Addis Ababa, May 4, 2023 (FBC) – Over 12,000 people have arrived in Metema, the border town between Sudan and Ethiopia, since fighting erupted on 15 April, many exhausted after the long and dangerous journey to safety, said IOM (International Organization for Migration).
IOM’s latest data mentioned that it’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) is currently recording over one thousand daily arrivals, among them Sudanese citizens, returning Ethiopians and third country nationals (TCNs) from Türkiye, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya and more than 50 other countries.
It is said that IOM is assisting those arriving in Ethiopia, including from countries whose embassies sent requests to support their nationals.
The support includes transportation from the border to Gondar and Addis Ababa, as well as accommodation at IOM’s Transit Centres for some. Many of those fleeing Sudan enter Ethiopia without resources and belongings, IOM stated.
Nearly 200 Kenyans, some of them students, over 200 Ugandans and more than 800 Somali nationals are among those who have been assisted.
“IOM also enabled a Tanzanian family to receive urgent medical attention and eventually return to the United Republic of Tanzania through Gondar with the assistance of their embassy in Addis Ababa.
IOM’s DTM continues to record all arrivals at the border and is scaling up and strengthening its capacity. The majority of those who have arrived are Ethiopian (39 per cent), Sudanese (17 per cent) and Turkish (13 per cent) nationals; 20 per cent of those arriving are children.”
“We appreciate support from our donors who allowed us to immediately provide assistance while appealing to the international community for more funding to meet the crucial needs on the ground,” said Abibatou Wane-Fall, Chief of Mission to IOM Ethiopia.