APA- Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) The international organization for Migration (IOM) said it is currently recording over one thousand daily arrivals of people in Ethiopia, fleeing the fighting in neighbouring Sudan.
IOM in a statement said on Thursday that more than 12,000 people have arrived in Metema, the border town in western Ethiopia from Sudan since fighting erupted on 15 April 2023. It said many of the people are so exhausted after the long and dangerous journey to safety.
“These arrivals include Sudanese citizens, returning Ethiopians, and third-country nationals from Türkiye, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and more than 50 other countries,” the UN Migration agency said.
Many of those fleeing Sudan enter Ethiopia without resources and belongings. “Without assistance, they risk being stranded in the small, remote border town,” the IOM noted.
The majority of those who have arrived are Ethiopian (39%), Sudanese (17%), and Turkish (13%) nationals – 20 percent of those arriving are children. IOM is also helping incoming Ethiopians to return to their communities of origin.
Among the most pressing needs are additional Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, water, food, shelter for waiting areas, medical assistance, and onward transportation, IOM added.
A Kenyan student pursuing a master’s degree in law in Sudan while doing part-time humanitarian work describes how he was trapped when war broke out and was unable to retrieve his documents and belongings before fleeing.
“I heard that the flat next to mine had been bombed and completely damaged,” the student was quoted as saying, adding that “when I decided to leave without my documents. Embassy officials were able to issue me a temporary ID for travel.”
MG/as/APA