Concern for civilians in Mekelle grows as Ethiopia fights Tigray rebels

The Ethiopian army has blocked one of the main roads leading to its border with Sudan, preventing Ethiopians fleeing the war in Tigray from reaching the neighboring country, according to refugees who arrived at the Lugdi border crossing in eastern Sudan on Thursday. .

“The Ethiopian army has cut the road leading to the Sudanese border in Humera (20 km from the border) and anyone trying to reach Sudan must avoid the main road and pass through the fields without being seen by the soldiers”, Tesfai Burhano , who had just arrived in Lugdi, told AFP.

On Thursday, the border post was empty and no Ethiopian soldiers were visible. An AFP reporter saw a dozen refugees crossing the border while there.

The number of Ethiopian refugees fleeing to Sudan has dropped significantly in the past week, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). On Wednesday, the UN agency counted 718 arrivals, up from 3,813 on 21 November.

Communications are interrupted in the Tigray, making it difficult to verify some claims.

A Sudanese security official confirmed the decline in refugee arrivals to the AFP, without giving any explanation.

Aid granted to “liberated areas”

The United Nations said Thursday that the Tigray region is experiencing a “severe shortage” of food, fuel and cash.

But Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said Thursday that the federal government has begun distributing food and other basic necessities in areas controlled by the national military.

“This humanitarian assistance will now be further strengthened with the opening of a humanitarian gateway to be managed under the auspices of the Ministry of Peace,” reads a statement from the Abiy office.

According to UNHCR, 42,651 refugees have arrived in Sudan since the start of the deadly conflict in Tigray, 70% via Hamdayit in the Sudanese province of Kassala, the rest via Gadarif.

Battle for Mekelle

Reports say heavy battles broke out on Thursday for control of Mekelle, the state capital of Tigray. Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional government, allegedly mobilized and armed thousands of men.

The Tigray region in northern Ethiopia has been the scene of fierce fighting since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military operation there on November 4, accusing the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front of trying to destabilize the federal government and to attack two Ethiopian military bases in the region, which the Tigray authorities deny.

AFP