Disclaimer: This is an English translation of an Amharic article taken from BBC Amharic and is intended solely for information purposes.
BBC Amharic - An attack near a UN shelter in Amhara Region left numerous security forces killed
July 17, 2024
Today, July 17, 2024 (Hamle 10, 2016 EC) an attack left significant number of security forces killed near a United Nations shelter in West Gonder Zone of Amhara Region say eyewitnesses who spoke to BBC.
The attack was carried out on a police station located near Kumer shelter where a large number of Sudanese refugees are being held, and it left at least nine police killed and a significant number injured according to two refugees who spoke to BBC.
The attack carried out by the unidentified militants left a refugee child injured according to the eyewitnesses.
In the past few months, thousands of refugees from Sudan have left the UN shelters due to repeated attacks and lack of adequate humanitarian assistance.
BBC spoke to a refugee on May 8, 2024 (Miyazia 30, 2016 EC) which said over 7,000 refugees were forced to leave the Kumer and Awlala shelters in West Gonder Zone.
In recent weeks the refugees told BBC the militants carried out attacks, armed robberies and abductions for ransom.
The refugees say they left the shelters and spent the night by a police station near the highway in a small town for protection.
Following the attack today members of the national defence forces were deployed to the area say the refugees, but BBC’s efforts to contact the UN regarding the attack but did not receive a response.
The Awlala and Kumer UN shelters of West Gonder Zone in Amhara Region accept refugees from Sudan, Eritrea and South Sudan.
Since last month over 6,000 refugees have taken shelter in Kumer, and over 2,000 people sheltered in Awlala, the majority of whom were Sudanese and South Sudanese.
Refugees say fighting between Fano militants and the national defence forces in Amhara Region has caused concern for their lives.
After the civil war was instigated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo otherwise known as Hemedti, over 1.6 million Sudanese people have been displaced according to the UN. Among these are more than 100,000 who crossed into Ethiopia.
The civil war in Sudan which has continued for over a year has caused a significant number of Sudanese people living in the country to be displaced from their homes and property.
For this reason a significant number of Sudanese people have fled the war and taken refuge in neighbouring countries to save their lives.
The UN and charity organisations say attacks by belligerents against citizens has not only victimised them but has also caused severe hunger.
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