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Ethiopia + 3 more

ARRA Appeals for Urgent Food Aid

Meseret Bekele

Addis Ababa November 7/2015 The Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) has appealed for an urgent supply of food to refugees sheltered in Ethiopia.

ARRA Director General Ayalew Awoke told ENA that the refugees mainly from South Sudan are now in critical state as his administration is running out of essential supply of food to the refugees.

The 730 thousand refugees from South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia will soon plunge into chaos as the food aid in stock will be totally consumed by the end of December.

Therefore, the director general has extended a desperate call to aid agencies to take swift action in delivering essential food aid. Ethiopia has been working with various aid agencies to provide the necessary assistance to the refugees coming from bordering countries, he said.

“Some 90 per cent of the refugees sheltered in the camps are women and children,” Ayalew said revealing the dire need for emergency aid.

“Talks are underway with aid agencies,” he confirmed.

However, according to Ayalew, even if they get response from agencies, it will take about two months for the food to finally reach to the needy which amplifies the problem.

The daily flow of refugees from South Sudan has now dropped from five thousand to 400, he said, reminding stakeholders of the remaining task to totally stop the flow.

The Ethiopian government is offering scholarships to refugees in 11 public universities, according to the director general, who also mentioned the different level of education given at refugee camps.

So far 270 refugees benefited from the opportunity as they graduated with first degrees from the universities.

Back in their site, the graduates help activities of tending to refugees in the various refugee camps.

The current figure of refugees in Ethiopia will jump to 800 thousand in 2016, it was indicated.

The refugees are currently sheltered across different regional states in Ethiopia including in Benishangul Gumuz, Somali and Gambella.