Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Ethiopia - Afar Refugee Attacks UNHCR
/
2:12
/
MP4
/
162.5 MB

Edited News | UNHCR , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS

Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Ethiopia - Afar Refugee Attacks UNHCR

Ethiopia conflict: thousands of Eritrean refugees flee new deadly attack on camp

Thousands of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia have fled their camp in Afar region after a deadly attack earlier this month, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.

The UN agency told journalists in Geneva that unidentified assailants targeted Barahle camp on 3 February after fighting engulfed the area, according to harrowing accounts provided by refugees.

“Refugees who trekked the long distance to the regional capital in Semera told UNHCR staff that armed men entered the camp on 3 February, stole their belongings and occupied their homes,” said UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov. “According to their testimonies, at least five refugees were killed. Family members lost one another in the chaos of fleeing the camp.”

The attack is just the latest instance where Eritrean nationals living in Ethiopia have come under fire, since conflict erupted and spread from the northern region of Tigray in November 2020.

A joint investigation by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in November 2021 highlighted how Tigrayan and national Ethiopian fighters had put the security and lives of thousands at risk in Shimelba camp, between November 2020 and January 2021.

Following the attack in Afar, Mr. Cheshirkov said that over 4,000 refugees had reached Semera, “where UNHCR together with the Ethiopian Refugees and Returnees Service and other partners are providing immediate support with shelter, relief items, food as well as clean water”.

Another 10,000 refugees are also reported to be living in Afdera town, some 225 kilometres from Semera, the UN official explained. “Others are also believed to have fled towards the towns of Altefa and Dabure, which is further inland.”

Just last month, UNHCR urged the international community to do more to end the fighting in northern Ethiopia after finally reaching Eritrean refugees in Tigray region “scared and struggling to get enough to eat”.

That alert came after air strikes in and near the camps of Mai Aini and Adi Harush, home to more than 25,000 refugees.

“With yet another refugee camp severely impacted, UNHCR remains extremely worried about the safety and wellbeing of thousands of Eritrean refugees caught up in the conflict,” Mr. Cheshirkov said.

“We are extremely worried about those that are cut off from aid and have not been accounted for so far. What is important, and we've made this call in other contexts, we make it here again: we need to see an end of hostilities. Hostilities must cease and humanitarian access must be provided so that we can be there and help the people who have urgent needs.”

  1. Exterior wide shot, UN Palace of Nations, Geneva. Flags flying.
  2. Medium shot, podium speakers with TV screen showing speakers to rear.
  3. SOUNDBITE (English): Boris Cheshirkov, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “Refugees who trekked the long distance to the regional capital in Semera told UNHCR staff that armed men entered the camp on 3 February, stole their belongings and occupied their homes. According to their testimonies, at least five refugees were killed, and several women were kidnapped.”
  4. Medium shot, masked participants listening and taking notes.
  5. SOUNDBITE (English): Boris Cheshirkov, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “So far, over 4,000 refugees are in Semera where UNHCR together with the Ethiopian Refugees and Returnees Service and other partners are providing immediate support with shelter, relief items, food as well as clean water.”
  6. Close-up, masked participant listening to briefing.
  7. SOUNDBITE (English): Boris Cheshirkov, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “Around 10,000 refugees are also reported to be living in Afdera town, which is approximately 225 kilometres from Semera. Others are also believed to have fled towards the towns of Altefa and Dabure, which is further inland.”
  8. Medium shot, TV camera tripod in foreground, masked participant to rear.
  9. SOUNDBITE (English): Boris Cheshirkov, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “With yet another refugee camp severely impacted, UNHCR remains extremely worried about the safety and wellbeing of thousands of Eritrean refugees caught up in the conflict.”
  10. Close-up, participant’s hand holding a pen, using computer mouse.
  11. SOUNDBITE (English): Boris Cheshirkov, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “We are extremely worried about those that are cut off from aid and have not been accounted for so far. What is important, and we've made this call in other contexts, we make it here again: we need to see an end of hostilities. Hostilities must cease and humanitarian access must be provided so that we can be there and help the people who have urgent needs.”
  12. Medium-wide shot, podium speakers with TV screen to rear.
  13. Close-up, participant’s frame in foreground, blurred, podium speaker to rear, in focus.
  14. Close-up shot, podium speakers.

