By Saturnin M. Agramako
Ethiopia is a country in the Horn of Africa that neighbours Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, and South Sudan and Sudan to the west. Unfortunately, it is one of the African nations experiencing significant internal disturbances as a result of armed conflicts, droughts, and other natural disasters.
The emergence of the crisis
Ethiopia is among the African countries grappling with challenges related to ethnicity and power. Furthermore, there has been an uprising against the government that has caused unrest and instability in the country. The authorities have consistently taken steps to quash forms of challenge to their monopoly of violence, leading to a semblance of order and stability overall. In the past 27 years, Ethiopia has seen several episodes of inter-ethnic conflicts, which have always been more or less brought under control.
In 2020, tensions flared up in a way never seen before in Ethiopia’s history after the Tigrayan regional elections. Upon the federal government’s decision to postpone elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict broke out, with the national army and armed groups from Eritrea and Ethiopian provinces bordering on Tigray joining in to fight the Tigrayan Forces. The combatants on all sides obstructed humanitarian access and committed atrocities against civilians, including children. In November 2020, the conflict escalated when the Ethiopian army attacked Tigrayan troops, who had taken control of the military headquarters in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, in northern Ethiopia.
Besides the conflicts that have resulted in displacement, Ethiopia has also been plagued by enduring droughts, which have forced many civilians to leave their homes in search of water, grazing land, and other forms of humanitarian assistance.1 According to Hanna Demisse (2022), climate-induced droughts and floods have also exacerbated the internal displacement of thousands of people across the country.2 The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that between October 2021 and June 2022, more than 345,000 people were displaced due to drought, particularly in the Somali region (175,000) and southern Oromia (163,000). 3
Apart from emergencies related to climate, Human Rights Watch (HRW) notes that conflict remains the primary catalyst for humanitarian needs, causing the displacement of thousands of people. 4 For instance, an airstrike on the Mai Aini refugee camp in Tigray on January 5, 2022, killed three Eritrean refugees, including two children. 5 Similarly, on February 3, 2022, armed men raided the Berahle refugee camp for Eritrean refugees in Afar, looted property, killed five refugees, and abducted several women. The attack resulted in thousands of refugees fleeing. In September 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) lost access to numerous refugee camps and internally displaced people’s sites in northern Ethiopia on several occasions due to renewed fighting. In October 2022, UN human rights experts reported instances of kidnapping of internally displaced women and girls who were fleeing conflict in northern Ethiopia. 6
The crisis
Currently, in Ethiopia, multiple and overlapping risks, including armed conflict, severe drought, floods, inter-communal violence, and outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, measles, and malaria affect at least 31.4 million people, including 16.5 million children, 7.8 million women, and 5.7 million people with disabilities.7 A Unicef report from 2023 indicates that these crises have worsened pre-existing gender inequalities, exclusion, and risks for women and girls. 8 According to a report from the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET), the Emergency (IPC9 Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected to be widespread across northern, central, southern, and southeastern Ethiopia until January 2023. 10 In northern Ethiopia, the humanitarian crisis resulting from armed conflict has put 9.4 million people at risk, including 1.4 million displaced individuals. 11 Furthermore, the destruction of schools and health facilities
has disrupted children’s access to inclusive formal education and essential health and nutrition services. 12 In the southern and eastern regions of the country, the worst drought in 40 years has affected 24.1 million people, causing over 3.5 million cattle deaths and devastating the livelihoods of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. As a result, families have been forced to migrate in search of food and pasture, leading to increased child marriages and
school dropout rates.13 The protection concerns have also increased due to the violence that children are exposed to, putting them at risk of separation from their families. 14
A peace agreement signed in November 2022 between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front brought an end to a two-year war, resulting in improved access and the continued shipment of
humanitarian supplies to Tigray. According to data provided by the Ethiopian government, the United Nations, and other NGO partners, more than 127,000 metric tons of food have been delivered between mid-November 2022 and 26 January 2023. 15 Nevertheless, the restoration of services will take time, and some displaced people are still hesitant to return to Tigray. 16 Although new areas are now accessible, some remain difficult to reach, and the humanitarian response in such areas is limited. Recently, an alternative humanitarian corridor has been identified following the opening of the road from Adwa to Mekelle via Intincho-Bizet – Adigrat from 23 January 2023. 17
However, according to OCHA Ethiopia’s bi-weekly Situation Report, the distribution of food aid for 2023 has started in Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions; an increase in humanitarian assistance is needed to support the voluntary return and relocation of people in Northern Ethiopia; the combination of drought, rains, and floods is leading to a rapid spread of infectious diseases; a cholera outbreak has put 3.3 million people at high risk, and the lack of clean water worsens the situation; and the government and its partners have identified over 3 million people as a priority for assistance in the four-month (April-July) Drought Response Operational Action Plan.18
Evaluations
A combination of several factors, including armed conflict, climate shocks, disease outbreaks and the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19, has resulted in a decline in the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia. The UN World Food Programme estimates that 20.4 million people currently require food assistance19 due to increasing levels of food insecurity caused by persistent droughts and desert locust infestation. 20 Additionally, high livestock deaths, which are the primary source of nutrition and income for affected communities, have further contributed to food and nutrition insecurity. 21 As of 9 January 2023, Ethiopia had confirmed 498,669 cases of COVID-19, with 7,572 deaths. 22 The country is also experiencing an increase in cases of measles, chickenpox and malaria, along with a cholera outbreak in the Oromia and Somali regions. 23 Furthermore, for the 2022/2023 school year, about 13 million children in Ethiopia were not enrolled in school, which marks a 45% decrease from the previous year. 24 According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, there are high levels of hunger and acute malnutrition, and a forecast for a fifth poor season in late 2022 indicates the impacts of drought that are likely to persist through the season into mid-2023. 25 Immediate and sustained humanitarian assistance is essential throughout 2023 to prevent the risk of famine. 26 Financial requirements for lifesaving humanitarian support are still being finalised, but demand for humanitarian aid is expected to remain high. The Associate Spokesperson for the UN humanitarian mission warned that a humanitarian appeal for Africa’s second most populous country last year received less than half the $3.3 billion needed. 27 Continued donors’ support is urgent and critical to enable humanitarian partners to sustain and enhance the provision of aid to those who are vulnerable in areas affected by conflict and natural disasters throughout the country.
