Tigrayan refugees residing in Tenedba camp, eastern Sudan, staged a peaceful demonstration on Thursday, 17 July, calling for urgent international intervention in response to rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
According to a report by local media in Tigray, the refugees, many of whom fled from Western Tigray, said they are enduring increasingly dire conditions in the official camps. Protesters voiced concern over the significant decline in humanitarian assistance in recent months, citing severe shortages of food and medicine. Protesters warned that, without immediate assistance, lives are at risk on a daily basis.
Organizers of the demonstration reportedly emphasized that their suffering has been exacerbated by the lack of tangible progress in the implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement, which they view as essential to achieving a lasting resolution. In the meantime, they urged humanitarian actors to scale up support to meet their basic needs.
A day earlier, on 16 July 2025, Lt. General Tadesse Werede, President of the Tigray Interim Administration, stated that "the return of all displaced persons to their homes is not a political matter, but a humanitarian one."
He made the remarks during a meeting with Andrew Mbogori, Country Director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ethiopia. Lt. Gen. Tadesse emphasized the urgent need to facilitate the safe return of displaced Tigrayans, warning that many continue to face hunger, lack of shelter, and increased vulnerability with the onset of the rainy season.
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He also raised concern over the safety of those who have returned to insecure areas, stressing that repatriation efforts must prioritize security and uphold the dignity of displaced persons.
For his part, Mbogori reaffirmed UNHCR's commitment to continue providing shelter and food assistance to Tigrayan refugees displaced to Sudan and expressed the agency's readiness to support their safe and dignified return when conditions permit.
Thousands of Tigrayan refugees fled to Sudan following the outbreak of war in Tigray in November 2020, seeking safety in refugee camps like Um Rakuba and Tunaydbah in eastern Sudan. Their situation has been further complicated by escalating violence in Sudan since April 2023, which has led to evacuations of humanitarian workers and shortages of aid. Refugees have reported increasing concerns over their safety, food, and healthcare as conditions deteriorate.
Human Rights First Ethiopia, a local rights group, had previously called for the protection and relocation of Tigrayan refugees in eastern Sudan, citing "extreme distress and danger" due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The group urged "urgent resettlement" to their home areas, including western Tigray, in line with the Pretoria peace agreement, or for "urgent relocation... to third countries."
In September 2024, the United Nations reported that Ethiopian refugees, including those originally from Tigray, were being "forced to return" due to the war in Sudan. According to UNHCR, as of August 7, 2024, at least 57,568 Ethiopians had crossed into Ethiopia, including 11,771 who were previously registered refugees in Sudan.
