at Atsbi, conditions in Korem were shown on BBC television on 23 and 24 October. UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar and his wife visited the relief center in the following month. Although international assistance greatly improved conditions in the camp, they remained grim for the inmates, who were treated as prisoners. In January 1986, an estimated 12,000 of the camp population had fled into the surrounding hills for fear of being registered for involuntary resettlement. EPRDF forces captured Maychew and Korem 8 September 1989, afterwards continuing their advance south along the main highway. Demographics Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, this town has a total population of 16,856, of whom 7,532 are men and 9,324 women. 92.12% of the population said they were Orthodox Christians, and 7.65% were Muslim. The 1994 census reported it had a total population of 16,895 of whom 7,371 were males and 9,524 were females. References Populated places in the Tigray Region