News
  • Login
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Worklife
  • Travel
  • Reel
  • Future
  • More
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
No Result
View All Result

NEWS

3 °c
London
8 ° Wed
9 ° Thu
11 ° Fri
13 ° Sat
  • Home
  • Video
  • World
    • All
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
    • US & Canada

    Australian father and daughter sail around the world together

    Peru election result close as vote counting continues

    World Cup 2026: Somali referee Omar Artan to miss tournament after being barred from entering US

    How one of India's most successful female politicians is losing her party

    Armenia's pro-West government wins election despite Russian pressure

    Insecurity and instability drive voters in Peru's tight presidential race

    Iran and Israel say they will pause strikes but warn of retaliation if ceasefire breached again

    Trump booed in New York as he becomes first US president to attend NBA Finals

    Australian doctor who underwent world-first brain tumour treatment dies

  • UK
    • All
    • England
    • N. Ireland
    • Politics
    • Scotland
    • Wales

    'Pay ransom or lose a kidney': Illegal migrants bound for UK kidnapped in Libya

    Schools cutting subjects due to teacher shortage 'crisis'

    Man saves neighbours after lightning strikes roof and fire spreads

    Church of Ireland 'safeguarding failings' over pastor's criminal record

    Legal equality duty for public services should be scrapped, says Badenoch

    Recycling centre fire causes rail disruption in London

    My drinking days are over – here are my tips for an alcohol-free World Cup

    Martin O’Neill a ‘no-brainer’ for Celtic – now major rebuild awaits

    Vulnerable women lured by illegal sperm donor services on social media

  • Business
    • All
    • Companies
    • Connected World
    • Economy
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Global Trade
    • Technology of Business

    US adds BYD to list of firms with alleged Chinese military ties

    Driving test booking rules tightened after thousands of no shows

    Tech stocks plunge in Asia after record rally and renewed Middle East attacks

    Advice service demand rises amid housing crisis

    Is there an AI stock market bubble, and is it ready to burst?

    US stocks slump as fears over Big Tech shake Wall Street

    Hospitality jobs boom as US prepares for World Cup

    China cracks down on soft porn, violence and materialism in viral micro dramas

    British Heart Foundation plans to close 150 charity shops

  • Tech
  • Entertainment & Arts

    Dancers say Lizzo ‘needs to be held accountable’ over harassment claims

    Freddie Mercury: Contents of former home being sold at auction

    Harry Potter and the Cursed Child marks seven years in West End

    Sinéad O’Connor: In her own words

    Tom Jones: Neighbour surprised to find singer in flat below

    BBC presenter: What is the evidence?

    Watch: The latest on BBC presenter story… in under a minute

    Watch: George Alagiah’s extraordinary career

    BBC News presenter pays tribute to ‘much loved’ colleague George Alagiah

    Excited filmgoers: 'Barbie is everything'

  • Science
  • Health
  • In Pictures
  • Reality Check
  • Have your say
  • More
    • Newsbeat
    • Long Reads

NEWS

No Result
View All Result
Home UK England

The East African communities uniting for justice

June 13, 2024
in England
9 min read
235 18
0
492
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


4 hours ago

By Ayshea Buksh, BBC News

BBC Members of the Grenfell Ethio-Eritrea Group by Grenfell TowerBBC

Members of the Grenfell Ethio-Eritrea Group, pictured near the tower block

Of the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire seven years ago, the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities were among the hardest hit.

Twelve people from the communities died, half of whom were children.

Ethiopia and Eritrea may have a history of conflict, but here in London the communities are united in their grief and fight for justice.

Now they are preparing to mark the seventh anniversary of the fire and are readying themselves for the publication of the final report of the public inquiry, in just a few months.

Bedriya and her brother Sadik

Bedriya and her brother Sadik lost their sister, brother-in-law and the couple’s three children

Some of the bereaved from the two communities have never spoken to the media before, such as Bedriya Jemal Kelbeto.

She lost her sister Nura, who was 35, and her brother-in-law Hashim, who was 33.

Nura and Hashim’s three children also died: their 13-year-old son Yahya, their daughter Firdaws, 12, and their younger son Yaqub, who was six.

Bedriya, who describes them as a “wonderful family”, tells me: “I don’t wish anybody to go through this, losing five members of their family. It made me ill mentally and physically.”

She thinks back to that day seven years ago and says: “I spoke to my sister in the morning and the next day and evening, I lost my sister.”

‘A good family’

Bedriya’s brother Sadik is critical of the “stay put” policy of the London Fire Brigade, where families were told not to evacuate the tower block when fire crews initially arrived on scene.

Sadik says: “If they had not stayed they would still be alive today.”

He tells me about his sister: “She got on with everyone – different languages, different religions.”

He adds: “They were a good family, well brought up.

“Nura’s daughter was intelligent like her mother. She had won an award from the Bill Gates foundation. She wasn’t just helpful for her family, she would have been an asset to the country.”

Both Sadiq and Bedriya grew up in Ethiopia. They belong to the Ethio-Eritrea group, which first appeared in public in January during the Grenfell Testimony Week.

This was a closed event created to allow families the chance to speak face to face with those involved in the multimillion-pound compensation settlement.

