UN: Number of Refugees Fleeing Ethiopia to Sudan Surpasses 20,000

World

November 15th, 12:30pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

Ethiopians who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region are seen at the Setit River on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Hamdait village in eastern Kassala state, Sudan November 14, 2020. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

The number of people who have fled into Sudan from the conflict in northern Ethiopia has risen to at least 20,000, the UN refugee agency said on Sunday. More than 12,500 crossed at Hamdayat and nearly 7,500 to the south at al-Luqdi between Nov. 7-14, according to UNHCR data. Local and UN agencies are trying to assist the refugees, who have been arriving in growing numbers with few possessions or provisions. In statement earlier, the UNHCR expressed its extreme concern over the worsening crisis in northern Ethiopia where ongoing clashes between the Ethiopian federal government and Tigray forces are driving thousands of people to flee, more than half of them children. The agency called on all parties to respect the safety and security for all civilians in Tigray.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2626771/un-number-refugees-fleeing-ethiopia-sudan-surpasses-20000