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ADDIS ABABA | Xinhua | The number of people arriving in Ethiopia due to the conflict in Sudan has surpassed 122,000, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has disclosed.
The UNOCHA, in its latest Ethiopia humanitarian situation update issued Friday, said about 122,500 returnees, refugees and asylum seekers have crossed into Ethiopia from conflict-affected Sudan through several border towns, mainly Metema and Kurmuk towns.
Noting that April marks the one-year anniversary since the conflict started in Sudan, the UNOCHA said the mass influx of forcibly displaced populations into Ethiopia has continued.
Data from the UNOCHA show that Sudanese nationals constitute 47 percent of the total arrivals from Sudan seeking refuge in Ethiopia, while Ethiopian returnees and third country nationals make up 39 and 14 percent, respectively.
It said while refugees and asylum seekers entering through Metema are assisted within transit and refugee sites, some 3,848 Ethiopian returnees have been stranded at the Metema entry point for seven to nine months.
It said the stranded returnees are facing severe hardships, receiving minimal assistance despite their vulnerable situation. Many cannot return to their places of origin due to various challenges, including family losses, insecurity in their previous areas, and ongoing insecurity in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
Brutal fighting erupted in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on April 15 last year and quickly escalated in various parts of the country. The ongoing conflict involves the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, with each side accusing the other of initiating hostilities. ■
