ECHO Daily Flash

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Ethiopia – Conflict and forced displacement

- ECHO Daily flash of 19/06/2018

Renewed inter-communal violence and insecurity in West-Guji (Oromia region) and Gedeo (Southern Nations and Nationalities Region) have led to an additional 400 000 people being displaced since the beginning of the month. The total number of IDPs since the eruption of violence in this region in April 2018 has now reached 700 000, with 527 263 in Gedeo and 170 467 in West Guji IDPs according to government reports. Returns, which had been facilitated by the authorities after the initial wave of violence and displacement, do not seem to be a viable option in light of the continued and escalating violence.
With the IDP influx, in some woredas, which had been already among the most densely populated rural areas in the country, the population has doubled. IDPs took shelter in cramped conditions in public buildings and several spontaneous IDP sites each hosting several thousands of people. Local resources and coping capacities are very limited due to the existing food insecurity and acute malnutrition among the local host population. Nevertheless, IDPs continue to largely depend on the assistance from host communities and local authorities.
Humanitarian assistance is provided by several organisations including DG ECHO partners, but remains limited and far from adequate in face of the scale of the needs, mainly due to limited resources as well as insecurity. Emergency Shelter and NFIs, water and cash (where markets are functioning and accessible) have been identified as priority for immediate response. The risk of epidemics such as cholera in these densely populated areas is increasing as the rainy season continues until September.
While other areas of Ethiopia, in particular the border region between Oromia and Somali regions, had witnessed violence and large scale displacement since September 2017, Gedeo and West Guji had been calm until mid-April. The total number of displaced people in Ethiopia is now estimated to have reached 2.5 million people, largely due to conflict and violence, but to some extent also due to the droughts of 2017 and the recent floods.