More Than 14,500 Flee Ethiopia's Tigray to Sudan Amid Violence - UNHCR
More than 14,500 people have fled Ethiopia's Tigray region into Sudan amid ongoing fighting between the government and Tigray forces, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Babar Baloch said in a statement on Friday
"Since the violence began early November, more than 14,500 children, women and men have fled into Sudan in search of safety, overwhelming the current capacity to provide aid," Baloch said.
Baloch added that the number of refugees arriving in Sudan is rapidly growing, with more than 4,000 people crossing the border in just a day.
"People are arriving with very few belongings indicating they fled in a hurry. Arriving children are exhausted and scared," the spokesman said.
He added that the UNHCR and its partners are stepping up assistance on the ground, but the numbers of new arrivals are outpacing the capacity.
To cope with the influx of refugees, Sudan has approved the establishment of a refugee camp at Um Rakuba, which will host up to 20,000 people leaving neighboring Ethiopia.
Last week, Ethiopia's central government accused the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party in the northern Tigray region, of attacking a local military base, a charge that the party denies. Ensuing clashes led to multiple casualties on both sides. The Ethiopian armed forces later launched an operation in the defiant region. The prime minister's office announced a state of emergency in Tigray for six months.