[LINK] "Ethiopia: Dreaming of Europe"

[rfmcdonald]

All Africa shared Mihret Aschalew's article In Addis Ababa's The Reporter looking at Ethiopian migrants' experiences in Europe, focusing on Switzerland and concentrating on refugees. As one might expect, life for many of these migrants is difficult.

Yared (not his real name), a thin Ethiopian immigrant with a pale face, has lived in Switzerland for 12 years. He left Ethiopia 13 years ago and his journey to Switzerland was not an easy one.

He had to start from Mombasa, Kenya, Frankfurt, Germany and Lyon, France to reach there. This route cost him USD 20,000. The cost for the journey, which was made a long time ago, makes one raise his eyebrows since other immigrants who follow same route in recent times are said to have paid much less.

Yared was at a law firm in the first week of June this year with his lawyer, Anna Fadini. The law office supports immigrants in Lausanne, the fourth largest city in Switzerland. He was there to seek advice on how to get his wife - an Ethiopian immigrant - a residence permit. For him, it took eight challenging years to get his permit.

Back in Ethiopia, Yared used to work as a customs officer at the Ethio-Djibouti border. He alleges that did not get the promotion he deservesd and was pushed by officials to join the ruling party [Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front]. "This forced me to quit my job," he told The Reporter. Formal resignation was unthinkable so he just disappeared, prompting his office to file charges against him. Charges were looting money and a pistol that he had as an officer. Frustrated by these developments, he opted to leave the country and went to Kenya.

Though he mainly left because of work related incidents, the situation in the country was not easy for him and his parents who were supporters of the former regime - Derg - and the fact that they oppose the current government left them in an uncomfortable situation. He believes that after the EPRDF took power his family's business went down the drain.