Ethiopian soldiers seek asylum in Sudan, fear returning home due to Tigrayan ethnicity

FILE PHOTO: Cows walk past a tank damaged in fighting between Ethiopian government and Tigray forces, near the town of Humera, Ethiopia, March 3, 2021. Picture taken March 3, 2021

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Up to 550 Ethiopian peacekeepers working in Sudan have sought asylum rather than return home for fear they will be persecuted due to their Tigrayan ethnicity, an official with direct knowledge of the plan said on Tuesday.

The soldiers, numbering between 525 to 550, were part of a U.N. peacekeeping force working in Abyei, a contested oil-rich area on Sudan's border with South Sudan, the official working in refugee response told Reuters on condition of anonymity.