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In the past week, tensions have escalated along the Sudan-Ethiopia border, where more than 50,000 Ethiopian refugees have fled since the conflict began in Tigray.
Last week, Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok accused Ethiopian forces and militias of ambushing his soldiers in the long-disputed al-Fashaqa border area. Along the same border is Hamdayet, a refugee transit center located along the Tekezé River, which separates Sudan from Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Insecurity at the border may be a major reason why many refugees are moving into Sudan in search of refuge.
Related: UN: Ethiopia conflict has ‘terrible impact on civilian population’
Birhane, an elementary school teacher, came here with his wife, Mebrehit, last month. They asked to use only their first names, fearing the repercussions for their family in Ethiopia.
Birhane and Mebrehit live in Mai Kadra, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, but had traveled to Humera for medical treatment just before the start of the conflict between the federal government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). ).
Five days before the fighting began in early November, Mebrehit gave birth to twins prematurely.
“We were in the hospital just before the bombing started,” recalls Birhane. “Fire, shots. Heavy guns on the Eritrean side. Everyone was running away. And most of the doctors and health professionals fled with the people. “
The Ethiopian government has denied receiving support from neighboring Eritrea, which recently reached a peace agreement with Ethiopia, shortly after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018. But several refugees told The World otherwise.
Birhane explained that Humera, where they were staying, is across the river from Eritrea.
After three days of aerial bombardment, the parents fled on foot, each clutching one of the twins in their arms. They say they passed bodies and massacred limbs.
Prime Minister Abiy has claimed that no civilians were killed in his military operations in Tigray, but all parties to the conflict have been accused of human rights violations.
Related: Ethiopians from conflict-ravaged Tigray region face profiling
In Mai Kadra, where the couple live, more than 600 people were massacred by a group of young people from Tigray, according to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
Birhane and Mebrehit are shocked to have made it to Sudan alive, but their minds are etched with those who did not, including a teenager named Zaray.
“He was killed by the heavy guns. And we buried it as we ran to Hamdayet. He was buried in the church of San Miguel in Humera, ”said Birhane.
Finally, they reached Hamdayet, where The World interviewed the couple.
“We have to think that we are lucky because now it is a very quiet area. There is no sound … of weapons, ”Birhane said.
Still, the conflict has taken its toll on Mebrehit. The couple went days without food and she is still unable to breastfeed her twins, who weigh less than 3 pounds.
“They keep telling me to eat,” Mebrehit said, referring to the various humanitarian service providers in the camp. “Because if I eat good food, I will produce milk. … But I dont have money “.
At night, they sometimes go to bed hungry and sleep in the tent with their babies and other mothers. Birhane sleeps in the open air. She returns to the store when she hears her babies crying.
Since winning a major victory in Tigray’s capital Mekelle in late November, the Ethiopian government has pushed a narrative back to normalcy. in the region. They have started humanitarian activities, allowed some international ones, and asked the refugees to return home.
According to local Sudanese media, the Ethiopian ambassador recently met with Sudanese officials in eastern Sudan to discuss the repatriation of refugees.
“That [would] be very lucky to come home. But i don’t believe this [Ethiopian] government.”
“That [would] be very lucky to come home. But i don’t believe this [Ethiopian] government, ”Birhane said, echoing the sentiments of many refugees interviewed by The World.
Related: Ethiopians struggle to reach their loved ones within the Tigray region
Instead, they hope to move to Um Rakouba, a refugee camp that now houses more than 20,000 people. It is hours from Hamdayet, further into Sudan, in the opposite direction from home. But the couple hopes it is closer to safety and better resources.
Refugees in Hamdayet told The World they were also receiving pressure to move to Um Rakouba, which UNHCR says is upgrading to meet humanitarian need compared to Hamdayet, a temporary transit center that has become overcrowded in recent weeks.
Insecurity at the border could also be a determining factor.
“We have more soldiers on the border near Hamdayet. This area is not safe for refugees. “
“We have more soldiers on the border near Hamdayet. This area is not safe for refugees, ”explained Yagout Mohammed of the Sudanese Red Crescent by phone.
The UN Refugee Agency generally recommends that refugee camps be at least 50 kilometers or a full day’s journey from borders and other “potentially sensitive areas,” said Giulia Raffaelli, a UN representative.
The border clashes also follow previous reports of “obstacles” faced by refugees attempting to cross the border and claims that the Ethiopian armed forces were blocking them.
Tetemke Asmelash, a father of three, has experienced border insecurity firsthand. Lying on a cot, an IV shot through his hand, with white gauze tied around his leg, a gunshot wound, he explained.
Asmelash lived with his family in Hamdayet, but recently crossed the river back to Ethiopia, to an area that he says is his own land.
“I brought my children here to the refugee center and then I went back to harvest my sorghum,” to feed her children, she said.
Asmelash said that he and his two companions soon encountered Amhara militiamen known as Fano.
“They came to us while we were running away from them and they shot us,” Asmelash said, speaking quietly through swollen lips.
The Amhara militiamen are believed to be working alongside Ethiopian security forces during the conflict in Tigray.
“Our people in Tigray are being killed,” said Debesay Tareke, his friend.
He filled in the details as Asmelash struggled to speak through swollen lips, where, he said, medical personnel found bits of metal.
“You must understand that our people are in danger. … We need the world to know this and help us get home safely. “
“You must understand that our people are in danger,” Tareke said. “We need the world to know this and help us get home safely.”
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