Ethiopia’s federal government has declared an “unexpected war” on its northern Tigray state, threatening the stability of one of the world’s most volatile regions, the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Nov. 4th, 2020 a military attack against the regional government in Tigray in response to an alleged offensive by Tigray forces.
Most of the refugees arriving in Sudan are children and women who walked long distances crossing rugged terrains to reach safety. The fighting has gone international. The Tigrayan government, whose years in power had resulted in massive border clashes and war with neighboring Eritrea until Abiy signed a landmark peace deal, had confirmed firing missiles at Eritrea’s capital in response to Eritrea’s aggression. Tigray had alleged that Eritrea was supporting Ethiopian federal government in targeting their region. The conflict has resulted in
more than 25,300 refugees fleeing the Tigray region into Sudan. The UN estimates that 600,000 people in Tigray rely on food aid and across the country around 7 million people face food shortages.
There are growing health concerns for the spread of the coronavirus as people end up in large makeshift camps, without the basics like clean water, and health care facilities to protect themselves against the virus.
