http://www.krmg.com/ap/ap/top-news/ethiopia-opposition-groups-say-they-are-uniting-fo/nn86Z/
Swiss support Ethiopia’s role in migration crisis
Oct 26, 2015 - 16:21
Switzerland was the third-most popular European destination for
Eritrean migrants in 2014
(Keystone)
Swiss president Simonetta Sommaruga has acknowledged on a three-day
visit to Ethiopia the role of the country as a haven for refugees in
the region. Switzerland has pledged CHF6 million ($6.1 million) to
Ethiopia for refugee protection.
Sommaruga referred to the east African country as a “key stabiliser
in the region” in recognition of the 720,000 refugees it currently
hosts, mainly from South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea.
Ethiopia is a priority country for Switzerland in terms of its
migration policy, which involves assistance on the ground and
protecting refugees in their region of origin. In September, the Swiss
government decided to allocate an additional CHF19 million for aiding
refugees in the Horn of Africa region with CHF6 million earmarked for
Ethiopia alone.
On Sunday, Sommaruga visited the Sheder refugee camp in Jigiga in the
eastern part of the country. The camp hosts around 12,300 refugees,
most of whom come from Somalia.
Eritrean refugees
According to the UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency, Ethiopia
hosted 106,670 Eritreans in January 2015.
Providing a refuge to fleeing Eritreans is an important component of
Swiss-Ethiopian cooperation on migration, according to the migration
office.
Of the 23,765 people who applied for asylum in Switzerland in 2014,
6,923 (almost 30%) were Eritreans, by far the largest group of asylum
seekers. After Germany and Sweden, Switzerland was the most preferred
destination for Eritrean migrants.
Sommaruga is also set to visit a project near the Ethiopian capital
Addis Ababa funded by the State Secretariat for Migration that
provides employment opportunities to Eritrean refugees.
swissinfo.ch
Received on Wed Oct 28 2015 - 21:52:59 EDT