Djibouti hands 267 Eritreans over to UNHCR
By Abebech Tamene, Monday, April 14, 2014 ADDIS ABABA — The Djiboutian government has handed 267 Eritreans, seized during a three-day border conflict in 2008, over to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), presidential adviser Najib Ali Tahir
By Abebech Tamene, Monday, April 14, 2014
ADDIS ABABA — The Djiboutian government has handed 267 Eritreans, seized during a three-day border conflict in 2008, over to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), presidential adviser Najib Ali Tahir said Monday.
“Some of them are military deserters and prisoners of the Djibouti-Eritrea war, which broke out on June 10, 2008,” Tahir told Anadolu Agency.
Tahir said the Eritreans were technically under Djibouti’s protection, going on to note that “there are [another] 19 prisoners of war (POWs) temporarily under our protection.”
“We have made them talk to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to facilitate their return to their country, and we’re doing this despite the fact that we never heard of Djibouti’s POWs,” Tahir said.
U.N. Special Envoy to the African Union Ambassador Haile Menkerios welcomed the announcement.
“Eritreans and Djiboutians are brotherly people,” Menkerios told Anadolu Agency via phone. “No political tension between the governments of the two countries should affect the peoples.”
Djibouti and neighboring Eritrea have twice engaged in border conflicts. In April 1996, they almost went to war after a Djiboutian official accused Eritrea of shelling the town of Ras Doumeira.
Three years later in 1999, Eritrea accused Djibouti of siding with its longstanding rival, Ethiopia, while Djibouti counter-accused Eritrea of supporting rebels fighting against its government.
As a result, Djibouti recalled its ambassador and broke off relations with Eritrea, which weren’t fully restored until 2001.
The two countries clashed again for three days in June of 2008, leading to another deterioration of ties and a U.N. embargo on Eritrea.
Copyright © 2014 Anadolu Agency
Kemdelayey April 15, 2014
This really a good news, Thanks to Elsa and all the poeple, organizations involved to free our fellow eritrean brothers.
ኤፍሬም April 16, 2014
አቱም ሰባት ስረ ኤርትራዊን ቁልቁል አፋ ተደፊአ አላ።
ብንእሽተይ አዲ ክንድፈር? አፍና ከፊትና ዘራባ ኮይኑ ስራህና ሕዝብና ክብደል ንመንግስትና ዓገብ ዘይንብሎ? ታይ ኢና ንፅበይ ዘለና? እስቲ መልሱለይ?
selamawit2 April 16, 2014
Thanks Godness – thank you for these wonderful news!!!
God bless Elsa Chyrum and of course every single person who helped freeing these brothers/sisters(?).
“No political tension between the governments of the two countries should affect the peoples.”
This is something that should count for the relation to all our neighbours…
tesfaldetabraha April 16, 2014
well there is anather propoganda ASSENA says Dijibouti hands 267 Eritreans ditein in the war with Djibouti but when VOICE OF AMERICA talk WITH ELSA SHIROM she told him there are 19 prisnors left acording to her they are POW the ather who are free are some try to live ERITREA some try to cross to ather caountrys so how come ASSENA say Djibouti HANDS 267 WAR DETEINI TO UNHCR
selamawit2 April 16, 2014
first read the article tesfaldetabraha lezzay.
“The Djiboutian government has handed 267 Eritreans…over to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR)”
“there are [another] 19 prisoners of war (POWs) temporarily under our protection.”
tesfaldetabraha April 16, 2014
selamawit your laier website say Djibouti hands 267 eritreans who are deteine in the 2008 border war but VOICE OF AMERICA interviw some of them they told him all of them are not P OWS some 19 prisnors who are capture in the war are stil deteine ELSA SHIRUM even say she is going to start talking on their behalf so where did your laier frind get this news if you dont belive me listen to VOICE OF AMERICA
goytom April 16, 2014
Hey moron, this is a story from ” turkish press” linked by assenna. So it is not assenna saying it, it is a journalist reporting news. But HGDFites wouldn’t know what real journalism is, they just know propaganda.
silefithi April 16, 2014
Amanel!
Why you do not mention the contribution of Elsa Chirum.
We have to give her Credit.
yikaalo habte April 16, 2014
Amanuel you are one of the hero’s who is shaking the regime of Esayas Afworki. Equally nother hero is Elsa Churum. I was wondering why didn’t even one’s you mentioned her name in all these. She played a pivotal role in the release through a three day hunger strike that brought the interest of UNCHR & other Human rights organizations to the front banner. Elsa Churum is doing single hand what many other politicians could not do in years. She is the night mare of Esayas’s regime. I think she deserves respect from every Eritrean who profess standing for the Eritrean people.
Semhar April 16, 2014
Thanks Elsa chirum, your good work will be remembered for ever.
peace April 17, 2014
antum deki eriea, entay eu weredkum. lomis djubite ewien tewerazylkum ala.eti sera eritrawinet nabey keda.you should have free those prisoners in a 6 hours military operation 4 years ago and ofcourse the world will bark as usual. but since it was 4 yrs ago things would have gone forgotten like never happened to date.
selamawit2 April 19, 2014
“peace”, you say “atum” (you) and not “nihna deki eritrea”. it sounds to me you don’t count yourself to this “deki eritrea” and you don’t feel for our brothers and sitesters “deki eritrea” – am i right?
or are you “wedi/gual eritrea” and you started an “6 hours military operation 4 years ago” for change without our knowledge?
tediboy April 20, 2014
As good as the news is, the reporter has not done his home work. First those 267 Eritreans are NOT seized. All of them are deserters who willingly left the Dictatorial regime YPDJ in search of peaceful life over a period of 5 years trickling a few at a time. But the Djiboutian government detained them for fears of “their military skills”. It is a fact there are 19 Eritrean POWs still in detention though.