Born in Eritrea, Asmara, Don Mussie Zerai was expatriated to Italy in 1997, aged seventeen as a political refugee. This experience cultivated a feeling of moral obligation to help other young people who have similar experiences. He gets distress calls, sometimes 10 a day via satellite phones from refugees trapped in the clutches of human traffickers, in boats crossing the sea and sends help via the coast guards and others NGOs .
Now, amongst the favourite nominees for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, Don Mussie Zerai talks to ET about the error the World Powers are making in mistaking refugees as terrorists and how ‘The Mediterranean Sea is now a cemetery’.
How do you reach out to asylum seekers and migrants fleeing the Horn of Africa and countries of sub-Saharan Africa and heading to Europe or Israel ?
Many asylum seekers from Egypt, Libya are trapped in boats; they go through violence, abuse, slavery and need urgent medical help and NGOs and European Union needs to reach out to them. They need to be given political asylum, safety in the neighbouring countries. There have been instances where the abusers enter refugee camps and take away many to be sold later and this is possible because there is no safety.
Tell us about how you reach out them via satellite phones.
They get to make one call from their satellite phones and they call me. We then have to figure out their condition, how many children and pregnant women are there on the boat. We then get in touch with coast guards and work with them. More than 25,000 have lost their lives while crossing the sea but what about the others? European Union has to open up their corridoors, give then open visas, help in resettlement. But all they discuss is how to send them back. Today the Mediterranean Sea is a big cemetery. Last year, 1,25,000 arrived in Italy , what about them?
The global powers fear that open corridors could mean free entry for terrorists.
It is very hard specially after Paris attacks .But these political parties are creating more visible and invisible walls. We need to find solution at the origin, when thousands of Africans are coming to Europe, they get exploited. How to create safety in countries like Africa and others? Politicians should not joke around by sacrificing people and their safety. Behind their strategies , nations are getting sacrificed. What evidence do these world powers have that the terrorists come in as refugees? Evidence shows they are home grown.
Who were your role models?
My grandmother who would often say that ‘you have to work for yourself, country and people’. The second was Father Peter who said ‘Remember you are not the saviour of the world but do your best to help others’.
Now, amongst the favourite nominees for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, Don Mussie Zerai talks to ET about the error the World Powers are making in mistaking refugees as terrorists and how ‘The Mediterranean Sea is now a cemetery’.
How do you reach out to asylum seekers and migrants fleeing the Horn of Africa and countries of sub-Saharan Africa and heading to Europe or Israel ?
Many asylum seekers from Egypt, Libya are trapped in boats; they go through violence, abuse, slavery and need urgent medical help and NGOs and European Union needs to reach out to them. They need to be given political asylum, safety in the neighbouring countries. There have been instances where the abusers enter refugee camps and take away many to be sold later and this is possible because there is no safety.
Tell us about how you reach out them via satellite phones.
They get to make one call from their satellite phones and they call me. We then have to figure out their condition, how many children and pregnant women are there on the boat. We then get in touch with coast guards and work with them. More than 25,000 have lost their lives while crossing the sea but what about the others? European Union has to open up their corridoors, give then open visas, help in resettlement. But all they discuss is how to send them back. Today the Mediterranean Sea is a big cemetery. Last year, 1,25,000 arrived in Italy , what about them?
The global powers fear that open corridors could mean free entry for terrorists.
It is very hard specially after Paris attacks .But these political parties are creating more visible and invisible walls. We need to find solution at the origin, when thousands of Africans are coming to Europe, they get exploited. How to create safety in countries like Africa and others? Politicians should not joke around by sacrificing people and their safety. Behind their strategies , nations are getting sacrificed. What evidence do these world powers have that the terrorists come in as refugees? Evidence shows they are home grown.
Who were your role models?
My grandmother who would often say that ‘you have to work for yourself, country and people’. The second was Father Peter who said ‘Remember you are not the saviour of the world but do your best to help others’.
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