HIGHLIGHTS
According to zonal authorities, nearly 37,000 IDPs across 15 woredas and in Debre Berhan City (the zonal capital of North Shewa, in Amhara. Most of the IDPs are living in rented houses within the community, while more than 10,000 IDPs are sheltered in overcrowded and substandard IDP sites, almost all in Debre Berhan City.
The assessment team observed that the humanitarian response to meet the IDPs’ needs was inadequate to nonexistent.
Access to free health services is limited due to the fact that a large number of health facilities were damaged by the conflict in northern Ethiopia; there are limited health partners presence; and there are a limited or no mobile health and nutrition teams services operating in affected areas.
Humanitarian response has been initiated or will be scaled up for the IDPs following the assessment recommendations, including improving living conditions at the IDP sites and aid provision.
The Government of Ethiopia and health partners are currently responding to a measles outbreak in Alle Special Woreda in the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). As of 7 February, at least 256 cases were reported, up from 130 cases on 12 January.
In Somali Region, a measles outbreak was reported in Dollo Ado reception center for asylum seekers from Somalia in December 2021. The outbreak has currently spread to the refugee camps and the host community in the area.
The impact of the drought in Horn of Africa namely in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya is deepening and so are the suffering and loss of affected communities.
Government and community resource mobilization continues to support the scale up of the responses.
The overall humanitarian requirement of Ethiopia is currently 52 per cent funded (US$1.275 billion funding against $2.445 billion requirement), including the HRP mid-year review 44 per cent funded (656 million out of 1.488 billion) and the Northern Ethiopia Response Plan 65 per cent funded (619 million out of 957 million).
Eleni and her family led a comfortable and quiet life farming their land and rearing livestock. But life as they knew it started to change in October 2021.Insecurity, violence and targeted attacks by armed groups started to increase.
Nearly 37,000 Internally Displaced Persons identified in North Shewa Zone of Amhara Region, the majority came from Oromia and are sheltering in Debre Berhan City
An inter-agency rapid needs assessment conducted from 1 to 5 February in North Shewa Zone of Amhara Region identified significant humanitarian needs of a large number of internally displaced people (IDPs) living in the zone. According to zonal authorities, there are nearly 37,000 IDPs across 15 woredas and in Debre Berhan City (the zonal capital), almost half of them are newly displaced. The majority (20,000 IDPs) are concentrated in Debre Berhan city. Most of the IDPs are living in rented houses within the community, while more than 10,000 IDPs are sheltered in overcrowded and sub-standard IDP sites in Debre Berhan City. According to interviews conducted with displaced communities, the majority of the IDPs came from Oromia Region fleeing conflict and violence, while others have come from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) as well as from Gambella and Benishangul Gumuz regions. Although there has been a continuous influx of IDPs from these regions into Amhara over the last four years, an increased influx was mostly registered since October 2021. The conflict in northern Ethiopia in the last months has also added another layer of difficulty to the humanitarian situation in Amhara, resulting in private and public infrastructure damages, including 99 health facilities, 185 schools and 176 individual houses in North Shewa Zone alone, according to the assessment findings, further limiting access of populations to basic services.
The assessment team observed that the humanitarian response to meet the needs of all 37,000 IDPs in the zone was inadequate to non-existent. In many assessed woredas and in Debre Berhan, humanitarian presence is limited, and existing capacity is stretched to accommodate the increasing need. Furthermore, Government food response remains fragmented and substandard. According to the IDPs, the last food assistance they received was in November 2021; and the food assistance for the IDPs in collective centers mostly came from the local community and from volunteers.
In addition to food, shelter, non-food items and health, including mental health and psychosocial support were priority needs for all the IDPs. Those who are renting houses are struggling to pay rent, while those sheltering in collective sites are living in highly congested spaces, with limited or no basic facilities and privacy measures, especially affecting and exposing women and girls to protection risks. Many IDPs lack the necessary civic identification papers as most lost them while they fled, making it difficult for them to find jobs and earn a living.
Access to free health services is limited due to the large number of health facilities damaged by the conflict in northern Ethiopia; the limited health partner presence, including in Debre Berhan; and the absence of mobile health and nutrition team services across the zone. Lack of clean water supply is also widespread. In many assessed woredas, the main source of water supply for IDPs living with the host community is unprotected water from rivers, springs, and ponds due to their inability to purchase clear water the same way the host community does. Meanwhile, water supply in the Government IDP sites is very limited or non-existent due to lack of water points or water trucking services. The majority of IDP children are enrolled in public schools in the zone, except for those with special needs and those who could not register for lack of adequate documentation. Overall, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating with increasing number of new arrivals across North Shewa Zone requiring partners’ comprehensive humanitarian response.
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs