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UN: Ethiopia-Tigray Fighting Triggers Biggest Refugee Flight in Decades

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - An average of 4,000 women, children and men are crossing the
   Ethiopian border into eastern Sudan every day. The United Nations
   refugee agency reports those fleeing the fighting continue to arrive
   exhausted from the long trek to safety, frightened by their experience.

   Conditions in Tigray have deteriorated since the Ethiopian government
   launched a military offensive two weeks ago. The government said this
   was in response to an alleged attack by the Tigray People's Liberation
   Front on a government defense post.

   UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said a full-scale humanitarian crisis is
   unfolding in the region. One established fact, he said, is that every
   war creates refugees.

   "We have seen that repeatedly that civilians are affected as soon as
   conflict starts. So, people are really worried. They are fleeing,"
   Baloch said. "There are stories of family separation, people not coming
   with anything. So that is why we are ramping up our assistance to help
   them."

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