Over 1,000 Daily Arrivals from Sudan to Ethiopia: IOM Data

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 07 May 2023 20:46

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Over 1,000 Daily Arrivals from Sudan to Ethiopia: IOM Data

Geneva/ Metema, Ethiopia - 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. IOM's Displacement Tracking Matr

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Thousands of people have arrived at Metema, the border town between Sudan and Ethiopia, since fighting in Sudan erupted on 15 April 2023 © IOM 2023

Geneva/ Metema, Ethiopia - 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. IOM'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.

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. Without assistance, they risk being stranded at the small, remote border town.

Nearly 200 Kenyans, some of them students, over 200 Ugandans and more than 800 Somali nationals are among those who have been assisted.

Nuru*, a Kenyan student pursuing a master's degree in law in Sudan while doing part-time humanitarian work, describes how he was trapped when war broke out and was unable to retrieve his documents and belongings before fleeing.

"I heard that the flat next to mine had been bombed and completely damaged," he said. "That's when I decided to leave without my documents. Embassy officials were able to issue me a temporary ID for travel."

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.

IOM's Migration Response Centre (MRC) in Metema continues to aid vulnerable returning Ethiopians, providing critical assistance, including shelter there, before they return to their communities of origin.

"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.

Among the most pressing needs are additional Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, water, food, shelter for waiting areas, medical assistance and onward transportation.

*Name has been changed.

- IOM -