Sudanese Refugees in Ethiopia Still on the Streets

moatinoon
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that around 1,000 refugees who left Olala camp in Ethiopia on May 1 due to safety concerns and limited services are still by the roadside.

In its periodic report for the third week of this month, the UNHCR noted that a few of them have returned to the camp, while others move back and forth to the camp to access necessary services.

In the Kumer camp, about 300 refugees are still living by the roadside near the Federal Police Station.

The Ethiopian government’s Refugees and Returnees Service has enhanced security arrangements at the Olala and Kumer sites by deploying 150 federal police officers to the locations. The UNHCR is also constructing a police station to ensure the permanent presence of security forces.

The UNHCR stated that it is in contact with members of the "Central Refugee Committee" in the Olala and Kumer camps, in collaboration with the Ethiopian government’s Refugees and Returnees Service and UNHCR partners, to clarify ongoing efforts to improve security in the camps.

The "Central Refugee Committee" informed the UNHCR that strong winds and heavy rains during the third week of May damaged many refugee tents in both camps.