2023-12-13 17:08:00
When Genet Legesse Fesahaye arrived from Eritrea with her eldest son Nahom, she was two months pregnant with her youngest, Aissatou. It was November 25, 2015. After eight years of living in the Red Cross reception center in Natoye, the family received the order to leave the territory on Tuesday. “I have five days to leave the country. It’s very difficult,” says the 33-year-old mother. When Genet is asked if she imagines returning to Eritrea, she replies: “No, never. It’s dangerous for me and the children,” she stops immediately. “Children often ask me: why are we here? Why don’t we have a house?” But these questions remain unanswered.
Unwavering local support
The news was about to break when the Natoye municipal school decided to mobilize by launching the petition. “No to the expulsion of Genet and his children” to the Immigration Office. “The people of Natoye are all with us,” she said. “Friends from the school too,” adds Nahom, who attends the Saint-Joseph Institute in Ciney. “They put a word on Smartschool (Editor’s note: application used as a communication channel by the school), posted things on the social networks. When I arrive at school, everyone tells me: I signed for you. That makes me courageous,” says the young man.
At the initiative of the petition, Xavier Georges, director of the Natoye municipal school, where Aïssatou attends school. “I’ve known them for eight years since the children came to school here. It’s been five years since Genet landed a municipal contract and watches the children in the refectory or helps out in the kitchen. Since this year, she has “Takes care of the daycare after 4 p.m. Everyone knows her, she never misses a school event,” he attests.
The support around them is palpable. Among the whistleblowers, there is also Bruno Bernier, former director of a Red Cross center, resident of Natoye and support of the family. “Eritrea has been a dictatorship for thirty years, there is war, terrorist groups. We hope that the end result will be regularization with an unlimited residence permit. They live in a very restricted living space, it is already a life test in itself. What I hope with this media coverage is that there will be a response from the Immigration Office. It’s their fault for letting this situation drag on for so long. Nine years of life here. There is an error in the system,” he laments. Currently, the biggest commonly shared fear is that the family will no longer benefit from material assistance and will be forced to leave the Red Cross center. And ends up in a closed center for families.
Hope, always
On his phone, Nahom, almost 13 years old, carefully follows the progress of the votes on the petition. “He looks all the time, every morning, we saw the 1200, 1300. I tell him that we can’t stay there looking at the phone,” underlines Genet, pragmatically. While he waits to drop his little sister off at dance class, the score passes the 3,000 signature mark. He looks up and hope returns. The boy only wants one thing, to continue his life here. The one he always knew in Belgium, only better. U13 player in Assesse, the boy cannot participate in matches, since he does not have a residence permit. His biggest worry is ultimately not being on the bench, but rather never being able to get on the field with his friends. “I don’t see Aissatou and Nahom going to Eritrea while there is war, no. They don’t speak the language. No, that’s not okay,” shares Xavier Georges. “There are a lot of undocumented immigrants in the streets but I hope that they will be regularized because Aissatou was born in Belgium,” finally says Bruno Bernier.
A lawyer is currently following the case. The petition will be brought symbolically to Brussels, once it has reached a larger number of signatories.
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