April 24, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – About 528 Ethiopian troops working in the UN peacekeeping force in Abyei (UNISFA) have requested political asylum in Sudan after refusing to return home. According to the Agence France Press, Major Gebre Kidane, a Tigrayan ex-peacekeeper disclosed that 528 Ethiopian soldiers from the Tigray region refused to return to Ethiopia expressing fears for their safety“A number of peacekeepers have chosen not to return and are seeking international protection. Upon Sudan’s request the 4200- Ethiopian troops have been replaced by peacekeepers from several African countries and Bangladesh, starting from February 2022. Rights groups reported that Ethiopian authorities purged Tigrayan officers after the eruption of the civil war in the Tigray region in November 2020. Already in February 2021, some 15 peacekeepers from Tigray applied for political asylum.

Source: Ethiopian News April 24, 2022 10:29 UTC