Barentu is a small town in Eritrea near the Ethiopian border. I had
never been to Barentu, but I knew a few Indians who were working there. At that
time, I was working at another town called Segeneity in Eritrea .
During the year 2000, there was a conflict between Eritrea
and Ethiopia .
The towns near the border were more affected by the war. One weekend the
Indians in Barentu got together and were playing cards. While they were enjoying
themselves, a jeep was moving around the town making some announcement in the
local language. The Indians did not understand and thought they were announcing
a meeting for the locals.
After sometime, when they had finished playing, they
went outside. To their surprise, very few people were around. When they
enquired about the reason, they were told that the authorities had announced
that Ethiopian forces were moving in and people should evacuate the town, which
was about to fall into Ethiopian hands.
The Indians looked desperately for any
vehicle that would take them out of the town. They could not find any since all
the vehicles had left carrying the locals. They then decided to walk carrying
only their essential documents. They walked for hours and finally crossed the border
and reached a town called Kassala in Sudan .
They then got some assistance in Sudan
to return to India .
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