Kharaz refugee camp caught in crossfire between government and tribes [Archives:2008/1136/Front Page]
March 10 2008
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SANA'A, March 9 )The Yemeni government will not move the Kharaz camp to another region, said officials from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in Yemen. The camp has been caught between feuding local tribes and the government.
“So far neither the Yemeni government nor the UN refugee agency has discussed this topic,” said Saddo Quol, senior protection officer with the UNHCR.
Quol's comment came after the statements by the Dutch Development Cooperation Minister, Bert Koenders, who visited the camp last week and suggested moving operations to anther location inside Yemen.
During his visit, Koenders was received by female African refugees who held their arms up and crossed above their heads to signify that they are being held as prisoners in the camp.
“The camp is located in an isolated semi-arid area in the Lahj governorate (approximately 100 miles west of Yemen's commercial capital, Aden) with harsh climate conditions,” said Quol of the refugees' behavior.
According to the Dutch media, most of the refugees inside the camp angrily complained to the Dutch minister about the awful conditions inside the camp, saying that the camp “is like a prison,” and asked to be transferred to a third country.
“The development cooperation minister's staff and accompanying journalists had handwritten letters pressed into their hands, with pleas for the lives of the refugees to be improved by allowing them to go to another country,” according to Netherlands radio website. “A group of women tried to approach the minister, but were held back by Yemeni soldiers.” One of the minister's staff saw what happened and promised the women that they could speak to him later.
Dr. Ali Khamis, director of medical care facilities inside the camp, explained to the Yemen Times that the camp is going through difficult times due to a problem between the tribes in the district and the Yemeni government. “The tribal men demanded the government to release one of their influential men from the prison. Nowadays they send threat letters to the UN refugee officials asking them to put pressure on the Yemeni government to meet their demands,” said Khamis. “There are many activities inside the camp have been suspended due to the unstable security conditions inside the camp.” Only the outer clinics have stopped working, while the emergency units still receive the refugees.
The Dutch media quoted Koenders as saying that the atmosphere inside the camp was tense as a group of 200 armed men came to the camp the night the minister visited. The people found this threatening and the camp had to be guarded by the army. “Tribes in the district are hostile because they want to force the Yemeni government to grant certain favors,” said the Dutch minister.
According UNHCR statistics, the refugee population permanently living in Kharaz camp is mainly vulnerable individuals who are dependant upon UNHCR assistance, made of mainly of refugee women and children. More than 60 percent of the total population is under the age of 18 and women are the heads in 50 percent of the families in the camp.
The most recent statistics from 2006 reveal that the camp houses 9,297 people, consisting of 8,562 Somalis and 735 Ethiopians. All African refugees came to Yemen in risky voyages over the Red Sea, where many refugees lost their lives before reaching the Yemeni coast. Others died due to the mistreatment by the smugglers.
The Dutch minister promised half a million Euros to improve the situation of African refugees in Yemen. In April, the Netherlands has promised to send a naval frigate to Somali waters to protect relief supplies from being plundered by pirates.
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