Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians are in need of humanitarian aid due to ongoing violence as well as extreme weather conditions.

Causes of Displacement in Ethiopia

According to a recent report cited by Relief Web, “Ethiopia has seen the highest number of people forced to flee their homes within their country in the first half of 2018 [than any other country globally].” Conflict has caused some 1.4 million to flee their homes in search of safety. This has been largely due to new ethnic tensions in Gedeo and West Guji region in southern Ethiopia and ongoing violence in the Oromia-Somali border region.

The areas hosting internally displaced persons in Ethiopia are overcrowded and struggling to satisfy basic needs such as food, water and health care services. The rainy season is also making the problem worse and hindering the humanitarian response.

As a result of the El Niño induced drought between 2015 and 2016, water scarcity has become another key driver of displacement in Ethiopia. Furthermore, in 2017, 5.6 million people in Ethiopia required emergency food assistance. There are also 2.7 million children and pregnant mothers that need supplementary feeding, 9.2 million people need access to safe drinking water and 1.9 million households need livestock support. The Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) was revised in 2017 to address the growing need for support. The needs in the food sector have been increased to reach a larger number of beneficiaries through the inclusion of 4 million former Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) clients in the HRD. Health and nutrition needs have also increased to address displacement.

Humanitarian Response to Displacement in Ethiopia

Severe drought in South Omo Zone in 2017 resulted in 40,000 livestock casualties. The Ethiopian Red Cross, with support from the Austrian Red Cross, has helped to bring back livestock due to the drought. The organizations distributed 2,100 goats in the worst drought-affected households in this region, with a total of 350 households given six goats each.

The Ethiopian and Austrian Red Cross has also distributed 3,000 moringa plants to the Hamer community in Southern Ethiopia. These drought-resistant and fast-growing trees are able to live in harsh arid environments, which will provide the community with food sources year round. These trees have been used in the past to combat malnutrition, as the seed pods and leaves are consumed as vegetables, and other parts of the trees are used for herbal medicine. Moringa is also used as forage for livestock, which ensures that Ethiopians and their livestock are both fed.

Addressing the Impact of Flooding

Ethiopia was struck by severe flooding in July 2018, affecting 2.5 million people, over 600,000 of whom are expected to be displaced in the northern, north-eastern, central, western, south-western and eastern Ethiopia. The National Disaster Risk Management Commision (NDRMC) has distributed 182 quintals of food baskets in affected areas in response to the flooding. The NDRMC has also distributed 14 cartons of milk and 63 cartons of biscuits, along with 502 nonfood items including kettles and plastic jugs.

Displacement in Ethiopia can be attributed to bad weather such as droughts and floods, as well as the ongoing ethnic tensions in certain regions. Humanitarian support from the NDRMC and Red Cross have tremendously assisted those in need.

– Casey Geier
Photo: Flickr