“Refugees flee Sudan battles for uncertain future in Ethiopian camp”

Mohamed Youssef arrived exhausted in the Ethiopian town of Matema after an exhausting journey to escape the battles taking place in Sudan. But the relief that came after reaching safety soon turned into anxiety about an uncertain future. For the Sudanese Mohamed, it became clear that his options are almost non-existent: he has to wait for what is likely to be a long time in a random camp set up in the border town in northwestern Ethiopia, in light of the shortage of almost everything. More than 15,000 people have fled Sudan through Matema since fighting broke out on April 15 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, according to figures from the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration. The organization says that it registers an average of 1,000 new arrivals per day in Matema. The refugees recounted the horrific conditions they went through, as they spent days trying to take cover in their homes in light of the sound of explosions and mutual gunfire, before embarking on a 550-kilometer journey from Khartoum to the Ethiopian border, accompanied by fear and anxiety of being robbed.

Despite the dust and the scorching heat of the sun, Matima, located to the southeast of Khartoum, was a refuge for Sudanese, Ethiopians and others who had been exhausted by weeks of fighting, with which all attempts to calm down failed.

Despite this relative reassurance away from the battles, life conditions in the camp remain difficult and complex, according to Youssef, who used to work as an accounting auditor 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 water tank with a capacity of 10,000 liters is emptied, which is supposed to quench the thirst of thousands of people, and it is not possible to fill it again before the next morning.

Those with cash rely on local hawkers to buy mineral water or fruit juice, which is kept cool with damp cloths.

Every day at least hundreds of people cross the border, transporting their belongings on donkeys or using porters. But some of them do not need such services because they came without needs, including Muhammad 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 take out debts to go back to my country,” he says ruefully.