This petition is to express our serious concerns regarding the treatment by Sudanese security forces of Eritrean refugees in Sudan. We call on the UNHCR, the Government of Sudan and the international community to immediately stop the arbitrary detention, ransom extortion and torture of Eritrean refugees in Sudan.

Our concerns:

Eritrean refugees in Sudan are being subjected to:

Arbitrary detention – Hundreds of Eritrean refugees are being held in detention centres across Sudan with no idea of when (or even if) they might be released. Widespread roundups of Eritrean refugees by Sudanese police are taking place on the streets across the capital, Khartoum, especially in the districts of Jiref, Dem, Amaarat and Sahafa, where Eritrean refugees predominantly live (see, for example, Human Rights Concern Eritrea).

Extortion of ransom – Sudanese police are exploiting the precarious conditions of Eritrean refugees in Sudan for financial gain by extracting ransoms. The security forces are demanding that detained Eritrean refugees pay for their release, with sums ranging from $500 to $1000.

Torture and rape – Members of the Eritrean refugee community in Sudan report that the security forces are increasingly using torture and rape to extort ransoms.

Trafficking of refugees – Detained refugees unable to pay the ransoms remain confined in appalling detention facilities and are subsequently being blackmailed within trafficking chains that stretch from Sudan to Libya and Egypt. The lives of Eritrean refugees in Sudan are in peril. 

What we are calling for:

We strongly urge the UNHCR and the leadership of the High Commissioner to ask the Sudanese Government to:

• immediately release all Eritrean refugees currently detained in many cities across Sudan;
• investigate the discriminatory treatment of Eritrean refugees in Sudan, including the arbitrary detention, extortion of ransom and torture they are forced to endure.

In addition to releasing detainees and conducting an independent investigation, we urge UNHCR-Sudan to:

• expedite the processing of refugee status determination for Eritrean refugees (this currently takes several years from the time of claiming asylum);
• provide protection and support to refugees in protracted situations in refugee camps;
• launch an international appeal for the resettlement of Eritrean refugees in Sudan to safe countries.