Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI): The refugee population in Ethiopia has surpassed the one million mark, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has disclosed.
On Tuesday, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office said with the new upsurge, which reached the one million mark in March this year, Ethiopia has become the second-largest refugee hosting nation in the African continent.
“In March 2023, Ethiopia’s refugee population exceeded one million, making it the second largest host country in Africa, as it continues to open its borders for those seeking asylum and refuge,” OCHA said in its latest situation update issued Tuesday.
The UN agency said the latest surge in Ethiopia’s refugee population emphasizes the country’s enduring challenges and the pressing humanitarian needs stemming from internal and regional conflicts and disasters and the critical necessity for scaled up assistance to provide life-saving support to those affected.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), refugees and asylum seekers presently residing in Ethiopia are predominantly from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan. The majority lives in 24 refugee camps established across five regional states. A significant number of others also reside in the capital Addis Ababa as urban refugees.
In addition to the one million refugees currently residing in Ethiopia, OCHA said at least 4.5 million Ethiopians were displaced in the country as of December 2023, mainly due to conflict, violence, drought, and flooding.
OCHA further called for concerted efforts to address the urgent need to provide humanitarian emergency support to those affected by natural and man-made catastrophes.
“Immediate action is crucial to reduce people’s vulnerability to protection risks caused by these multifaceted shocks. This includes addressing displacement and preventing reliance by internally displaced persons (IDPs) on harmful coping mechanisms,” it said.
(PHOTO – UNHCR/R. Julliart)
