Sudan draws plan to tackle Ethiopian refugees

By Buhram Abdel-Mon'em

KHARTOUM (AA) – Sudanese authorities said on Tuesday that they drafted a plan for emergency health interventions to address the flow of Ethiopian refugees in cooperation with local and international aid organizations.

According to the Sudan News Agency (SUNA), the Sudanese authorities held a meeting with representatives of local and international aid organizations including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to accelerate disbursing aid in the shelter camps including medicines, foods, and other logistic requirements.

During the meeting, the Director-General of the Ministry of Health and Social Development in the Sudanese Gedaref State, Amira Hashim al-Qadal, said that "the number of Ethiopian refugees has exceeded 30,000, a number that is beyond the state's capacities.”

She hoped that the International organizations will announce their interventions as soon as possible.

On Monday, the UN said that the number of displaced Ethiopians have exceeded 38,000 who escaped the ongoing conflict in the Ethiopian Tigray region.

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians have fled to neighboring Sudan due to fighting between government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

The Ethiopian army launched an operation in the northern Tigray region on Nov. 4, after TPLF forces stormed a base, killing soldiers and looting military assets.

Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara