Ethiopia: Access Snapshot, Metekel Zone (Benishangul Gumuz Region) As of 30 April 2022

The humanitarian situation in Metekel zone remains complex requiring an urgent scale-up to respond to the dire situation. Hostilities and high levels of violence have been occurring for years and continue affecting the lives of civilians and leading to high numbers of displaced persons. Peaceful coexistence in Metekel broke up in 2019 in areas bordering Amhara, while the conflict spread and intensified through 2021, with various groups competing for political representation and access to resources. Metekel is a zone largely underdeveloped, with an agriculture-based economy. Despite being connected to the national grid, some woredas like Dibate, Bulen, Wenbera, Guba or Dangur do not have regular access to electricity and lack viable road networks and essential services, while phone network is available in some areas. See for further information OCHA Ethiopia Access Snapshot, BGR (October2021).

A military command post has been in place since September 2020 to re-establish law and order in the zone, with strict curfew hours and tight security measures. Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), with the support of special forces from neighboring regions, have been battling with several unidentified armed groups (UAG). In addition, there are reports of armed groups and militias from neighboring Oromia and Amhara regions operating in the zone.
Thousands of houses have been reportedly burned, forcing the population to flee and hide in the forest. Hostilities have significantly impacted agricultural production, and authorities report that less than 35 per cent of land has been cultivated in 2022. Insecurity has also prevented any meaningful food security assessment, and both IDPs and host communities in rural areas are in urgent need of seeds and agricultural inputs to sustain themselves.

The humanitarian situation is alarming, thousands of people are yet to be reached with humanitarian assistance, and their access to basic services is highly compromised. While the number of aid partners increased in 2021, their coverage and capacity remain inadequate considering the high level of needs. Thousands of IDPs, mainly Gumuz, have not received any food aid, emergency health and nutrition services, shelter or non-food items. In Dibate, the two IDP sites (Berber and Galesa) sheltering thousands of people remain out of reach to partners. In Dangur, an IDP site called “China Camp” hosting 6,000 IDPs remains hard-to-reach due to insecurity with partners focusing operations in Manbuk town. In Wenbera, only 20 per cent of the estimated 27,700 IDPs have accessed assistance since 2021.

Regional authorities estimate that some 282,500 people remain displaced by hostilities, including some 50,000 who were displaced by violence in 2019 to Awi zone (Amhara) and were returned by authorities in 2021 to four collective sites in Madira, Dangur, Dibate, and Bulen woredas. Further, according to UNHCR, over 7,000 have fled to Sudan in 2021. To date, insecurity has prevented a comprehensive verification of the exact number of people displaced and their most pressing needs. Equally, a comprehensive overview of the malnutrition status of children or pregnant and lactating women or persons with special needs remains to be conducted, amidst reports of gender-based violence and other protection concerns.

According to the report shared by the regional authorities, 142 schools and 107 health facilities have been damaged and/or vandalized by parties to the conflict since 2021. As a result, over 42,000 children are affected, mostly out of school, while access to health services is extremely limited and non-existent in rural areas. In 2022, an undetermined number of IDPs has been moving to woreda centers, establishing themselves in sites easier to reach by aid partners.
However, the conditions in these sites remain substandard with very limited aid and protection services delivered. Overall, partners are facing major challenges in scaling up the response not only because of insecurity but also due to shortage of resources and limited funding.

To reach vulnerable people in hard-to-reach areas, aid partners on the ground are requested to join public convoys facilitated by armed forces, which in some areas are irregular impacting operations. Overall, partners are focusing relief operations around woreda towns and accessible areas. To mitigate the risk during road movements, some NGOs have embedded their staff within communities. While this pragmatic practice allows the delivery of minimal services, relief operations would have to come to a halt if aid does not reach vulnerable communities regularly.

Further, partners need to enhance communication with affected communities to build acceptance and improve access to people in need in areas affected by violence. Overall, aid workers, most of them Ethiopian nationals, are working in extremely high-risk environment. In December 2021, one aid worker was reportedly killed in Dibate woreda by UAGs.