Press Release
Civilians in Occupied Senafe Under Attack by Ethiopian Army

In the last week, 1,000 internally displaced Eritreans fled from the occupied areas of Senafe and Lalai Gash and arrived in a makeshift camp for the displaced in Alba. Reports from those who were able to escape Ethiopia's brutal occupation revealed distressing accounts of massive human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, detention and harassment of innocent civilians.

Victimized populations around and in Senafe, due to the occupation, have not been able to receive any humanitarian assistance and the scarce food supply there will not feed the population for the coming months. All crops and shops have been destroyed by the occupying army as well as homes, businesses and public buildings, leaving the people without any sustenance for survival.

The inhabitants of these areas throughout the two years of the conflict have suffered immense losses due to constant heavy artillery bombardment and air raids. Uncontested areas of Eritrean land still occupied, like Senafe and its environs, are under attack with the people being evicted from their homes, their property demolished and their rights abused. Numerous accounts of rape of Eritrean women by Ethiopian soldiers have also been reported.

Despite the political progress that has been made through the signing of a peace agreement between the two countries, the human rights of Eritrean civilians continue to be violated by the Ethiopian government.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 28 July 2000