Over 8,000 Ethiopians flee conflict into Sudan: state media
Amhara militiamen, who alongside federal and regional forces against northern region of Tigray, during training on November 10, 2020.
More than 8,000 Ethiopians fleeing conflict in the Tigray region have crossed west into neighbouring Sudan within 48 hours, state news agency SUNA said Wednesday.
The report said the latest arrivals included 6,000 who had taken refuge in the state of Gedaref and about 1,100 in Kassala, both in eastern Sudan.
Local officials quoted by SUNA said they feared the influx of refugees, for whom local farmers had been collecting food and providing shelter, could rise exponentially in coming days.
Among those who have fled across the border are Ethiopian soldiers, Alsir Khaled, head of Sudan's refugee agency in Kassala, said on Tuesday.
Sudanese efforts to help the refugees were stretched, said Khaled, adding that Khartoum was awaiting support from international aid agencies.
The UN refugee agency has said it is "mobilising resources to provide lifesaving assistance".
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into the northern state of Tigray last week after a months-long feud with its ruling party.
The international community has expressed concern about the potential for a drawn-out conflict in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation.
