Eritrean residents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, are reporting widespread arrests, fueling fear and uncertainty among refugees and asylum seekers who fled their homeland seeking safety and stability.
The scale and intensity of the recent crackdown are alarming, with reports of hundreds being detained in the past weeks.
While city police have not commented, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission—a parliamentary-established independent body—has announced plans to investigate the situation.
Eritrea and Ethiopia, neighboring nations with a history of strained relations, briefly experienced improved ties after a 2018 peace agreement, but relations have since deteriorated.
One Eritrean refugee, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, recounted being arrested after speaking Tigrinya, a language shared by Eritrea and Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
“We were sitting in a café when someone overheard us speaking Tigrinya and called the police. Six officers arrived and detained us. Later, the inspector in charge demanded cash for our release, arranging the payment discreetly to leave no evidence,” he alleged.
Most Eritreans in Addis Ababa are refugees escaping forced military conscription and oppressive governance in Eritrea. This year alone, over 20,000 Eritreans have crossed into Ethiopia, joining the 70,000 already registered as refugees in the country.
The arrests highlight the precarious situation for Eritrean refugees, many of whom hoped Ethiopia would offer them refuge from persecution.
