How have Eritreans been affected by the war in Sudan?

75,000 Eritrean refugees were living in Sudan’s capital when war broke out in April. Many have been unable to afford the high cost of bus tickets out of Khartoum. They are stranded in a war zone, terrified for their lives and lacking the most basic necessities.

But even those who have been able to scrape together enough money to purchase bus tickets are struggling. Even after reaching the safety of neighbouring towns, the refugees still encounter a lack of food, housing and medical support. International organisations which are supposed to support refugees have completely abandoned Eritreans caught in the middle of the war.

Why are they not getting support from international aid organisations?

The UNHCR only provides support to those who present themselves at one of their camps — but these camps are notorious for terrible living conditions, poor sanitation, lack of food and clean water, as well as limited medical support. In addition to this, these camps are not significantly more safe than the conflict zone Eritrean refugees have fled. Kidnappings of refugees by human traffickers from these camps and recent reports indicate that some Eritreans residing in camps have been forcefully returned to Eritrea.

Despite this, some Eritrean refugees have made the journey to the UNHCR camps – but some have reported being turned away by camp officials due to a lack of available food and other resources.

Where international organisations fail, the rest of us must take responsibility.

How does this fundraiser operate?

One Day Seyoum is an Eritrean human rights organisation based in the UK, were already working closely with refugees in Khartoum before the war and have established a team on the ground identifying individuals and families in need while fundraising in the diaspora to provide them with support.

Banks across Sudan have been suspended and thousands have been left without access to funds but we will coordinate with our contacts on the ground to ensure the money raised is sent as soon as possible. Donations will go towards helping Eritrean refugees cover basic necessities including medical needs, rent, food and also evacuations.

Any donor that emails sudanfundraiser@onedayseyoum.org can upon request receive a detailed report outlining how the funds will be allocated and anonymised profiles of the individuals supported.