6000 Ethiopian refugees arrive in Sudan, as authorities expect more

By Our Correspondent, KHARTOUM Sudan

The number of Ethiopian refugees crossing into Sudan on Tuesday reached more than 6,000 people, as the Commission of Refugees fears that hundreds of thousands will arrive during the upcoming days.

Fighting continued in the neighbouring Tigray region for the sixth consecutive day, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated his determination to crush the "illegal" government in Tigray region before to ceasefire.

The official news agency SUNA reported that the number of Ethiopian refugees who arrived in the Sudanese border areas of Luqdi, Qudaymah and Hamdayit has reached more than 6,000 Ethiopians.

SUNA stressed that the Ethiopians stranded on the eastern bank of the Atbara River, waiting to cross into the Sudanese territory are constantly increasing.

Also, a Sudanese official from the Commission of Refugees - Sudan told the agency under the cover of anonymity that they expect more than 200,000 Ethiopians arrive during the coming days in the Gadaref State.

He added that a such number of refugees exceeds the capabilities of Al-Shajarab refugee camp in Gadaref state.

The chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, Tuesday called for the "immediate cessation of hostilities" in Tigray region.

Faki further urged the federal government and Tigray’s state government to seek a peaceful settlement, before to offer his support to an effort to resolve the conflict.

President of the Tigray region, Debretsion Gebremichael, last Sunday called on the African Union to intervene to stop the country from "spiralling into civil war".

Gebremichael called on the federal government to agree to negotiate with them.

In a tweet posted on Tuesday, the Ethiopian Prime Minister said the law enforcement operations in Tigray "will cease as soon as the criminal junta is disarmed, legitimate administration in the region restored, and fugitives apprehended & brought to justice".

Gedu Andargachew the National Security Affairs Advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in Khartoum Tuesday where he met with the head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdallah Hamodk.

In a statement released after the meeting, the Sovereign Council said that Andargachew stressed "the Ethiopian government’s ability to address the situation as soon as possible".

The cabinet office for its part said the Ethiopian envoy briefed Hamdok about the ongoing developments in the Tigray region.

The Sudanese prime minister who is also the head of the IGAD sought in vain to convince his Ethiopia counterpart to accept the mediation of the East African block. – Sudan Tribune