Over 43k Ethiopians flee into Sudan amid ongoing clashes: UNHCR

Addis Ababa, Nov 28 : The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has said that more than 43,000 Ethiopians have fled to neighbouring Sudan amid the ongoing clashes between the Ethiopian federal government and insurgents in the country’s northern Tigray region.
A UNHCR statement, which quoted agency spokesperson Babar Baloch, revealed on Friday that “since the start of fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in early November, more than 43,000 refugees have crossed into Sudan seeking protection and shelter”, reports Xinhua news agency.
“Even before this influx, the country was hosting nearly one million refugees,” Baloch added.
Since the early hours of November 4, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules the region.
The federal government’s operation followed the TPLF’s attack on the Northern command base of the Ethiopian Defence Force, a division stationed in the region for over two decades and based in Mekelle city, capital of Tigray region.
Amid the ongoing clashes between the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and forces loyal to the TPLF, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, will visit Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.