On December 26 (Tue), the Government of Japan decided to extend through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) an emergency grant aid of 1,360,000 dollars for Eritrean victims of the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
A fierce battle occurred this May between Eritrea and Ethiopia which have been engaged in the border conflict since May 1998. It displaced many Eritreans from their home and forced many of them, mainly women, children and the elderly, to seek refuge in neighboring countries, such as Sudan. According to the UNHCR, the number of Eritrean refugees in Sudan amounts to 90,000, while the Government of Eritrea announced that the number of displaced persons within the country has reached up to 1,100,000. Although the comprehensive peace agreement was signed by Eritrea and Ethiopia on December 12 this year, assistance for the conflict-afflicted persons is still necessary since the towns and farmland near the border with Ethiopia were severely devastated by the fighting this May.
Taking into account such a situation and responding to the UNCHR's appeal to the international community for emergency assistance, the Government of Japan has decided to provide this emergency assistance from a humanitarian point of view.