Ms. Carolyn McAskie, Emergency Relief coordinator for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, on Friday paid a visit to the Harena displacement camp outside of Mai Habar, where over 24,000 internally displaced Eritreans, most of whom are from Senafe, are temporarily seeking refuge.
McAskie was accompanied by ERREC commissioner Ms. Wokru Tesfamichael and various local UN representatives.
Mr. Kal'ab Haile Camp coordinator briefed Ms McAskie on conditions facing Eritreans displaced in the southern part of the country.
Mr. Kal'ab told the UN coordinator that the Ethiopian invasion has resulted in the displacement of 250,000 residents of the Southern Zone, the majority of whom are sheltered in hills and caves. The remaining are residing in camps.
He said most of the displaced are farmers, who left their homes in the face of Ethiopian artillery attacks. Their farms have been heavily mined by the Ethiopian army. They will, as a result, be dependent on food aid for a long time to come.
There have also been reports of women who have been gang-raped at gun-point, by the members of the TPLF army.
McAskie spoke to the head physician of the camp, who informed her that the Ministry of Health is doing its best to provide comprehensive health services to the camp residents, the vast majority of whom are women and children. Dr. Bereket said that most of the children in the camp had been vaccinated against the five major childhood diseases, and that 4500 children have been vaccinated against measles.
The major health problems in the camp now are respiratory ailments, diarrhea-related illnesses and conjunctivitis, which has been aggravated by the crowded environment.
Although there have been no laboratory verified cases of malaria, the camp is preparing to deal with an anticipated increase in the number of cases, especially considering that Mai Habar is in a malaria prone region and that the rainy season has already begun.
McAskie visited a feeding tent, a makeshift clinic, and spoke to Eritreans who had been displaced by the TPLF regime's invasion.
The camp is receiving approximately 500 displaced persons each day. Most are coming from the Senafe area.
One woman, a resident of Senafe who arrived at the camp on Monday, described the horrendous treatment of Eritreans by the occupying Ethiopian army. She said that all of the residents' property was looted and that the Ethiopian army had burnt and destroyed clinics, schools and civilian infrastructure.
She said that the Ethiopian army harassed her and told her to "go back to her people."
She further described the dangers facing women. Many have been raped and she added that it is not safe for females to be left alone, even in their own homes.
Another woman, Kadija, said that, like many, she had left her children behind, not knowing whether they were alive or dead, and she did not know whether or not her property had been looted.
There are currently over 50,000 Eritreans still trapped in Senafe and the surrounding area.
Ms. McAskie said that she was pleased to see that the basic medical, shelter and food needs of the displaced were being met. However, there is still a need for more assistance. She said that her visit is in part intended to broaden the information base for donors, so that they know how much more assistance is needed, where funding gaps lie, and how to best distribute the allocated aid material and funds.
Following her visit to the camp, McAskie paid a courtesy call to His Excellency, President Isaias Afwerki, in order to brief him on the purpose of her visit.