10, Jan 2018 | CJP Team

At a Geneva press briefing, William Spindler, spokesperson for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) expressed concern over Israel’s recently announced plan “to forcibly relocate Eritreans and Sudanese to countries in Africa or have them face indefinite detention,” and said that UNHCR was “again appealing to Israel to halt its policy of relocating Eritreans and Sudanese to sub-Saharan Africa.” Spindler said “80 cases were identified in which people relocated by Israel risked their lives by taking dangerous onward journeys to Europe via Libya.” According to Spindler, “all 80 cases involved Eritrean refugees or asylum seekers who were interviewed by UNHCR”. He added, “Feeling they had no other choice, they travelled many hundreds of kilometers through conflict zones in South Sudan, Sudan and Libya after being relocated by Israel. Along the way they suffered abuse, torture and extortion before risking their lives once again by crossing the Mediterranean to Italy.” Spindler said most interviewed explained that “they had been transferred from Israel to a country in Africa and provided with a lump sum of US$3,500 dollars,” but did not receive much support “beyond accommodation on the first night.” According to Spindler, there are around 27,000 Eritreans and 7,700 Sudanese in Israel. He said that after Israel took over refugee status determination from UNHCR in 2009, just ten Eritreans and one Sudanese have been recognised as refugees, with 200 Sudanese being granted humanitarian status and an announcement that 300 others will also receive it. “Israel has not received any Eritreans or Sudanese since May 2016,” Spindler noted.