20,000 Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia

Civilians who fled from the recent aggression in the Blue Nile state are suffering from extreme humanitarian conditions

20,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to Ethiopia as a result of the ongoing clashes in Blue Nile state, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.It added that the number of refugees caused by the fighting between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese armed forces in the north of the country is on the rise.

Adrian Edwards, spokesperson of the commission, told a news conference that the refugees are in need of food, water and shelter. “They are now taking shelter in schools located in the neighboring villages or sharing accommodation with local families,” he said.

Edwards added that the refugees were being transferred to a refugee camp in Sherkole, but most were reluctant to move and preferred staying near the border in the hope that the conflict will soon end allowing them to return home.

‘SPLA in control except Damazin’

Yasser Arman, the secretary-general of the SPLM-N confirmed that the SPLA was in control of the most areas in Blue Nile state except the capital Damazin.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, he said that the opposition group had liberated all the regions in the west and east in the Blue Nile state except one army post. His claims follow statements by the SPLA-North leader Mustafa Al-Fil on Tuesday.