New camp opened for Sudanese refugees

A new camp was opened this week in western Ethiopia to accommodate refugees fleeing from Sudan's Blue Nile state, the Geneva-based UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced on Friday. The new camp was opened on Wednesday at Tongo, some 200 km southeast of Kurmuk, the main border entry point for Sudanese refugees fleeing towards Ethiopia. UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards said 533 refugees had been moved from Kurmuk as well as two other border areas to the new camp which has capacity for 3,000 refugees and a possibility for further expansion. Over 27,500 people have fled Blue Nile state to Ethiopia since fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and rebels of the Sudan People's liberation Army in September.