|
Going Home - Eritrea
Two years after a devastating war against Ethiopia,
where tens of thousands of people were killed,
one third of the Eritrean population displaced
and large swathes of the country occupied by Ethiopia,
peace finally returned to Eritrea.
Eritrea and Ethiopia signed a comprehensive peace
deal to end their two-year border war, and agreed
to move ahead with its implementation. The Ethiopian
forces who were occupying positions inside Eritrea
began to pull back and 4,200 UN troops were brought
in to monitor the temporary security zone on the
disputed border.
As political conditions improve in the region,
a rekindled repatriation programme of Eritrean
refugees in Sudan is gathering pace. Although
Eritreans have returned in the past, these are
the first long-term refugees to return home in
large numbers. Eritreans in Sudan make up one
of the world's oldest refugee communities, with
some of its members in exile for more than 30
years.
|
