Refugees from Sudan find safety in Ethiopia

Refugees from Sudan fleeing to Ethiopia. AFP

Mohamed Yusuf arrived in the Ethiopian town of Matema exhausted after a grueling journey to escape the fighting in Sudan. But the comfort of reaching safety quickly became uncertain about an uncertain future. Sudan's Mohamed found that his options are almost non-existent: he has to wait for what is likely to be a long time in an informal camp set up in the border town of northwestern Ethiopia, with almost everything in shortage. More than 15,15 people have fled Sudan via Matema since fighting erupted on April 1000 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to figures from the UN's International Organization for Migration. The organization says it registers an average of 550,<> new arrivals to Matema every day. The refugees recounted the horrific conditions they went through, spending days sheltering in their homes amid explosions and mutual gunfire, before embarking on a <>-kilometre journey from Khartoum to the Ethiopian border, accompanied by fear and anxiety of being robbed.

Despite the dust and the scorching heat, Matiema, southeast of Khartoum, has been a refuge for Sudanese, Ethiopians and others exhausted by weeks of fighting and all attempts to calm down have failed.

Despite this relative reassurance away from the fighting, living conditions in the camp remain difficult and complicated, according to Youssef, who worked as an accountant in Sudan.

He explains that the majority of refugees in the camp "lack the basics and do not have the money to feed their children."

At the end of the afternoon, a 10,<>-litre water tank that is supposed to quench the thirst of thousands of people is emptied, and it cannot be filled again until the next morning.

Those with the money rely on local street vendors to buy mineral water or fruit juice that stays cooled with pieces of wet fabrics.

At least hundreds of people cross the border every day carrying their belongings on donkey or porters. But some of them do not need such services because they came without need, including Mohamed Ali, an Ethiopian who emigrated from his country seven years ago in search of a living in Sudan.

"I spent a lot of money to go there, but I had to go into debt in order to go back to my country," he says sadly.