committee (IRC) as Gender-Based  
Violence Coordinator.  It’s an  
interesting time because I am the only  
international living in the camp, so I  
have an easy opportunity to interact  
well with the refugees and the my  
Ethiopian colleagues.  The camp is run  
by the Ethiopian Government who  
manages, secures and provides health  
care for the camp under the prevue of  
UNHCR.  IRC and and another  
organization called ZOA are the only  
other agencies providing support.  IRC  
helps supply clean water and  
sanitation, education for children and  
adults, HIV and reproductive health  
awareness, support for the elderly,  
disabled and youth, income  
generation support / trainings as well  
as assistance to women who’ve  
suffered sexual or domestic violence.   
ZOA provides some income  
generation trainings too.   
Between 1999-2000 Ethiopia and Eritrea  
fought a bitter border dispute that killed  
over 20,000 soldiers and countless  
civilians.  After the war, both countries  
began to deport citizens of Ethiopian or  
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Eritrean origin to their respective  
background countries.  In Ethiopia, the  
government went through the roster of  
people who voted for Eritrea’s independence  
in 1993 and stated that if you want your own  
country you should live there and promptly  
put them on buses headed for the border.   
Eritrea reciprocated.  Those people who were 
deported lost everything and and had to start  
all over again.  Those forced back to Eritrea  
have been treated, basically, as 2nd class  
citizens.  The Horn of Africa is one of the  
most volatile areas in the world.  Due this  
the countries in the area host numerous  
refugees who are escaping turmoil and  
persecution in their home.  With it’s central  
location, Ethiopia is an important host for  
refugees from Southern Sudan, Eritrea, and  
Somalia. 
The camp is made up of Tigrinians  
(60%) Kunamas (40%), and other  
ethnicities such as Afar and Saho.  The  
Kunama, who are pastoralists living on  
the Ethiopian-Eritrean border, have  
been blamed by the Eritrean  
government for not fighting the  
Ethiopians when they occupied  
Eritrean land.  They’d been  
traditionally treated as second class  
citizens and felt that it didn’t matter  
which government pushed them  
around they had cows and sheep to  
feed.  Since the end of the war, many  
Kunama have fled their territory to  
avoid persecution in Eritrea.  have  
been pushed around throughout their  
history ironically they refugees in  
lands that were once theirs and still  
have towns named in Kunama, like  
Shire the western Tigray regional hub,  
even though Kunamas have not been  
in the area for generations.  As they  
say Shimelba “It’s nice.  It’s like we’ve  
return home.”  Unfortunately, the  
Tigrians who live their don’t think it’s  
the Kunama’s home as well and the  
chance of gaining their land back  
when they can return to Ertitrea is  
remote as the government has started  
to send people to occupy the land.   
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Recognizing this, the Kunama have  
been given the chance to resettle in  
the US.  Many, however, want to  
return and plan to wait until the  
situation suffices.   
The camp is made up of Tigrinians (60%)  
Kunamas (40%), and other ethnicities such as  
Afar and Saho.  The Kunama, who are pastoralists  
living on the Ethiopian-Eritrean border, have been  
blamed by the Eritrean government for not  
fighting the Ethiopians when they occupied  
Eritrean land.  They’d been traditionally treated as  
second class citizens and felt that it didn’t matter  
which government pushed them around they had  
cows and sheep to feed.  Since the end of the war,  
many Kunama have fled their territory to avoid  
persecution in Eritrea.  have been pushed around  
throughout their history ironically they refugees  
in lands that were once theirs and still have towns  
named in Kunama, like Shire the western Tigray  
regional hub, even though Kunamas have not  
been in the area for generations.  As they say  
Shimelba “It’s nice.  It’s like we’ve return home.”   
Unfortunately, the Tigrians who live their don’t  
hi k i ’ hK ’ hl l d h
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think it’s the Kunama’s home as well and the 
chance of gaining their land back when they can  
return to Ertitrea is remote as the government has  
started to send people to occupy the land.   
Recognizing this, the Kunama have been given the  
chance to resettle in the US.  Many, however, want  
to return and plan to wait until the situation  
suffices.   
In essence, Eritrea is turning into a North Korea on the  
Red Sea and people want out.   This is sad because most  
of the Eritreans that I’ve met are extremely innovative  
and take initiative to improve their lives.  This is the first  
camp I’ve been to in which there are barbers with  
swiveling barber chairs, pool halls, generators that sell  
electricity, theaters with multi-channeled satellite TV (I’ 
ve got 3 channels), bars, discos, restaurants, and cafes.   
Half of the camp we call little Asmara, because they’ve  
been able to replicate a more urban lifestyle.   (It sounds  
and looks amazing but when you scratch the surface,  
most of the refugees are in a very vulnerable state in  
which they peddle some of their 15kg of monthly wheat  
ration to buy cloths for the children and other  
household necessities.)   Sadly, the refugees could be a  
great asset in developing their new nation, if the  
government recognized that creativity and innovation  
cannot be pushed and pulled but needs space and  
encouragement to take off.     
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