References
1 IOM. (2022). IOM Ethiopia Drought Response Overview (January – June 2022),
https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/iom-ethiopia-drought-response-overview-january-june-2022
2 Demisse, H. (2022). Climate-related drought and flooding in Ethiopia, https://www.dw.com/en/climate-related- drought-and-flooding-in-ethiopia/a-62823577
3 OCHA. (2022). Ethiopia Drought Response July – December 2022 (Revised),
https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-drought-response-july-december-2022-revised
4 HRW. (2023). Ethiopia Events of 2022, https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/ethiopia
5 HRW. (2023). Ethiopia Events of 2022, https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/ethiopia
6 Ibid
7 Unicef. (2023). Ethiopia: Humanitarian Action for Children, https://www.unicef.org/media/131956/file/2023- HAC-Ethiopia.pdf
9 IPC means Integrated Phase Classification
10 FEWS NET. (2022). Ethiopia Food Security Outlook June 2022 to January 2023,
https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-food-security-outlook-june-2022-january-2023
11 Unicef. 2023). Ethiopia: Humanitarian Action for Children, https://www.unicef.org/media/131956/file/2023- HAC-Ethiopia.pd
12 Ibid
13 Ibid
14 Ibid
15 OCHA. (2023). Ethiopia – Situation Report, 5 Jan 2023, https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-situation- report-5-jan-2023
16 The Center for Disaster Philanthropy. (2023). Ethiopia Humanitarian Crisis, https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/ethiopia-tigray-crisis/
17 OCHA. (2023). Ethiopia – Situation Report, 5 Jan 2023, https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-situation- report-5-jan-2023
18 OCHA. (2023). ETHIOPIA Situation Report, https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ethiopia/
19 WFP. (2022). Ethiopia, https://www.wfp.org/countries/ethiopia
20 GHO. (2023). Global Humanitarian Overview 2023,
https://humanitarianaction.info/#:~:text=The%20response%20priorities%20for%202022,persons%20and
%20people%20with%20disabilities.
21 OCHA. (2022). Ethiopia – Situation Report, 19 Sep 2022, https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-situation- report-19-sep-2022
22 WHO. (2022). Ethiopia Situation, https://covid19.who.int/region/afro/country/et
23 The Center for Disaster Philanthropy. (2023). Ethiopia Humanitarian Crisis, https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/ethiopia-tigray-crisis/
24 Ibid
25 FEWS NET. (2022). Ethiopia Food Security Outlook June 2022 to January 2023,
https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-food-security-outlook-june-2022-january-2023
26 Creta, S. (2022). Ethiopia’s worsening drought sees hunger numbers soar: ‘If rain doesn’t fall this year, the future will be disastrous.’ https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2022/08/17/drought-Ethiopia- hunger-pastoralism-climate-change?utm_source=The+New+Humanitarian&utm_campaign=d35f223126- EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_08_17_Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d842d98289-d35f223126- 75868082
27 UN News. (23. February 2023). Ethiopia: Northern aid access improving, but some areas still hard to reach.
Links for pictures:
Al Arabiya Network. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish.alarabiya.net%2FNews%2Fworld%2F 2023%2F01%2F12%2FFull-humanitarian-access-still-lacking-in-Ethiopia-s-Tigray-despite-peace-deal- US&psig=AOvVaw35DFzY5rmczyweDrBjXrrd&ust=1677012404853000&source=images&cd=vfe&ve d=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCLDqxaT8pP0CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
The New Humanitarian. (2023). Ethiopian minorities remain fearful despite the peace deal. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2023/02/16/Ethiopia-Tigray-Amhara-peace-minorities
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