Forced Return – A major crisis facing Sudanese refugees and those fleeing from war in Eritrea

When fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum in mid-April, thousands of Sudanese fled towards neighboring countries, mainly Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, and the rest of North Africa, but the situation in Eritrea was very bad.

Eritrean nationals fleeing Sudan have been separated from the Sudanese and the refugees have been sent to an area called Gate 13 near the border, where Eritrean security officials ordered them to cross into Eritrea, while the Sudanese have been left at the border, according to an Eritrean human rights activist based in Khartoum who requested anonymity for their safety.

Refuge fire According to the Guardian, Eritrea is one of the world’s most autocratic countries, with thousands of young men fleeing to join the army under the country’s notorious policy of mass and indefinite recruitment. According to the Eritrean human rights activist, more than 3,500 Eritreans have been forcibly deported across the border to the town of Tassini in recent weeks, noting that 95 of those allegedly deported have been transferred to a prison, including eight women.

The activist said some of those arrested were well-known political activists who opposed the regime of Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki, but that the majority were men who had fled military service. The activist did not say whether they knew what had happened to Dahlak.

The activist said people at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) told them that some Eritreans had been turned away from the camps because the camps did not contain enough food and lacked the resources to buy more food, and some were being forcibly returned to Sudan. “The Eritrean regime is brutal, I am worried that some of them will disappear forever,” the activist said, adding that the majority of Eritreans who had not been imprisoned were allowed to see their families in Asmara and other cities.