Nearly 70,000 Tigrayans live in refugee camps on the edge of the Sudanese desert. They have fled to Sudan because a ruthless war has pitted Ethiopia’s former political leaders against a new government. Refugees from the Tigray regions in Ethiopia have told horrible stories of human rights abuses perpetrated by Ethiopian troops. One refugee claimed “After this ethnic cleansing, we will have to be given our own country to speak our own language, have our own churches, dance our own dances. That country can only be in Tigray. It will be a country for the victims.”

There is a steady stream of horror stories daily arriving in the camp include reports of ongoing massacres, mass rapes, looting of hospitals, large-scale destruction of property, and starvations – all being used as tools of war. Many in the camp believe only two options remain for them: “scrape by on humanitarian aid or return to Tigray to fight for its independence.” Negusti, one of the Tigray refugees said, “ How can we live without being able to pray in our churches? Are all Tigrayan people supposed to leave Tigray forever?” A very scary possibility is a potential border war between Sudan and Ethiopia.

Sources:

• In Sudan’s sweltering camps, refugees from Tigray dream of independence from Ethiopia
• A border war looms between Sudan and Ethiopia as Tigray conflict sends ripples through region

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