Eritrea / Ethiopia: Hundreds repatriated from both sides
17-06-2003 News Release 03/72
A total of 153 Ethiopian and 75 Eritrean civilians were repatriated to their respective countries under ICRC auspices in two separate operations on 13 and 17 June.
Both groups crossed the border on a bridge over the Mereb river between the towns of Adi Quala, on the Eritrean side, and Rama, in Ethiopia.
Each group was accompanied by ICRC delegates based in the country of departure. Once across the river, the returnees were met by ICRC staff working on that side and then placed in the care of their own country’s authorities. Volunteers from the Ethiopian Red Cross Society and the Red Cross Society of Eritrea also took part in the operation, handing out food and water.
The ICRC will continue to assist people affected by the recent armed conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia and will strive to ensure compliance with the rules and principles of international humanitarian law, in particular the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Further informations:
Marçal Izard, ICRC Asmara, tel. ++2911 181 130 or 181 164