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Over 11,000 asylum seekers flee Ethiopia across border to Sudan

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Over 11,000 asylum seekers flee Ethiopia across border to Sudan

12 November 2020
Uganda. SGBV survivor empowers women
Congolese refugee Bahati (left) speaks with two of her group members as they inspect a new fishpond in Kyangwali refugee settlement, Uganda.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has over a few days, witnessed a significant increase in numbers of asylum seekers, with over 11,000 having crossed the border into Eastern Sudan from the Tigray region in Ethiopia.

“The recent development has led to a new refugee situation. Every effort counts to ensure the safety of the thousands of men, women and children seeking safety in Sudan,” says Axel Bisschop, UNHCR Representative in Sudan.

UNHCR is coordinating closely with other UN agencies, non-governmental organisations and partners to support the Sudanese Government and local authorities in carrying out an urgent response to register and facilitate the transportation of the new arrivals to temporary reception centres away from the border.

At the reception centres, everyone is working together to provide people with food and water. Due to the scale of arrivals, UNHCR and the Government have identified a new site which is currently being prepared to host the arrivals. A UNHCR mission is deployed at the border and is continuously monitoring the situation.

The sudden escalation has created an urgent need for further assistance and services at the refugee sites, such as shelter, water and food. UNHCR and partners are mobilizing and deploying additional resources to the border areas to accommodate the arrivals.

Eastern Sudan is already hosting about 100,000 refugees, with the majority coming from Eritrea.

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