ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- More than 8,500 people have entered Ethiopia's western Gambella region, fleeing conflict in neighboring South Sudan, local officials said on Friday evening.
In a press statement, the Gambella Regional Government Press Secretariat Office reported that the refugees arrived in the western Ethiopia region in recent days, escaping conflict in the Pochalla county of South Sudan.
More than 200 temporary shelters have already been constructed in the Gambella region to accommodate the South Sudanese refugees, with an additional 500 temporary shelters planned for construction in the coming days, according to the statement.
Additionally, the statement said that the majority of the South Sudanese refugees are women and children.
Gambella region has hosted tens of thousands of South Sudanese refugees in recent years.
In recent months, the Greater Pibor Administrative Area in eastern South Sudan, bordering Ethiopia, has experienced intercommunal violence, particularly between Murle, Dinka and Nuer tribes. The violence often involves cattle looting, revenge killings and the abduction of women and children. ■