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UNHCR / GRANDI TIGRAY REFUGEES
STORY: UNHCR / GRANDI TIGRAY REFUGEES
TRT: 04:21
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: NATS
DATELINE: 01 FEBRUARY 2021, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA / 30 JANUARY 2021, MIA AINI CAMP – TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA
30 JANUARY 2021, MIA AINI CAMP – TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA
1. Various shots, refugees in camp
01 FEBRUARY 2021, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“Conflicts are messy. Conflicts impact severely on civilians. And whilst it is not in my place to make more political judgement, this is not my role, I have the responsibility to tell the government that we are here to help minimize and eliminate the impact on civilians of these situations.”
30 JANUARY 2021, MIA AINI CAMP – TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA
3. Various shots, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visiting camp
01 FEBRUARY 2021, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“It is very positive that clearances were obtained in recent days to deliver cargo to the warehouses in Tigray, in particular in Mekelle, I think that the next step is really to make sure that these goods, this cargo, food in particular, but also non-food items, gets out and gets to people who need it in the civilian population.”
30 JANUARY 2021, MIA AINI CAMP – TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA
5. Various shots, non-food items distribution
01 FEBRUARY 2021, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“Those that we spoke to that were coming from the two other camps reported issues of very much concern to us. They reported that they have been cut off, as we know, from support and assistance for several weeks. Some of them told us and told the Minister that they had resorted to eating leaves because there was no other food. They also spoke about, especially at the beginning as I said, being caught in the crossfire that was at the beginning of the military operation. They also spoke about infiltration of armed actors in the camp, of killings, abductions, and also some forced return to Eritrea at the hands of Eritrean forces present in the area. Others reported that other refugees have chosen themselves to return to Eritrea given the insecurity prevailing in the area.”
30 JANUARY 2021, MIA AINI CAMP – TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA
7. Various shots, Grandi listening to refugees
01 FEBRUARY 2021, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“It is urgent that we get back in touch with those refugees that are still dispersed from Hitsats and Shimelba. We estimate there may be somewhere between 15 and 20 thousand people, perhaps a little less, that are still dispersed in areas where we do not have access. And whilst relocation to the we southern camps continues I think that we need to accelerate that operation. And in order for that to be accelerated and bring people to safety away from the insecure areas, it is important that the ARRA, Ethiopian refugee organization, with our support, that we have access to those areas.”
30 JANUARY 2021, MIA AINI CAMP – TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA
9. Various shots, refugees
Following his visit to the Mai-Aini refugee camp in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on Monday (1 Feb) said “I have the responsibility to tell the government that we are here to help minimize and eliminate the impact on civilians of these situations.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“Conflicts are messy. Conflicts impact severely on civilians. And whilst it is not in my place to make more political judgement, this is not my role, I have the responsibility to tell the government that we are here to help minimize and eliminate the impact on civilians of these situations.”
Grandi met Eritrean refugees during a four-day visit to Ethiopia. Refugee camps in Tigray were cut off from humanitarian assistance for almost two months following the start of conflict in early November last year. The insecurity forced humanitarian workers to withdraw from the region.
SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“It is very positive that clearances were obtained in recent days to deliver cargo to the warehouses in Tigray, in particular in Mekelle, I think that the next step is really to make sure that these goods, this cargo, food in particular, but also non-food items, gets out and gets to people who need it in the civilian population.”
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, regained access to two refugee camps - Mai Aini and Adi Harush in January and found refugees in desperate need of supplies and services.
SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“Those that we spoke to that were coming from the two other camps reported issues of very much concern to us. They reported that they have been cut off, as we know, from support and assistance for several weeks. Some of them told us and told the Minister that they had resorted to eating leaves because there was no other food. They also spoke about, especially at the beginning as I said, being caught in the crossfire that was at the beginning of the military operation. They also spoke about infiltration of armed actors in the camp, of killings, abductions, and also some forced return to Eritrea at the hands of Eritrean forces present in the area. Others reported that other refugees have chosen themselves to return to Eritrea given the insecurity prevailing in the area.”
Further north in Tigray, UNHCR does not have not had any access to the Shimelba and Hitsats refugee camps. About 3000 refugees have arrived in southern camps from the north seeking safety, walking for days with no food and having left everything behind.
SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“It is urgent that we get back in touch with those refugees that are still dispersed from Hitsats and Shimelba. We estimate there may be somewhere between 15 and 20 thousand people, perhaps a little less, that are still dispersed in areas where we do not have access. And whilst relocation to the we southern camps continues I think that we need to accelerate that operation. And in order for that to be accelerated and bring people to safety away from the insecure areas, it is important that the ARRA, Ethiopian refugee organization, with our support, that we have access to those areas.”
In Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps, buildings and structures remain intact, including refugee homes, schools and clinics, with little damage observed. However, refugees say they are afraid and while they were not impacted directly from the fighting, they were threatened and harassed by various armed groups.
UNHCR is calling for further access to help thousands of refugees displaced across the region. Distribution of Non-Food Items (NFIs) like blankets, solar lamps and household supplies is ongoing in southern camps.
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