Similar Stories

Gaza two months blockade - OCHA 02 MAY 2025

1

1

1

Edited News , B-roll | OCHA

Gaza two months blockade - OCHA 02 MAY 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza: ‘Worst-case scenario’ unfolds as two-month aid blockade deepens suffering - OCHA

Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.

/Includes OCHA footage from Gaza City/

Gaza humanitarian update - UNRWA

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA

Gaza humanitarian update - UNRWA ENG FRA

Children in Gaza are going to bed starving, says aid agency
The biggest UN aid agency in Gaza on Tuesday condemned the two-month Israeli blockade on Gaza that has left families sharing a single tin of food at mealtime and the sick and injured without lifesaving medical help, amid daily bombardment.

Ukraine attacks - UNHCR 25 April 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNHCR

Ukraine attacks - UNHCR 25 April 2025 ENG FRA

Ongoing Russian attacks in Ukraine force frontline areas to empty: UNHCR

With Ukrainian cities still reeling from this week’s deadly Russian missile and drone attacks, communities on the front line continue to be targeted too, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday. “We also see attacks on frontline regions increasing and it's, as always, civilians that are bearing the highest cost of the war,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine. 

 

Ethiopia update - WFP

1

1

1

Edited News | WFP

Ethiopia update - WFP ENG FRA

Funding and supply shortfalls for the UN World Food Programme (WFP)'s work in Ethiopia will halt lifesaving treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children at the end of the month. “We are at the breaking point,” it said on Tuesday. 

Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon ENG FRA

Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Office warned today.

Sudan crisis update IOM - UN Women - UNDP

1

1

1

Edited News | IOM , UNWOMEN , UNDP

Sudan crisis update IOM - UN Women - UNDP ENG FRA

Sudan: Aid teams report massive displacement after latest Darfur atrocity; women’s bodies ‘turned into battlegrounds’

In Sudan’s North Darfur, tens of thousands of people have fled a displacement camp following the massacre of civilians and aid workers as the country enters the third year of a conflict marked by horrific levels of sexual violence, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

Tariff uncertainty and potential   ITC

1

1

1

Edited News | ITC

Tariff uncertainty and potential ITC ENG FRA

Global trade could shrink by three per cent as a result of the United States’ new tariff measures which in the longer term could reshape and boost as-yet untapped regional commercial links, a top UN economist confirmed on Friday.

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Sudan

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Sudan ENG FRA

Warring parties in Sudan are overseeing a wholesale assault on human rights amid global inaction, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday, as the conflict is about to enter its third year.

UN Human Rights Briefing  by spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on OPT

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Briefing by spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on OPT ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said Israel’s increasing issuance of so-called “evacuation orders” for Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in their forcible transfer.

Two years of war in Sudan – OCHA, OHCHR, UNHCR, UN Women, WFP, WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNHCR , UNWOMEN , WFP , WHO

Two years of war in Sudan – OCHA, OHCHR, UNHCR, UN Women, WFP, WHO ENG FRA

Two years of war in Sudan have created epic suffering, aid agencies say

Two years since Sudan’s brutal conflict began, UN agencies warned that famine is spreading and civilians of all ages continue to suffer shocking abuse, including rape and gang rape.

Gaza update - UNMAS

1

1

Edited News | UNMAS

Gaza update - UNMAS ENG FRA

In Gaza, ongoing Israeli military operations and the aid blockade have continued to add to daily fears and hardships confronting those in the devastated enclave, the UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, said on Wednesday.

Myanmar earthquake update - UNDP

1

1

1

Edited News | UNDP

Myanmar earthquake update - UNDP ENG FRA

Dangers grow for Myanmar earthquake survivors, health system 'overwhelmed' - UNDP

In earthquake-shattered central Myanmar people are sleeping in the streets in fear of buildings collapsing, facing early monsoon rains and the risk of waterborne diseases, the UN Development Programme warned on Tuesday.