More than 20,000 Sudanese and South Sudanese forced by violence to flee their refugee camps in northwestern Ethiopia are in desperate need of lifesaving aid. A camp hosting 10,300 Sudanese and South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia’s northwestern region of Benishangul-Gumuz was looted and burned on January 18. A spokesman for the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, Boris Cheshirkov, said the situation in this region has been very tense since violence first erupted in December. Cheshirkov reports that since violence erupted in December, more than 20,000 refugees have made the long, difficult trek to three different sites closer to Asosa, the regional capital. “UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, and partners are rushing life-saving aid to more than 20,000 refugees," Cheshirkov said.

Source: Ethiopian News February 05, 2022 00:52 UTC