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Refugees continue to arrive in Sudan as Ethiopia conflict intensifies

PREGNANT women, separated families and sick elderly people are among thousands of refugees continuing to arrive daily in Sudan from conflict-stricken Ethiopia, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said today.

According to aid workers on the ground in the Um Raquba camp in eastern Sudan, many refugees appear traumatised, and all are in dire need of support.

NRC Spokesman Will Carter said: “People are sleeping out in the open. There are no tents, just blankets. There is some food – like porridge and water – but there are no toilets, showers or health services. 

“Many families arrived with nothing more than the clothes on their back. They are essentially arriving with nothing, to nothing.”

The UN estimates that at least 30,000 refugees have crossed the border from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region after the government launched a military offensive earlier this month.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was awarded last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, has ignored pleas to stop his offensive and enter peace talks, insisting he will finish his “law enforcement operation.”

Mr Carter said the situation was desperate, with very few aid agencies operating in Sudan. He called for support and urgent financial donations to help save lives.

“There are pregnant women in the camp, diabetics with no insulin, people living with HIV/Aids with no medical care, and children without parents. It’s a deeply traumatic and depressing time for many,” he said.

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