𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟎𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

Nairobi, Kenya

Around 1,000 refugees have fled a UN-run camp in northern Ethiopia after being victims of armed robbery, shootings and suspected kidnappings, the United Nations said last Friday.

The refugees, from war-torn Sudan and Eritrea left Awlala camp in the Amhara region earlier this week “mainly because they did not feel safe”, according to a spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

“This follows several security incidents, including crimes, robberies, armed robberies, shootings and suspected abductions,” said the UNHCR spokesman in Nairobi.

Awlala camp is about 70 km from the Metema border post in Sudan, which descended into brutal conflict between rival generals in April 2023.

The UNHCR spokesman said that teams from the agency and the Ethiopian authorities tried to encourage the refugees to return to Awlala, but they refused and remained on the side of the road about 1.5 km away.

“The local authorities are ensuring their safety, while UNHCR and its partner World Vision have deployed a mobile clinic in the area to provide medical support,” said the spokesman, adding that UN teams were continuing discussions with the group to try to reach a solution.

An estimated 1.8 million people have fled Sudan since the start of the war in April last year, of whom more than 53,000 have crossed the border into Ethiopia, according to UNHCR figures as of May 1.

Humaniterre with AFP