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On November 4, Ethiopia’s prime minister ordered military action against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, following an attack on a military base. The escalation of the conflict now affects hundreds of thousands of people and runs the risk of destabilizing other parts of the country and the region, with potentially catastrophic humanitarian consequences.
On November 7, the first wave of people from Ethiopia began arriving in Sudan. As of November 25, UNHCR had registered 42,000 arrivals, but the number is likely to be higher, as many have not been registered. Today, people enter Sudan in three places: the main point of arrival is Hamdayet in eastern Sudan’s Kassala state, which accounts for two-thirds (68 percent) of arrivals. Almost a third (30%) are entering Gedaref state in the southeast; while a very small number (two percent) are entering Sudan further south, in the Blue Nile state.
Teams from Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) are now responding to needs in Hamdayet and Gedaref state. Below is a summary of what our teams are seeing and how we are responding in two of the areas that are hosting Ethiopian refugees in eastern and southeastern Sudan.
Hamdayet crossing point, Kassala
MSF teams are present at the Hamdayet crossing point, where they witness first-hand people crossing the river that separates Ethiopia from Sudan. Many people tell our teams that they fled their homes abruptly and quickly, without even being able to pack basic supplies for the trip. They left their belongings and had to walk for hours, and sometimes days, in a very harsh and arid environment before reaching Sudan.
Upon arrival in Sudan, the vast majority of the refugees are in a transit and border area of Hamdayet, where housing, access to food, sanitation and clean water remain major problems. Most of the refugees in Hamdayet, specifically those without shelter, have to sleep in the open, near roads, under trees, and stay in a market area in Hamdayet village. Some people are housed in homes and, so far, people living in border villages in Sudan have been very open and supportive of their neighbors in Ethiopia.
We are also seeing people return to Ethiopia, either to help bring in family members who were left behind or to collect their belongings. Some are going to sell their assets again and return to Sudan with money. A small number of those arriving are originally from Eritrea and were previously displaced to Ethiopia, before now fleeing again to Sudan.
The first MSF team arrived in Hamdayet on November 16 and three days later we began to carry out activities. As a first response to address the needs of the growing number of refugees, the MSF team working at this crossing has begun providing medical care, health promotion messages, mental health activities, and evaluating newcomers to determine their status. nutritional. We are also carrying out water and sanitation activities.
Our teams at the clinic we established currently perform about 300 consultations per day; the largest number of illnesses is related to respiratory infections, malaria or diarrhea. A small number of injured refugees and some people who have suffered gender-based violence have been cared for in the clinic and there are many people who require continuous treatment for chronic diseases such as tuberculosis and others.
Um Rakuba Camp, Gedaref
After evaluations and registration by the UN, some people arriving in Hamdayet are placed on buses and driven to Um Rakuba camp in Gedaref state, the only official operating camp in the area dedicated to arrivals from Ethiopia. Um Rakuba is 7-8 hours drive from the border. The camp is intended to house 10,000 people; it already houses more than 8,000 people. Discussions continue about the establishment of an additional camp to house the people as the number of refugees continues to increase.
Sanitary conditions in the field are extremely bad. There are not enough latrines and people are forced to defecate in the open.
“I don’t know why they are fighting, I saw many people die, even the elderly, I know many of them. I am confused, I don’t know why they did this.
A YOUNG ETHIOPIAN REFUGEE IN SUDAN
In Um Rakuba camp, MSF teams provided 453 medical consultations between November 19 and 23. The teams are mainly treating diarrhea and urinary tract infections. Two patients arrived with gunshot wounds and were referred to Gedaref hospital for further treatment. Fifteen people with severe acute malnutrition and 154 people with moderate malnutrition were identified and given nutritional supplements. Some people show symptoms of anxiety and insomnia due to the violence they saw or experienced in Ethiopia and the conditions of their travels to Sudan.
“On November 3 or 4 I was working in the workshop; suddenly I heard sounds of war, very loud noises, ”said a young Ethiopian in his 30s who shared his story with MSF. “I don’t know why they are fighting, I saw many people die, even the elderly, I know many of them. I’m confused, I don’t know why they did this. “
“In Tigray, people hide in the bush, young and old. The most difficult thing is that we do not have money, nothing to cook, nobody brought anything from home, “he added. “We had to go. I came with two pairs of pants. Before the war started, the electricity, the phone network, the banks, they were all closed. I have money back there, but not here.”
A major problem facing the team in this area is the shortage of drugs for noncommunicable diseases and chronic diseases. We are working with other organizations at the local level to secure the necessary supplies.
Our team has also identified many doctors among the new arrivals from Ethiopia, who are in the camp as refugees. Since humanitarian staff cannot stay overnight in the camp, we are working with these doctors to find a system that allows 24-hour medical support.
In Khartoum, the MSF team is negotiating with the authorities to facilitate the importation of medical supplies and urgent visa processes for additional staff to enter the country for this emergency.
