U.N. agencies call for immediate ceasefire in Ethiopia, seek $200m aid

United Nations aid agencies called on Friday for an immediate temporary ceasefire in Ethiopia and the setting up of humanitarian corridors that would enable access to civilians after two weeks of fighting.

“A temporary ceasefire with immediate effect is needed to allow humanitarian corridors to be established,” Babar Baloch, spokesman of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a Geneva briefing.

U.N. aid agencies are seeking $200 million to cover food, shelter and other urgent needs for a growing exodus into Sudan, where they said 200,000 Ethiopian refugees might be expected over six months.