Ezega.com: Eritreans Crossing into Ethiopia Increasing – 27 September
- Ethiopian news website Ezega reports on a recent bulletin from the European Commission on the influx of Eritrean refugees crossing Ethiopia’s eighteen entry points.
- The number of Eritreans crossing to Ethiopia has spiked since the opening of the Ethiopian-Eritrea border, with up to 15,000 Eritreans entering Ethiopia in the period from 11 September, some to visit relatives or to buy goods, many to stay.
- Figures published by the UNHCR and other organisations put the total number of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia at 175,000, a large proportion of whom are unaccompanied minors.
- The bulletin from the European Commission’s European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) warned that humanitarian assistance and resources will need to be scaled up to respond to the growing needs across all sectors and to reduce the inherent risks of onward migration.
Eritrea Hub: Italy’s Prime Minister to visit Ethiopia and Eritrea in October – 27 September
- Eritrea Hub published a translation of an article from the Italian newspaper Repubblica.
- The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will be in Addis Ababa around 11 October for a bilateral agreement with his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed, followed by a visit to Eritrea to meet with President Isaias Afwerki.
- The Italian government wants to show support to the reconciliation in a region of Africa which remains crucial for Italy, considering the country’s historical interventions there.
- The article states that the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace agreement, and Italy’s support of it, may result in “positive developments” on the highly politicised issue of migration flows, of which Eritrea is one of the major countries of origin.
Independent Nigeria: Eritrea, Nigeria, Yemen Migrants Get New Home In Wildfires-Hit Portuguese Town – 27 September
- Independent Nigeria reports on a group of migrants from Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen and Nigeria rescued from the Mediterranean in July by charity ship Aquarius who have now been offered new homes by Portugal’s authorities.
- They will stay in Fundao, a small Portuguese town badly hit by wildfire last year, and will be offered employment courses and Portuguese classes.
- Portugal joined Spain, France and Germany in taking migrants from Aquarius’ second mission, agreeing to welcome 10 of the 58 migrants on board.
- A government statement said that “the arrival of this group of migrants is a result of Portugal’s commitment to solidarity and European cooperation on migrants.”
Africanews: Eritrean faiths unite for Meskel, discovery of True Cross – 27 September
• Africanews reports that Eritrean Christians and Muslims came together for this year’s Meskel festival taking place in Asmara’s September Square.
• Meskel is an Orthodox commemoration gathering Eritrean Christians and Muslims to celebrate the fourth century discovery by Roman Empress Saint Helena (Queen Eleni) of the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified. It is marked by the burning of a large bonfire and a procession (Demera) attended by tens of thousands of adherents and tourists.
• The Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Eritrean Tewahdo Orthodox Church, Abune Lucas, said that this year’s Meskel Holiday carries a unique meaning as it is being celebrated along the peace and friendship agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
• Africanews includes pictures of the festivities.
The National: Newfound peace in Eritrea is a source of optimism for many Abu Dhabi residents – 28 September
• In a feature for UAE-based The National, Saeed Saeed describes his weekly meeting with Eritrean friends Khalid and Idris in Abu Dhabi.
• Saeed was born in the UAE and his mother grew up in Eritrea. Talking about Eritrea, Saeed writes: “we expressed a new-found sense of hope regarding the thawing of relations between these once sworn enemies and touched on the irony that the UAE was behind the latest move, a country that has given us – and in my case my parents – opportunities when Eritrea was torn apart.” He writes that his mother does not wish to “look back” and return.
• The UAE was closely involved in the organisation of the Jeddah summit at which Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a further peace agreement.
