UNHCR warns of humanitarian crisis amid conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray state

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned that a full-scale humanitarian crisis is unfolding as thousands of refugees flee each day amid ongoing conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region to seek safety into Sudan.

A statement from the UN refugee agency, which quoted UNHCR spokesperson, Babar Baloch, revealed that more than 27,000 Ethiopians have crossed into neighboring Sudan amid the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

According to the agency, women, men and children have been crossing the border at the rate of 4,000 per day since November 10, rapidly overwhelming the humanitarian response capacity on the ground.

The UNHCR is presently supporting the Sudanese government in its response, ramping up humanitarian assistance at the borders as the needs continue to grow.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is also presently providing food and high protein biscuits.

Hot meals are being provided by Muslim Aid.Since Saturday, UNHCR has so far relocated 2,500 refugees from the border to Um-Raquba settlement site as renovation works continue.

"There is a critical need to identify more sites so that refugees can be relocated away from the border and can access assistance and services," the agency said.

The UNHCR and partners are now on standby to provide assistance to the displaced in Tigray, including basic items, when access and security allow.

In addition to Ethiopians fleeing to Sudan as well as internally displaced people, the UNHCR also warned that the ongoing conflict is also a major ongoing concern for the Eritrean refugee population of nearly 100,000 in Tigray, who are reliant on assistance from UNHCR and partners.

Ethiopia has established a committee to address humanitarian concern in the country's restive northern Tigray regional state, said Redwan Hussein, spokesman of a newly-established State of Emergency Task Force for the Tigray conflict, on Monday.

Since the early hours of November 4, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), local force in the Tigray regional state.

The mounting disputes between the federal government and the TPLF were exacerbated in September this year, when the Tigray regional government decided to go ahead with its planned regional elections, which the Ethiopian parliament had previously postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.