Since their flight to Ethiopia in 2000, 4,000 Kunama refugees have been dwelling in a temporary camp near the border with Eritrea. The residents of the Wa'ala Nihibi refugee camp are now threatened with the loss of even their makeshift homes, as automatic refugee status for Eritreans around the world ends this month. The Kunama who fled came from two villages across the border that had come under Ethiopian control towards the end of its bitter war with Eritrea. A pastoralist people with their own language and distinct traditions, the Kunama are spread throughout Ethiopia and Eritrea, and number around 100,000. The Kunama of Wa'ala Nihibi, though, fear recriminations and more discrimination if they return to their homes in Eritrea.
