Over 8,000 Ethiopians flee conflict into Sudan

KHARTOUM: More than 8,000 Ethiopians fleeing conflict in the Tigray region have crossed west into neighbouring Sudan within 48 hours, state news agency SUNA said on Wednesday.

The report said the latest arrivals included 6,000 who had taken refuge in the state of Gedaref and about 1,100 in Kassala, both in eastern Sudan. Local officials quoted by Suna said they feared the influx of refugees, for whom local farmers had been collecting food and providing shelter, could rise exponentially in coming days.

Among those who have fled across the border are Ethiopian soldiers, Alsir Khaled, head of Sudan’s refugee agency in Kassala, said on Tuesday.