SUDAN / ETHIOPIAN REFUGEE FAMILY

A family separated as they fled Ethiopia’s Tigray region is fortunate to be reunited in Sudan, but concern over their future weighs heavy. Refugees are in urgent need of help as humanitarian agencies struggle to meet growing needs but most of all, they want to be safe to go home and continue with their lives. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:40
• Production Date: 14 December 2020
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES
• Geographic Subject: ETHIOPIA; SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 2592467
• Parent Id: 2592467
• Alternate Title: unifeed201214a

Description

STORY: SUDAN / ETHIOPIAN REFUGEE FAMILY
TRT: 1:40
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 1 DECEMBER 2020, HAMDAYET, SUDAN

Shotlist

1 DECEMBER 2020, HAMDAYET, SUDAN

1. Close up, Tsiga, Ethiopian refugee
2. SOUNDBITE (Tigrinya) Tsiga, Ethiopian refugee:
“I told my family we have to leave. I told my husband, you go with our son and I will follow with our daughter. If I get caught, it’s fine. God willing, we will make it.”
3. Close up, Tsiga
4. Med shot, Tsiga with her husband
5. Wide shot, Tisga and her family seated on a mat
6. Close up, Tsiga
7. SOUNDBITE (Tigrinya) Tsiga, Ethiopian refugee:
“We don't have plans for the future. Everything we worked for is now useless. We are just here sleeping on the ground without even a change of clothes.”
8. Med shot, Tsiga and her family
9. SOUNDBITE (Tigrinya) Tsiga, Ethiopian refugee:
“Since this conflict started, we have not slept. We had a lot of hope. I educated my children so they can have a better life. I was waiting for my son’s university graduation.”
10. Close up, Tsiga’s daughter
11. Close up, Tsiga’s husband and son
12. Wide shot, makeshift sheltered area / refugees with their belongings
13. Med shot, woman lying on a bed covering her face
14. Med shot, refugee cooking
15. Med shot, woman with child

Storyline

Tsiga and her family enjoyed a quiet, idyllic life, farming their land in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, but when conflict broke out, she knew that it was no longer safe to stay in their farm.

SOUNDBITE (Tigrinya) Tsiga, Ethiopian refugee:
“I told my family we have to leave. I told my husband, you go with our son and I will follow with our daughter. If I get caught, it’s fine. God willing, we will make it.”

Her husband and other men in their village were held by armed men for seven days then released, but the experience left them with an ominous feeling.

The family fled in various directions to Sudan, knowing they may not see each other again. Fortunately, they reunited in Hamdayet - a reception center hosting thousands of refugees from Ethiopia fleeing to Sudan. Although safe, they are struggling to cope.

SOUNDBITE (Tigrinya) Tsiga, Ethiopian refugee:
“We don't have plans for the future. Everything we worked for is now useless. We are just here sleeping on the ground without even a change of clothes.”

Tsiga is worried for her family’s future and fears they have lost too much.

SOUNDBITE (Tigrinya) Tsiga, Ethiopian refugee:
“Since this conflict started, we have not slept. We had a lot of hope. I educated my children so they can have a better life. I was waiting for my son’s university graduation.”

Nearly 50,000 Ethiopians have fled to Sudan, following conflict in Tigray. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with Sudanese authorities, have moved some 12,000 refugees from Hamdayet and Abderafi border points to Um Rakuba camp, situated some 70 kilometers away from the Ethiopian border.

But the needs are overwhelming and humanitarian agencies are struggling to help everyone. Many of the refugees in the camp and those crossing into Sudan are women and children. They need food, shelter, clean water, sanitation and health care. There is a real concern of outbreaks of waterborne diseases as well.