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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, together with 30 humanitarian partners, on Tuesday called for US $ 156 million to meet “critical humanitarian needs” of Ethiopian refugees fleeing the Tigray conflict through the first half of 2021.
The urgent financial appeal is also expected to strengthen preparedness to receive refugees in other countries in the region in the event of new refugee movements, said a statement from the UN refugee agency, citing its spokesman Andrej Mahecic at a conference. of press on Tuesday in Geneva.
Weeks of fighting in northern Ethiopia’s regional state of Tigray between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Ethiopian Defense Forces have reportedly left hundreds dead, thousands displaced and millions with a urgent need for humanitarian assistance.
More than 52,000 refugees have fled Tigray into eastern Sudan in the past six weeks, according to the UN refugee agency.
Although newcomers were more recently reduced to about 500 a day, aid agencies were dealing with “a large-scale humanitarian emergency” in a very remote area that had not seen such a large refugee influx in decades, the statement said. .
The regional refugee preparedness and response plan covered the period from November 2020, when the situation in Tigray escalated after months of mounting political tensions, to June 2021, and aimed to reach 115,000 refugees and 22,000 people from the host communities.
It also includes support to the governments of Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea to maintain and facilitate access to asylum and provide vital assistance to those who have been forced to flee.
“The financing will allow the implementation of critical activities, including registration and documentation, ensuring the civil character of asylum, the decongestion of sites in border areas and the transfer of refugees to new settlements,” Mahecic said in the statement.
Other priorities include providing food, health and education services, and support for groups with specific needs, such as women and girls at risk, unaccompanied minors, the disabled and the elderly, he added.
The appeal also covers shelter and basic household items for refugees, and support for livelihood activities for refugees and the host community.
More than 20,000 refugees have been relocated from border areas to Um Rakuba camp in eastern Sudan since November 14 to date, the statement said, adding that as the camp approaches capacity, the agency UN refugee agency and its partners will begin preparatory work next week at a new site located further inland.
Noting that many refugees remain in overcrowded conditions without adequate facilities and that medicines and other supplies remain in short supply, the agency said that “we have seen a great demand for family search and reunification, education and child-friendly spaces, and programs “.
So far, the agency and its partners have only received 30 percent of the required funding, or $ 46 million, for the ongoing response, according to the statement.
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