Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2022

2022 in Review

Humanitarian situation in 2022 In 2022, over 20 million people, including 5.5 million Internally Displaced People(IDPs) needed humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia. The spread of the conflict in Tigray into neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara during the 2021, has left millions of people, displaces and non-displaced, in need of assistance and protection in much of northern Ethiopia. Alongside this, floods and the unprecedented drought in the Southern part of the country were the main drivers of humanitarian needs.

The spread of the conflict and deepening drought have caused large-scale displacement, significant losses of livelihoods and exposed people to major protection risks, particularly the most vulnerable sections of society, including women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Prolonged drought conditions In drought-affected areas, needs continued to rise because of the cumulative effects of successive failed rainy seasons. By year end, about 17 million people are in need of assistance compared with 8.1 million people initially targeted at the start of the year. About 10 million people required food assistance. About 11 million people needed health services and over 13 million people needed water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, while 2.8 million children under five and pregnant and lactating women (PLW) required nutrition assistance in drought-affected areas. The drought is expected to continue into 2023, especially with the projected sixth failed rainy season between March and May 2023.

Disease outbreaks As of 14 December 2022, 669 cholera cases had been reported, including 24 deaths across 55 kebeles in five woredas of Bale Zone and one woreda of Guji Zone of Oromia Region and in two woredas of Liban Zone of Somali Region. Close to 743,000 people are at high-risk in the eight affected woredas. Outbreak and response efforts were ongoing but still cannot contain the outbreak.

Security and access constraints During most of 2022, various restrictions hindered humanitarian access, including fluid conflict dynamics and administrative delays that affected relief operations in Afar, Amhara and Tigray. However, the humanitarian access situation in Northern Ethiopia improved following the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) in mid-November 2022. Access constraints in very few woredas continued to pose challenges to aid operations, including in Central, Eastern and Western zones through the end of 2022. The presence of unexploded ordnances (UXOs) and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) continued to pose a great risk for people and humanitarian organizations.

Food insecurity and malnutrition Food insecurity and nutrition concerns remained widespread across Ethiopia in 2022. Consecutive seasons of poor rainfall have driven southern communities in Somali, Oromia, and SNNP regions to an increase in food insecurity. To this end, the severity of food insecurity in Ethiopia is one of the worst globally. An estimated 20.4 million people, including conflict and drought induced IDPs, required food support through the year.