Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis
How the crisis is impacting refugees in the region
The ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has led to a mass exodus of 1.9 million people as refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). According to sources on the ground, Tigrayan refugees have reported widespread violence, massacres, rape, and ravaged food sources—actions that many have condemned as “ethnic cleansing”.
While conflict hostilities have slowed, the humanitarian threats faced by all who are caught in the crossfire continue to intensify across the country. For those refugees residing in Ethiopia prior to the conflict and for those now in Sudan, the hostilities have had sweeping effects on their lives, with continued challenges to their survival and well-being.
Refugees in Sudan
Since the outbreak of the conflict, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that 45,449 refugees from the Tigray region have fled to neighboring Sudan. Sudan has hosted refugees and migrants from across the region for many years. Figures show that prior to the current crisis in Tigray, Sudan was already home to 1.1 million refugees and asylum seekers, as well as 2.5 million IDPs.
VIDEO: Tigray refugees seek to return home after TPLF regains control.
The influx of arrivals to Sudan has added strain to refugee protection operations in the country, only compounded by weather patterns. Tigray refugees first arrived to Sudan last year when temperatures were at their hottest and now, the rainy season threatens major flooding in areas where refugees have temporarily settled. Even amidst such challenges, they have remained resilient and adapted to their temporary homes in Sudan as they hopefully await a return to Ethiopia.
Refugees in Ethiopia
Like Sudan, Ethiopia has been home to refugees fleeing regional conflicts for almost two decades (the majority from Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea, and Sudan) and is recognized as the second largest refugee-hosting country on the continent. The crisis in Tigray has resulted in drastic conditions for the refugees living in the region already settled in Ethiopia long before the fighting broke out. According to Amnesty International, the Tigray region alone is host to four refugee camps that shelter over 96,000 Eritrean refugees.
Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia have felt the harsh effects of the conflict since its start and there are reports of targeted violence against them. Compounding the effects of violence against refugees even further, the UNHCR reports incidents of “reprisal attacks, abductions, and arrests” against Eritrean refugees for their perceived association and cooperation with conflicting parties.
Continued Challenges
The Tigray crisis has contributed to widespread food insecurity in the region affecting Ethiopians and refugees alike. An estimated 350,000 Tigrayans are faced with catastrophic levels of food insecurity—increasing the risk of famine. Such levels of affected populations have not been recorded since the 2011 Somalia famine. With the threat of famine looming on the horizon in both Tigray and its surrounding regions, there is potential for more internal displacement within Ethiopia, as well as continued migration flows to neighboring countries.
For Eritrean refugees in Tigray, humanitarian and protection needs remain a critical priority for the refugee protection regime. For those now residing in Sudan, their journey is only just beginning. Conditions in-country continue to intensify because of the rainy season, growing humanitarian needs, and continued uncertainty in Sudan itself.
Read more about the personal stories of four Tigrayan refugees in Sudan here.
