EU mobilizes €4 million in humanitarian support to Ethiopian refugees reaching Sudan

EU mobilizes €4 million in humanitarian support to Ethiopian refugees reaching Sudan

Brussels (UNA-OIC) – As more and more Ethiopian refugees fleeing conflict continue to reach the Sudanese borders, the European Commission (EC) is mobilizing an initial €4 million in emergency assistance to help support the displaced people arriving in Sudan.

“There is a real humanitarian crisis being created by the unfolding conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. With this initial funding, we will help Ethiopian refugees who have had to leave their homes,” EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said in a statement published on the EC website on Thursday.

The EU official urged parties to the conflict in Ethiopia to allow full and unrestricted access for humanitarian workers to all areas affected by fighting. He also praised Sudan’s readiness to offer refuge to Ethiopians fleeing the conflict.

The funding announced will support non-governmental organizations and UN agencies in Kassala and Gedarif states in eastern Sudan, both of which have seen a sudden influx of refugee arrivals that compound existing humanitarian needs on the ground, according to the statement.

After the conflict erupted in Ethiopia’s Tigray region at the beginning of this month, the two states in Sudan bordering Ethiopia have received more than 29,000 Ethiopian refugees. Sudan is already one of the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, with more than 1 million refugees, mostly from South Sudan. 

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