NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – New satellite images of a refugee camp in the Tigray region of Ethiopia show that more than 400 structures have been severely damaged in what a research group believes to be the latest “intentional attack” by combatants .
The report by the UK-based non-profit organization DX Open Network, shared with The Associated Press, states that “the January 16 fires are likely to be yet another episode in a series of military incursions into the field, as reported by (the United Nations refugee agency). “
The Shimelba camp is one of four that hosted 96,000 refugees from Eritrea, when fighting broke out in early November between Ethiopian forces and those in the challenging Tigray region. The fighting has hit the camps and two of them, including Shimelba, remain inaccessible to aid workers. Many refugees have fled.
On Thursday, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi cited recent satellite images of fires and other destruction in the two inaccessible camps as “concrete indications of serious violations of international law”.
On Sunday, the UN refugee agency asked for access to the camps.
“As of November, 8,700 refugees have been registered in Shimelba. We have no information on how many refugees were still in the camp in the past week, ”said UN refugee agency spokesman Chris Melzer by email. “We still don’t have access to the two camps in the north, Shimelba and Hitsats (25,248 refugees registered in November). We demand access because the refugees have been without supplies for two and a half months and we are extremely concerned. We also saw satellite photos and heard scary reports. But, as we do not have access, we cannot confirm them. “
The new report says the satellite images show “smoking ruins, blackened structures and collapsed roofs”. The structures, he said, “correspond to the profile of the mud-brick dwellings built by the refugees themselves. The attackers probably split into several groups that go from door to door to set buildings on fire, “consistent with previous attacks on Hitsats camp, which is also inaccessible.
Neither the UN nor the DX Open Network blamed anyone for the attacks, but the presence of troops from Eritrea, a staunch enemy of the now fugitive leaders in the Tigray region, caused alarm. Grandi noted “many reliable reports and first-hand reports” of abuses, including the forced return of refugees to Eritrea.
The day after Grandi’s statement, Eritrean Minister of Information, Yemane Gebremeskel, tweeted that “UNHCR seems, again, to indulge in another attack by free and irresponsible defamation campaigns against Eritrea” He said that Eritrea rejects “forced repatriation of ‘refugees’”.
Eritrea has been described by human rights groups as one of the most repressive countries in the world. Thousands of people have fled the country over the years to avoid a military recruitment system.
The fighting continues in parts of the Tigray region. Thousands of people were killed and more than 2 million displaced.