Several dead after projectiles target refugee camps along Sudan-Ethiopia border

Several people were killed and others injured after projectiles hit refugee camps along the Sudan-Ethiopia border during clashes between Ethiopian government forces and fighters from Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Sudan’s Interior Ministry said Sunday.

Major clashes broke out early Saturday between Tigray regional forces and the Ethiopian army in the border area between Sudan and Ethiopia, “causing projectiles to land inside several refugee camps and resulting in a number of deaths and injuries,” the ministry said in a statement.

It did not specify the number of casualties.

The ministry said Sudan’s Commission for Refugees was following the developments “with deep concern.”

“The border strip serves as a transit and reception area for asylum seekers arriving from Ethiopia, and the continued military buildup could lead to a further influx of refugees and increase security and humanitarian risks,” the statement said.

The commission appealed to international and regional communities, the UN and humanitarian organizations to fulfill their moral and humanitarian responsibilities by promoting peace and security in the region and ensuring the protection of refugees.

It also called for the urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to prevent conditions from deteriorating further.

The commission said it would continue monitoring the refugees’ humanitarian situation in coordination with its partners and work to provide their basic needs.

Ethiopian media reported that fighting had erupted between government forces and fighters from the northern Tigray region, marking the second-largest confrontation since the two sides signed a peace agreement nearly four years ago.

The Ethiopian government and Tigray forces signed an African Union-mediated agreement in South Africa on Nov. 2, 2022, providing for an end to the war, a permanent ceasefire, the disarmament of Tigray fighters and the restoration of federal authority in the region.