They included the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the London Fire Brigade and companies involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, such as Arconic, Celotex and Kingspan. (Arconic did not send a delegate).

Family handout  Mohammed Tuccu and his daughter AmayaFamily handout

Mohamednur Tuccu and his three-year-old daughter Amaya both lost their lives

Ibhrahim Toukou, who is from Eritrea, was at the Grenfell Testimony Week.

He lost his brother Mohamednur Tuccu, his sister-in-law Amal Admedin and his three-year-old niece Amaya. Amal’s cousin Amna who was visiting also died.

Ibrahim is critical of the £150m civil claim being settled before the criminal findings.

He also says his mother in Eritrea was not able to receive any compensation.

“How are you talking about compensation now?,” he asks.

“First of all you have to look at the criminal investigation until the end and then ask for compensation.”

Ibrahim adds: “We don’t know how guilty they might be: it’s not justice thinking about money. It’s not justice doing it this way.”

Ibhrahim Toukou outside the Grenfell Tower

Ibhrahim Toukou pictured outside Grenfell Tower

Paulos Tekle’s son Isaac died in the fire. He was five years old. “The feeling I have in my heart is the same,” Paulos tells me.

“In the early stage of the fire we were really struggling, but now this group makes us together, helps us, we can share information.”

He says the get-togethers mean a lot to him, explaining: “It’s like therapy.”

Members of the Grenfell Ethio-Eritrea Group in a restaurant

The Grenfell Ethio-Eritrea group members meet up regularly to support each other

The group’s translator, Daniel Beyene, has helped them work with the police and the authorities in the aftermath of the fire.

Daniel has also guided them through the lengthy, complex and at times technical Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry.

“Language is the biggest barrier,” he says.

“You have the loss and then on top of that not understanding the system and not being able to express yourself. It’s really hard,” he says.

‘Waiting for justice’

Now, like so many affected by this tragedy, the groups are anxious about what the inquiry’s final report and recommendations will contain.

Bedriya says: “Every day I have attended the inquiry, for the last six years. I am waiting like everybody else what is going to be in that report.”

She adds: “I hope some sort of justice will be reported.”

Sadik tells me he hopes the inquiry will prevent anything like this ever happening again.

He says: “As far as we are concerned, we lost our family, we didn’t have justice. We are still waiting for justice.”

The report will be made public on 4 September.



Source link

Tags: AfricancommunitieseastJusticeuniting

Related Posts

Recycling centre fire causes rail disruption in London

June 9, 2026
0

The fire is under control after a day which saw rail services through the area brought to a halt....

Diamond League Stockholm: Keely Hodgkinson runs PB but stunned by Audrey Werro in 800m

June 8, 2026
0

Meanwhile, Olympic and world champion Duplantis suffered his first Diamond League defeat in three years.In March, the 26-year-old broke...

Chris Billam-Smith vs Ryan Rozicki: Briton earns stoppage victory on Zuffa Boxing’s UK debut

June 7, 2026
0

Zuffa Boxing began staging shows in January and, under the stewardship of UFC president Dana White, has set out...

  • Australia helicopter collision: Mid-air clash wreckage covers Gold Coast

    523 shares
    Share 209 Tweet 131
  • UK inflation: Supermarkets say price rises will ease soon

    515 shares
    Share 206 Tweet 129
  • Ballyjamesduff: Man dies after hit-and-run in County Cavan

    510 shares
    Share 204 Tweet 128
  • Somalia: Rare access to its US-funded 'lightning commando brigade

    508 shares
    Share 203 Tweet 127
  • Google faces new multi-billion advertising lawsuit

    508 shares
    Share 203 Tweet 127
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

Australia helicopter collision: Mid-air clash wreckage covers Gold Coast

January 10, 2023

UK inflation: Supermarkets say price rises will ease soon

April 19, 2023

Ballyjamesduff: Man dies after hit-and-run in County Cavan

August 19, 2022

Stranger Things actor Jamie Campbell Bower praised for addiction post

0

NHS to close Tavistock child gender identity clinic

0

Cold sores traced back to kissing in Bronze Age by Cambridge research

0

SpaceX's stock market blast-off could be Musk's biggest gamble yet

June 9, 2026

'Pay ransom or lose a kidney': Illegal migrants bound for UK kidnapped in Libya

June 9, 2026

KSI tells Sidemen 'I'll always be here' after quitting YouTube group

June 9, 2026

Categories

Science

SpaceX's stock market blast-off could be Musk's biggest gamble yet

June 9, 2026
0

SpaceX is preparing for a stock market debut that could transform the company, the wider market and Elon Musk's...

Read more

'Pay ransom or lose a kidney': Illegal migrants bound for UK kidnapped in Libya

June 9, 2026
News

Copyright © 2020 JBC News Powered by JOOJ.us

Explore the JBC

  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Worklife
  • Travel
  • Reel
  • Future
  • More

Follow Us

  • Home Main
  • Video
  • World
  • Top News
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Tech
  • UK
  • In Pictures
  • Health
  • Reality Check
  • Science
  • Entertainment & Arts
  • Login

Copyright © 2020 JBC News Powered by JOOJ.us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
News
More Sites

    MORE

  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Worklife
  • Travel
  • Reel
  • Future
  • More
  • News

    JBC News