Tens of thousands of Ethiopians fled to Sudan to avoid Tigray crisis
KHARTOUM, Nov 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Some $150 million is needed to tackle the refugee crisis in Sudan, the UN Refugee Agency said.
Tens of thousands of Ethiopians have fled from the embattled northern Tigray region to seek refuge in Sudan.
Filipo Grandi, who said this during a visit to the camp, appealed for donor support.
“Five hundred people per day, this is what we got in the last few days. Five, six hundred refugees coming into the country per day. In rich countries, this would bring governments down. Here, the government of Sudan has kept the border open. UNHCR, the UN, and humanitarian community need about 150 million dollars for the next six months to help the government of Sudan manage this refugee crisis”, he said.
The Tigray conflict broke out on Nov 4 between Ethiopia’s federal forces and leaders of the region’s ruling party.
Sudan has since become a refugee for over 43,000 Ethiopian refugees fleeing from the intense fighting.
The East African nation is accommodating the mass refugee influx as it struggles with its own economic crisis. The country is also going through a fragile transition since the April 2019 ouster of long-serving leader Omar al-Bashir, after unprecedented mass protests, triggered by economic hardship.
Grandi said the UNHCR had flown 32 tons of emergency aid to Khartoum last Friday, while a second shipment is expected to arrive by plane from Dubai on Monday.
Friday’s flight brought 5,000 blankets, 4,500 solar lamps, 2,900 mosquito nets, 200 tarpaulins, and 200 rolls of plastic.
Monday’s flight is expected to carry 1,275 family tents and 10 prefabricated warehouses to accommodate 16,000 people. Two more flights are planned.
Meanwhile, a shack in the Hamdayit refugee centre is offering free communication services for Ethiopian refugees.
It’s just a small gesture allowing the refugees to connect with family and friends at home, thus providing badly needed relief at such trying times.
A sign posted outside of the shack reads “restoring family links”. The phone and messaging service has been set up by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.
The refugee centre in Hamdayit is filled with some 30,000 refugees. Most of them have fled with a few belongings and clothes on their back, escaping the conflict between leaders of the northern Tigray region and the Ethiopian federal forces. — NNN-AGENCIES
