Ethiopian army blocked, on Thursday, one of the main roads leading to Sudan to prevent those fleeing the conflict in Tigray from crossing the border, according to refugees who arrived in eastern Sudan.
More than 40,000 refugees have crossed from Ethiopia into Sudan since the outbreak of conflict on 4 November between federal forces and ruling party leaders in the Tigray region.
“The Ethiopian army has cut the road leading to the Sudanese border” at Humera, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the frontier, according to Tesfai Burhano, who had just arrived at the Lugdi crossing point.
“Those seeking to reach Sudan must avoid the main road and pass through fields without being seen by soldiers,” Burhano told AFP.
The number of Ethiopian refugees reaching Sudan has sharply fallen in the past week, according to figures from the UN refugee agency.
On her part, UN human rights chief Michele Bachelet told the BBC that city's inhabitants were in "deep peril".
"We're really alarmed by the dangerous situation particularly because of the civilians trapped in Mekelle," Bachelet mentioned, adding that there was "potential for serious violations of international humanitarian human rights law".
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