| The Shoot-to-Kill Policy of PFDJ Regime is not Deterring Eritreans from Leaving the country |
| Wednesday, 10 March 2010 14:54 |
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The flow of Eritrean refugees to Northern Ethiopia and Eastern Sudan keeps growing every week. In February (11-22/2/10), 1,239 Eritreans are reported to have left the country and fled to the neighboring countries of Sudan and Ethiopia. Eritrean People’s Democratic Party sources reported 893 of them arrived in Eastern Sudan refugee camp and 346 in Northern Ethiopia. Out of the 1,239, 77 are under 5, 202 between the age of 5 and 18, and 960 over the age of 18. Among those who arrived in Northern Ethiopia, 36 are reported to be members of the Eritrean Defense Army.Since January of this year, 2,256 Eritrean refugees are reported to have entered Eastern Sudan Eritrean refugee camp. Determined to free themselves from the shackles of the ruthless regime of Isayas, Eritreans are taking perilous journey, risking death and arrest by the Eritrean border army that operates under the “shoot-to-kill’ policy. Under this policy many Eritrean women, children, students, and national service conscripts were killed in the past, including four teenager Eritreans who were killed by the Eritrean border security agents on December 31, 2008 while attempting to cross into the Ethiopian side of the border. The shoot-to-kill policy of the PFDJ regime is not new; it has already claimed many young Eritrean lives. However, neither the shoot-to-kill policy, nor the threats of the regime is deterring Eritreans from leaving the country in hundreds every week in search of a new and better life. Department of Information and Culture Eritrean People’s Democratic Party March 8, 2010 |