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Thousands displaced after deadly attack on refugee camp in Ethiopia

Survivors of the attack on the Bahrale camp in Afar reported that "at least five refugees were killed and several women were kidnapped" by armed men.

AFP

The Barahle camp is situated near the border between Afar and Tigray.

Fighting in northern Ethiopia's Afar region has "engulfed" a camp housing refugees from neighbouring Eritrea, killing five people and forcing thousands to flee.

The UN refugee agency said in a statement on Friday that armed men launched an attack on February 3 in the Bahrale camp near the border with Tigray.

"At least five refugees were killed and several women were kidnapped," the statement said. "Family members lost one another in the chaos of fleeing the camp."

The Barahle camp is situated near the border between Afar and Tigray.

"We condemn the attack on the refugee camp and reiterate the call for cessation of hostilities to avoid further destruction and potential loss of life for refugees and Ethiopians alike, and so that much needed humanitarian assistance can reach them," the UN statement said.

The assault earlier this month is the latest blow to the more than 100,000 Eritrean refugees living in Ethiopia, whose camps have been repeatedly caught up in a grinding 15-month war.

Toll of fighting

The incident underscores the growing toll of fighting in Afar, which has emerged in recent weeks as the most active front in the conflict pitting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group.

Friday's UN statement did not specify which forces survivors accused of targeting the camp.

However, AFP news agency interviewed several survivors this week in the Afar capital Semera who said they believed the TPLF was responsible.

Afar regional government officials as well as the national Refugees and Returnees Service also said the TPLF was to blame.

The camp remains inaccessible and these claims could not be independently verified.

TPLF leaders could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

The TPLF controls most of Tigray and in January announced it had expanded operations into Afar, claiming it had been provoked by attacks on its positions by pro-government forces.

SOURCE: AFP