“Our children could face the risk of dying from starvation

"Our children could face the risk of dying from starvation" says
illegal Ethiopian father stranded in front of IOM office in Hargeisa

HARGEISA(SomalilandPress)-Throughout the world today there are at
least 50,000 NGOs in the Third
World receiving over $10 billion in funding from international financial
institutions, Euro-US-Japanese governmental agencies and local governments.

The managers of the biggest NGOs manage million dollar budgets with salaries
and perks that are comparable to CEOs. They jet to international
conferences, confer with top corporate and financial directors and make
policy decisions that affect – in the great majority of cases adversely -
millions of people … especially the poor, women and informal sector
working people.

The International Organization for Migration-popularly known as IOM
established in 1951 and currently operating in Somaliland, a
self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an
autonomous of Somalia has failed to deliver the assistance of a more
than 120 Ethiopians stranded in Somaliland.

On Sept/2011 the government of Somaliland announced that all illegal
immigrants, mostly Ethiopians, must return. Lack of means to travel to
Ethiopia, and hence falling under the mandate of the IOM took over the
operation of their safe return.

In anticipation of receiving support as promised by the IOM, the more
than 120 illegal Ethiopians went to one of the currently functioning
IOM offices in Hargeisa, the capital.

After sleeping outside in front the IOM office for more than 12
consecutive days and eating whatever they can find, as well as their
freedom of movement became virtually impossible and have not received
the humane treatment they fully deserve, Mr. Girayse an organiser of
the deportation and one of the stranded speaking to a reporter of
berberanews.com online webite, said "We've been stuck here (in front
of IOM office) for past 12 days with no food and water". He continued
on by saying "We are following the orders of Somaliland government and
IOM has promised to take us to Ethiopia, disappointingly, they have
yet to do so and what's more alarming is that some of the children
became severely ill after eating biscuits given by IOM thus if not
aided immediately, our children could face the risk of dying from
starvation".

Another man sitting calmly beside Mr. Girayse during the interview
said, "Whatever he (Mr. Girayse) is saying is the absolute truth and
will not add anything, however, I would like to convey to the
Somaliland government and international organizations to take action
of our appalling situation mainly caused by the empty promises of the
IOM".

The IOM which is said by a reliable source to have received around 50
million US dollars for this project declined a Berbera News reporter
for an interview via telephone to get some answers from their side.

The Somaliland government is said to be enormously concerned about the
safety and well being of the illegal Ethiopians awaiting to be
deported as well as the actions of the IOM.

Mohamed Sa'ed Abdillaahi
Chief Editor,Berberanews.com
Email: info@berberanews.com