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A “large-scale humanitarian crisis” is unfolding in Ethiopia, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday, and more than 27,000 have fled the heavy fighting to Sudan.
The pace of the exodus, about 4,000 a day, may also indicate “massive displacement” within the Tigray region, UN agencies said, saying teams on the ground were overwhelmed. Ethiopia’s prime minister warned on Tuesday that the deadline for northern rebel forces to lay down their arms had expired, paving the way for a final push on the Tigray region’s capital in a two-week conflict that destabilized the Horn of Africa.
“UNHCR warns that a large-scale humanitarian crisis is unfolding as thousands of refugees flee the ongoing fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region each day to seek safety in eastern Sudan,” said Babar Baloch, spokesman. from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to Geneva. instructions. “UNHCR is on standby to provide assistance in Tigray when access and security allow,” he added. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said at the briefing: “There may be displacement within Tigray and that is of course a concern and we try to prepare in the best possible way.” .
