Sudan's PM visits Ethiopia, as Tigray refugees top 50,000

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Sunday arrived in Ethiopia, his office said, amid a growing refugee crisis that has seen more than 50,000 Ethiopians flee conflict in Tigray region into neighboring Sudan.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed greeted his Sudanese counterpart at dis Ababa's airport, where Hamdok arrived with acting Sudanese Foreign Minister Omar Qamar al-Din and top intelligence and military officials.

visit came two weeks after Ethiopian leer declared victory in fight against regional government in Tigray. However, clashes between Ethiopian federal and regional forces have continued.

fighting, which started early in vember, has threatened to destabilize Ethiopia, which is linchpin of strategic Horn of Africa, and its neighbors.

conflict has alarmed international humanitarian community since eruption in violence has largely cut off from world Tigray region of 6 million people.

U.N. refugee ncy said more than 50,000 Ethiopians have fled into remote areas of Sudan, first straining generosity of local communities and n challenging capacity of humanitarian groups that have hurried to set up a system to feed, shelter and care for refugees.

influx of refugees ds to Sudan’s ecomic and security burdens. transitional government has alrey been struggling under weight of deces of U.S. sanctions and mismanment under former ruler Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted from power last year.

Eastern Sudan, which borders Ethiopia’s Tigray region, was scene of bouts of tribal violence in recent months that claimed dozens of lives.

(IM CREDITS:AP)