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July 17, 2024 (Addis Ababa) – Several Sudanese refugees, including a child, were injured when violence broke out in the Kumer region of northeastern Ethiopia. Armed clashes between Ethiopian federal police and unidentified armed groups have further destabilized the region, which is home to thousands of Sudanese refugees seeking safety.
About 6,000 Sudanese refugees live in the Olara Forest in Ethiopia in dire conditions. Among them are 2,300 women and children. According to the Amhara Regional Sudanese Refugee Commission, 45 children have died in recent months.
Sudanese refugees told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that an armed group attacked Ethiopian federal police forces in Kumer district of Amhara region at dawn, killing nine policemen. The refugees confirmed that a three-year-old child and several people were injured in the attack.
In response to the violence, Ethiopian authorities withdrew federal police officers who were detaining refugees in the Olara forest, according to a statement from the Amhara Regional Coordination Committee for Sudanese Refugees. The committee called the situation dangerous and deteriorating, noting that the region, especially in Kumer and Olara districts, has seen attacks, killings, kidnappings and increased activity by armed groups.
The Coordinating Committee reiterates its call on UNHCR and local refugee-serving organizations to urgently address the needs of the refugees and relocate them to safe areas.
Meanwhile, the UNHCR has moved 2,600 Sudanese refugees from the Kurmuk transit centre to a new settlement in the Ora region near Asosa, the capital of the Benishangul-Gumuz region in western Ethiopia.
The UN Refugee Agency expects to receive 12,000 refugees in the new camp in the coming months.
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