In just five days nearly 4,000 Eritreans were registered by the Ethiopian authorities after they crossed the border, seeking asylum.
To put these figures in context: the UNHCR has previously said that up to 5,000 Eritreans were crossing into Ethiopia monthly. If these numbers continue to flow out of Eritrea the figure could reach 20,000 a month.
The numbers of people who have been registered at official Ethiopian entry points for the period Friday 21st September until yesterday, Tuesday 25th, are as follows:
Friday 21st: 526
Saturday 22nd: 550
Sunday 23rd: 223
Monday 24th: 1839
Tuesday 25th: 575
Total: 3,713
This is just the number that have been registered: another 1,500 are waiting at the border to come to official reception centres.
The Ethiopian authorities, supported by the IOM and the UNHCR, are doing all they can to improve the facilities at the Endabaguna camp and other refugee camps in the area.
