United Nations, Dec 18 (IANS): The UN has announced an allocation of $35 million for water, sanitation and medical supplies, and for the protection of civilians caught up in the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray state.

"Thousands of people are reportedly displaced in the region, and millions (are) in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Tigray," Xinhua news agency quoted Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as saying at a press briefing on Thursday.

The emergency funds for Tigray in the northernmost region of Ethiopia will help health facilities procure medicine, gloves and other supplies to care for the sick and injured.

The funds will also go toward providing support in nutrition, as well as drinking water and shelter supplies, he added.

More than 50,000 people, nearly half of them children, have arrived in Sudan since the start of the disturbances in Tigray in November.

The crisis erupted during clashes between Tigray rebels and the federal government, cutting civilians from necessities, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes and refugee camps running out of supplies.