Canada condemns abuse of Eritrean refugees in Sudan, Egypt

The Canadian government has condemned reported kidnapping, torture and human trafficking of Eritrean refugees in Sudan and Egypt.
The condemnation comes one day after approximately 150 Eritrean protestors marched around downtown Ottawa Monday, calling on the Canadian government to condemn the human rights abuses and kidnappings. The march was led by Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group in Ottawa and made stops at Parliament Hill, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) office, and the Egyptian and Sudanese embassies.
According to media reports, Eritrean refugees are being captured by in Sudan by Rashaida, an Arab ethic group, and sold to Bedouins in Egypt’s Sinai Desert. Aaron Berhane, media representative for the Eritrean-Canadian group, said refugees face sexual exploitation, forced marriage, bonded labour and even organ harvesting if ransoms are not paid. “They kidnap them, ask them to pay a ransom money from thirty to thirty-five thousand (dollars),” said Berhane. “If they are not able to pay that, they just steal their organs. Some of them survive, some do not. They torture them until they pay that ransom money.”
Behane said the kidnappings have been occurring for at least four years, and that organs removed from Eritrean victims are sold all over the world.
Along with the condemnation, the Canadian government also put pressure on Egypt and Sudan to protect Eritrean refugees.
“Canada encourages the Government of Egypt to work with the UNHCR to ensure that those in need of protection have access to it,” said the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in an email. “Canada is particularly concerned by the human rights and humanitarian situations in Sudan and calls on the Government of Sudan to respect their international legal obligations in protecting the rights of those living within their borders.”
On Tuesday, a letter from Eritrean President Afewerk posted on an Eritrean news website asked the UN Secretary General to conduct an “independent and transparent investigation” into the alleged human trafficking.
“This crime, which is unparalleled in its magnitude, complex organization as well as immense suffering that it inculcates on its victims, continues to increase from bad to worse,” read the letter.
Behane said the group is also asking the UNHCR to do more to stop the kidnappings. The UNHCR acknowledged the problem last month.
“Over the last two years we have seen people disappearing from the Shagarab camps — some of them kidnapped, and others believed paying to be smuggled elsewhere,” said Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for the UNHCR in a press release Jan. 25.
Fleming said the UNHCR’s Sudan office reported that 619 people left the camps in the past two years, in addition to unconfirmed cases, but distinguishing between voluntary and forced departures is difficult. She said the UNHCR is working with the Sudanese authorities, the International Organization for Migration and other humanitarian agencies to reduce the risk of kidnappings in the region.