The European special envoy left Khartoum for the refugee camps in eastern Sudan.
Khartoum: Altaghyeer
The European envoy and Finnish Foreign Minister Becca Haavisto began, on Monday morning, a visit to the states of Kassala and Gedaref to visit the Ethiopian refugee camps.
The two border states have recently witnessed a large arrival of refugees as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
The envoy arrived in Khartoum on Saturday evening for an official visit, which is scheduled to last two days.
Haavisto was commissioned by the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell, to visit Sudan and Ethiopia as a special envoy of the European Union.
According to a statement issued by its mission in Khartoum, the European Union is seeking to help ease tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia.
Haavisto met in Khartoum on Sunday a number of Sudanese officials, including Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok.
In addition to helping refugees, the European Union is also seeking a solution to the border crisis between Khartoum and Addis Ababa.
In a press statement, the European envoy described his meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok as “excellent.”
He explained that the meeting discussed regional issues and the important role of Sudan in its capacity as the current head of the (IGAD) organization, and that it also discussed the issue of the Renaissance Dam.
Haavisto added, “We obtained important technical clarifications from the Minister of Irrigation regarding the Sudanese point of view on this issue.”
The European diplomat will visit the Ethiopian refugee camps to be briefed on the humanitarian, human rights and security conditions on the ground.
Tensions have escalated along the border region between Sudan and Ethiopia since the start of the conflict in the Ethiopian province of Tigraya early in last November.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates the number of refugees at more than 60,000 refugees who fled to the Sudanese border in search of safety.
The agency reports that between 200 and 500 refugees continue to arrive every day at two border crossings in Sudan.
The European Union believes that the refugee flows would exacerbate the critical humanitarian conditions in Sudan, as It is one of the largest hosting countries for refugees in the African continent.
Sudan currently hosts more than a million refugees from neighboring countries, including South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zaire, Chad and Central Africa.
