New York [US], December 18 (ANI/Sputnik): The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has allocated USD 35.6 million to provide humanitarian assistance to people fleeing the ongoing fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region, the OCHA said in a statement on Thursday.

"The United Nations has released USD 35.6 million for water, sanitation, medical supplies and protection for civilians caught up in Ethiopia's Tigray region conflict," the statement said.

Since the fighting in Tigray escalated last month, more than 50,000 people, almost half of whom are children, have fled to neighboring Sudan and require urgent humanitarian assistance, the statement noted.

The emergency funds will help medical facilities procure supplies to treat the sick and injured and fund nutrition, clean water and shelter in Ethiopia. In Sudan, the funding will support life-saving assistance to refugees, according to the statement.

Hostilities erupted in northern Ethiopia in November, when the central government accused the Tigray region's political forces of attacking a military base. The conflict pits Tigray's People's Liberation Front, a political party that has dominated the nation's politics for decades, against a government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2019. (ANI/Sputnik)

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