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| Africa Horn |
| 20 refugees feared drowned in Sudan |
| 2008-09-25 |
| More than twenty Somali and Eritrean refugees are feared to have drowned after their overloaded boat capsized in eastern Sudan. The boat was crossing the Atbara River at night to evade police checkpoints. It was smuggling refugees from Shagarab refugee camp in eastern Sudan's Kassala state to the capital Khartoum. The boat was meant to carry 15 passengers at most, but was packed with 26. Three other boats loaded with refugees were also crossing the river. "Four Eritrean men survived by swimming to shore along with one Somali woman who clung to a floating log," the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday. Those feared dead include eight women and at least three children. Survivors said they had paid around 100 dollars to smugglers for a safe passage. Police has held two suspected smugglers, who are refugees themselves. The refugees were trying to reach Khartoum seeking better living conditions, jobs or a way to immigrate to Europe. According to UNHCR, there are about 130,000 refugees in Sudan, mostly from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. A large number of the refugees live in camps. |
| Posted by:Fred |