Violence flares up in Ethiopian region of Tigray

Violence flares up in Ethiopian region of Tigray

Dozens of Ethiopians, including army soldiers, have fled the heavy fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Sudanese state media reported.

Ethiopian sources confirmed to Reuters that the conflict in the north of the country in the region bordering Eritrea and Sudan has killed hundreds, although Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sought to reassure citizens that “his country will not slide into civil war.”

Four Ethiopian families alongside 30 armed federal army soldiers crossed the border to Sudan’s Al-Luqdi area in the eastern al-Qadarif state on Monday, Sudanese state news agency SUNA reported citing witnesses, adding that the soldiers belong to Amhara tribes.

Large numbers of other fleeing Ethiopians crossed the border to rural areas in al Fashqa region in al-Qadarif state, the agency added.

Local officials in the region are working with the Sudanese Commission of Refugees to prepare a camp to host the fleeing Ethiopian refugees, SUNA said.

Violence broke out in Tigray on November 4, when the federal government of Ethiopia sent military forces after a long period of conflict between the central government and the leadership of the province.