Ethiopian forces said to prevent refugees from entering Sudan – Africa – World

On Thursday, Ethiopian forces prevented people from the besieged Tigray region from crossing into Sudan at the busiest border crossing for refugees, Sudanese forces said.

His account follows accusations by refugees in previous days that Ethiopian forces are preventing people from fleeing the month-long deadly conflict in Tigray between Ethiopian forces and regional Tigray forces.

Members of the Sudanese forces, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the events, said people tried to cross from Ethiopia around 6 a.m. to Hamdayet in Sudan but were detained, and refugees waiting in the Sudan’s side became upset and began to throw stones.

Sudanese forces then cleared the area and confirmed late Thursday that the border crossing remained closed. The Associated Press around noon saw more than a dozen people waiting on the Ethiopian side of the border.

Tensions have risen at the border in recent days, as the flow of Ethiopians crossing has dwindled to hundreds a day from several thousand.

A senior Ethiopian government official who served as a spokesman during the conflict did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When asked over the weekend about the allegations of refugees blocked at the crossings, United Nations refugee chief Filippo Grandi told reporters that his team had not raised the issue with the Ethiopian government. But the refugees told him about the “ many checkpoints ” and pockets of insecurity they faced while fleeing.

“ We have not heard of any systematic shutdowns, ” Grandi said. “ But there are certainly growing difficulties. ”

More than 45,000 Ethiopians have fled to remote Sudan, first testing the generosity of local communities and then challenging the ability of humanitarian groups who have rushed to establish a system to feed, house and care for them from scratch.

Almost half of the refugees are children, the UN said, and many people came with nothing. Refugees have recounted horrific journeys in which they fled the attacks and arrived on foot after two or three days of walking in the heat.

Authorities have said they are preparing to receive up to 100,000 refugees. But the Ethiopian government has said it welcomes the refugees back home for reintegration and has promised their protection.

Many of the refugees, mainly ethnic Tigraya, have said they were the Ethiopian forces they were fleeing from.

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