Surrounded by a region in conflict, Ethiopia is Africa’s second largest refugee hosting country, after Uganda. In addition, conflict, drought and flooding causes displacement inside the country. How are these refugees welcomed?
By Thale Jenssen (Norwegian Refugee Council)
In January 2018, Ethiopia hosts close to 900,000 refugees, and the number is growing. They are mainly from neighboring South Sudan, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia. More than 1.5 million people in Ethiopia are internally displaced.
How, then, is Ethiopia welcoming its refugees? We asked the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) country director Stine Paus.
Who are the refugees in Ethiopia?
“The main refugee population in Ethiopia comes from South Sudan. There are now 400,000 South Sudanese in Ethiopia who have fled the civil war in their home country.
The second largest population comes from Somalia. Many of them have been in Ethiopia for a long time, but the situation in Somalia is not stable, and people move back and forth across the border between the two countries.
Ethiopia also hosts a significant refugee population from Eritrea. Many are not staying for a long time, but are using Ethiopia as a transit country. Still, a significant Eritrean population remains in Ethiopia.
In addition, there are refugees from Sudan, Yemen and other African countries.”
Are there internally displaced people in Ethiopia and what do they flee from?
“Yes, there are more than 1,5 million internally displaced people in Ethiopia.
Some have fled because of drought. They are mainly pastoralists and from very mobile communities. When their animals die, they lose their livelihood and have to seek assistance to survive. It’s a different kind of displacement, because it is a mobile population who stops moving because they cannot continue with their way of life.
Recently, a lot of people have been displaced because of unrest along the border between the Oromia and Somali regions. NRC is working alongside the Government to assist the IDPs and to find durable solutions to their displacement.
Read the complete story at NRC