New York, US - UN agencies are mobilizing to assist some 20,000 people who have fled the fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile state and arrived in neighbouring Ethiopia, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement, which was made available to PANA in New York, stated: 'An assessment team from UNHCR found that the refugees arriving in the Assosa region of western Ethiopia appear in good physical condition but need food, water and shelter.'

It said: 'So far, some 2,500 refugees who were willing to be relocated have been moved into an existing refugee camp at Sherkole that was first opened in 1997 in response to the North-South Sudanese civil war.'

UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards, however, noted that, 'most of the refugees are reluctant to go and prefer to stay near the border, hoping that fighting will die down soon and allow them to return home.'

Edwards also said UNHCR reiterated its call to both the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to end the fighting and allow access for humanitarian staff to address any urgent life-saving needs.

He said: 'We are also calling on both parties to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers and their assets, including warehouses where vital aid has been stored.'

He further disclosed that the agency has dispatched emergency relief items to Assosa and more supplies are on the way from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to assist those at Sherkole and other areas.

'It is also sending additional staff to the area to more effectively respond to the emergency,' the spokesperson added.

The statement also said that, 'Sherkole, which already accommodates some 4,000 Sudanese refugees, can take in a further 6,000 refugees.'

UNHCR, however, said it was preparing three new sites, each with a capacity to accommodate 10,000 refugees, which was allocated by the Ethiopian government, that are not far from Sherkole, to accommodate the new arrivals.

It also reported that it has received reports of tens of thousands of people having fled within Blue Nile state and northwards to Sennar state.

It said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is providing water bladders and medical supplies, while the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is sending food urgently to the area.

Last Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his deep concern about the eruption of fighting in Blue Nile state, as well as the ongoing fighting in Southern Kordofan and called for an immediate end to the fighting and for access for humanitarian agencies to the affected areas.

Pana 07/09/2011