Eritreans Caught in Libyan Civil War

now Safe in Canada

by Mike Swan in

http://www.catholicregister.org

for an UPDATE OF ERITREAN REFUGEES IN NORTH AFRICA AND MIDDLE EASTE click here

Nardos Haile tells the story of her cousin, Salamawit Mehari, who tried to make the desperate voyage from Libya to Italy with her three children. As the boat began to disintegrate in the Mediterranean and her husband turned to help neighbours, Haile held tight to her 16-month-old — and watched helplessly as her four-year-old and six-year-old were swept overboard.

At Toronto’s St. Nicholas of Bari parish, a new community of Eritreans are mourning friends lost to the Mediterranean. Wedlep  Habtemical thinks he knows 20 who died at sea. Goitom Abrha recalls 25. Selam Tesfaselasy remembers 14 members of her church choir.

 Forgotten by the International Community

Hostages for 11 Months

 by Rev. Mussie Zerai

This morning I spoke with a group of 9 Eritrean and Ethiopian, including a 15 years old boy, held hostages in the Sinai desert. They claim that in 11 months, 12 of their companions died because of the tortures; the last to die, a week ago, was a 24-year Ethiopian young man called Tesfaldet Aregawi.

Pope's Homily on Croatia's Catholic Family Day

"The Christian Family Is a Special Sign of the Presence and Love of Christ"

Sinai: Egyptian Border Guard Fires on Eritrean Refugee

An Egyptian military police fired on a woman who was trying to cross the border into the State of Israel. She had just been released by a band of smugglers near the border strip, two kilometres south of Kerem Shalom. The Egyptian authorities have declared to the Ma'an news agency that the woman did not have proper documents and would not stop at the agent’s command.  The victim was taken at a hospital for treatment, after which she will be taken to prison for "illegal entry" and then deported to Eritrea. At present, Egypt is ruled by a military Council and citizens, both for foreign and Egyptian nationals, are indicted and jailed without any judicial process. As recently reported by the human rights activists in the Coalit  Organization, Egyptians suspect that since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power on 11 February, thousands of citizens are imprisoned and prosecuted in  military courts, often behind closed doors. "

Reported by:  http://habeshia.blogspot.com/

Tunisia: Fire Erupts in Refugee Camp, Four dead

Tunis, May 22, 16: 11 (ANSAmed)- -The tent camp  of Choucha, Tunisia, hosts thousands of refugees.  Four Eritreans lost their lives in a fire at this  camp, near the border with Libya. Security forces made it known, adding that the tragic accident caused protest by the refugee population, who complain about the poor conditions in the tent camp.  The refugees field of Choucha, seven kilometres from the Libyan border, hosts thousands of people of different ethnicity, who fled violence in Libya. At least 21 tents were destroyed by the flames. (ANSA).

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