Asylum

The Refugee Proclamation in Ethiopia provides the procedures for the treatment of refugees. It ensures that no person seeking refuge can be denied entry, expelled, or returned to a country where they face persecution based on race, religion, nationality, social group membership, or political opinion, or where their life and liberty are at risk due to external aggression or severe public disorder. However, individuals considered a threat to national security or convicted of serious crimes are excluded from these protections. This determination is made by the Head of the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) using a stringent standard of proof.

The Proclamation guarantees the right to seek asylum for anyone at the border or within Ethiopia, allowing asylum applications to be submitted at any nearest RRS branch or police station. Asylum seekers have an expanded period of thirty days to apply, with provisions for late applications if justified.  The RRS is required to process asylum applications within six months, and decisions are subject to review by an Appeal Hearing Council, which must decide on appeals within ninety days, providing necessary procedural guarantees such as interpreters and written notifications.

The RRS has established internal guidelines for the Appeal Hearing Council and has set up units to handle asylum claims efficiently, particularly for applicants from Syria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to reduce backlogs. The Proclamation also includes provisions for group recognition of refugee status, allowing the RRS to declare groups as refugees in consultation with UNHCR. 

During mass displacements, Ethiopia has granted prima facie refugee status to large groups from countries like Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen based on simplified screening procedures fitting emergency situations.