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STORY: SUDAN / ERITREAN REFUGEES
TRT: 3.40
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /SOMALIA /AMHARIC / NATS
DATE: 11 JANUARY 2012, KASSALA CAMP, EASTERN SUDAN
1. Wide shot, kids playing volley ball
2. Med shot, Johan playing volley ball with other children
3. SOUNDBITE JOHAN (Somali) Eritrean refugee:
“If you don’t have money they will beat you or if you don’t have phone numbers to contact your family. They tried to beat me but they didn’t. When the person was sleeping I ran away.”
4. Med shot, Diot playing volley ball with other kids
5. SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Diot, Eritrean refugee:
“There are a lot of traffickers on the way to Sudan. They ask for money. We had to escape those people for three days. After three days we came to Sudan.”
Various street shots of the camp with children playing outside
6. Various shots, arrival of the High Commissioner
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR:
“We believe that there must be an international co-operation in order to make sure, gathering information, articulation the response of the different police, in order that these global criminal organization are attacked in an effective way and that there is an effective crackdown on smuggling and trafficking and attacking the criminals and that victims are protected.”
8. Various shots, Jonas cooking inside his house
9. SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Jonas, Eritrean refugee (blurred face):
“While I was walking and there were various attempts by Rasida, traffickers, to sell me. With all of this happening, while I was with Rasida, I personally took action, because I had commando training. While they tried to sell me I managed to escape.”
10. Med shot, Jonas walking in streets
11. Med shot, Jonas playing volley ball
12. Med shot, Diot playing volley ball
13. Wide shot, camp
14. Wide shot, same group by the fence
15. Wide shot, entry sign of the camp
This is Kassala Refugee Camp in Eastern Sudan, about 20 km from the border of Eritrea.
These boys, most Eritrean, some as young as ten, have either walked or been smuggled here.
Johan is thirteen. On his way to Sudan, he was taken by traffickers.
SOUNDBITE JOHAN (Somali) Eritrean refugee:
“If you don’t have money they will beat you or if you don’t have phone numbers to contact your family. They tried to beat me but they didn’t. When the person was sleeping I ran away.”
Diot Abara says he is ten. He and eight of his school friends walked for three days to get to Kassala.
SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Diot, Eritrean refugee:
“There are a lot of traffickers on the way to Sudan. They ask for money. We had to escape those people for three days. After three days we came to Sudan.”
Children make up almost half the refugees here, some come to go to school, others to find work in Sudan, Egypt or even Europe.
UNHCR estimates that approximately 3,000 persons enter Sudan illegally from Eritrea every month.
But the journey is dangerous. If captured, ransom money is demanded. There are also reports that some victims may be killed or sold for their vital organs.
The High Commissioner for Refugees visited Kassala Camp and described the problem as extremely serious.
SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres , High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR:
“We believe that there must be an international co-operation in order to make sure, gathering information, articulation the response of the different police, in order that these global criminal organization are attacked in an effective way and that there is an effective crackdown on smuggling and trafficking and attacking the criminals and that victims are protected.”
Jonas lived through this very nightmare. His identity is being concealed for his own safety.
SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Jonas, Eritrean refugee:
“While I was walking and there were various attempts by Rasida, traffickers, to sell me. With all of this happening, while I was with Rasida, I personally took action, because I had commando training. While they tried to sell me I managed to escape.”
Jonas is still afraid, and wants to go to another country. He has been caught twice by the Sudanese police outside the camp and he says he will keep trying.
Johan says he will stay and go to school and Diot along with a number of other children may will reunited with their families in Eritrea.
Everyone here has a story about their perilous journey to Sudan.
They have this in common: they were easy prey on the road to finding a better or safer life.
