Thousands flee Ethiopia's Tigray region to Sudan

By Talal Ismail

KHARTOUM (AA) - Sudanese authorities said Tuesday that more than 6,000 Ethiopians have crossed into the country as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

"The number of displaced Ethiopians who crossed the borders to the Sudanese areas of Al-Kadi, Al-Qadimah and Hamdayet have reached more than 6,000," said Sudan’s official news agency (SUNA).

SUNA reported that Ethiopians began fleeing towards the Sudanese areas Monday.

Informed sources told SUNA that the number of displaced Ethiopians may reach up to 200,000 in the coming days, an amount that exceeds the capabilities of the Al-Shagarab refugee camp in the eastern state of Kassala.

The head of the Sudanese Transitional Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met Tuesday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s special envoy and expressed Sudan's support to the Ethiopian government in the circumstances it faces.

Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region is witnessing armed clashes between the Ethiopian military and the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) which has prompted thousands of Ethiopians to flee the region.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara