Ethiopian peacekeepers from Tigray ask for asylum in Sudan

More than 500 UN peacekeepers from Ethiopia's Tigray region who asked for political asylum in Sudan have refused to return home, AFP reported.

Until last year, Ethiopian forces accounted for the majority of the 4,000-member United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei mission in the disputed border region between Sudan and South Sudan.

Most of the Ethiopian forces returned home after the contingent was replaced by a multinational force following a breakdown in relations between Ethiopia and Sudan.

But hundreds have now requested asylum, a UN peacekeeping representative told AFP in New York.

“A number of peacekeepers have chosen not to return and are seeking international protection. They are being protected by the UN in a secure location,” the representative said.

“The responsibility to grant asylum lies with the Sudanese authorities, who are being assisted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in receiving these individuals.”

Ties between Ethiopia and Sudan have deteriorated because of a territorial dispute and Ethiopia's dam project on the Blue Nile, which Sudan fears will threaten its access to water.

A total of 528 Ethiopian soldiers from Tigray requested asylum in Sudan, according to Maj Gebre Kidane, a Tigrayan former peacekeeper. The figure was confirmed by two other peacekeepers contacted by AFP.