The United Nations refugee agency termed the situation in Ethiopia as a major unfolding humanitarian crisis.
Over 27,000 people have fled to Sudan because of the heavy fighting. The pace of the exodus is increasing as about 4,000 people flee per day and UN teams on the ground are overwhelmed.
In a briefing on Tuesday in Geneva , The spokesman of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
Babar Baloch said, "People are coming out of Ethiopia really scared, afraid, with stories saying they have been fleeing heavy fighting and there's no sign of the fighting stopping."
On Tuesday, Ethiopia's prime Minister warned that the deadline for rebel northern forces to surrender and pave way for a push on the Tigray region's capital in the conflict had lapsed .
Baloch added, "UNHCR is warning that a full-scale humanitarian crisis is unfolding as thousands of refugees flee ongoing fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region each day to seek safety in eastern Sudan."
Approximately 1 million refugees who fled poverty and conflict from South Sudan Chad, Central African Republic and Eritrea are hosted Sudan.
"UNHCR is on stand-by to provide assistance in Tigray when access and security allow," Baloch added.
The UNHCR spokesperson lamented that poor communications were hampering the agencies' aid efforts and that clashes had occurred near to one of the Eritrian settlements in Ethiopia.
The spokesman of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Jens Laerke said "There may be massive displacement inside Tigray and that is of course a concern and we try to prepare the best way possible."
He added that negotiations are underway with efforts towards creating a humanitarian corridor.
"We are in continuous contact with the federal government and relevant regional authorities," he told the briefing," Laerke added.
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