Eritreans in Malta

A corner of Eritrea is in Malta. They live round the corner, and are next door neighbours to the Peace Lab. And so we do not see Eritrean families as foreign. We see them as domestic.

We hear the laughter and shouting of the children playing in the corridors of the barracks. And we notice tears dropping from big white eyes of the adults when airing their laments.

The latest war between Eritrea and Ethiopia ended in 2000, but both regimes will face growing internal dissent. So the peace in Eritrea is less profound than it appears. And though the UNHCR website shows peace in Eritrea, life is grim and persecution is high.

On May 21, The Times voiced these people's anxieties. The title in bold large letters read: "Illegal immigrants complain... and ask not to be repatriated". They do not want to keep their fears to themselves. They never intended to land in Malta. Their destination was Europe.

A number of them died in overcrowded detention camps while awaiting to discover new havens. Others reportedly drowned while crossing river borders between two countries. They fled with no possessions, food or water.

On their way, they sought refuge in caves, open fields, along dry riverbeds. Under heavy air and artillery bombardments, they fled on foot, bicycles and trucks. They reached the shores of Gozo due to factors beyond their control. They abandoned their dear ones at home. They risked their lives.

There was nothing worse than staying there. Ta' Kandja or Safi or Hal Far is their new shelter and tower of hope. They applied for refugee status. Their application was rejected. Their luck was different to others' in Europe.

Fr Marino Heilè OFM Cap., of the Justice and Peace Commission, Milan, informed us that their peers were given a positive answer to their application for refugee status. Their claim was strongly supported by the resolution published in Strasbourg, on February 6, 2002.

Fr Marino insists that, if they are sent back home, they will certainly be murdered without any right to be presumed innocent unless found guilty according to law and after a fair trial. Their government rides roughshod over human rights.

Now they are desperately asking for help. The Peace Lab cannot turn a deaf ear to their pleas. Their next move is to appeal to the office of the Refugee Commission.

Thanks to the service of Dr George Abela, the Peace Lab is offering assistance in lodging their appeals. We have been in touch with them since their arrival in Malta. Our hope and prayers and hearts are with them. We suffer to know that their country is a dangerous and unhappy place.