Eritrean Refugee Camps

It’s estimated that eastern Sudan is home to over 100,000 Eritrean refugees, and has been since the 1960s due to the war for Eritrean independence, open-ended military service, and human rights violations. The majority of these refugees live in camps amid conditions that the UN once described as “intolerable.” Frequent drought increases malnutrition rates, kills livestock and crops, and leaves no earning potential. These people lack adequate food and water, and it’s not unusual for some to go days without a meal. Sudan will not grant citizenship to most of these individuals, so they have little to no access to healthcare or education. In 50 years, not much has improved for this community, so much so that the UN has dubbed them the “forgotten refugees.