Ethiopia - Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 10 February 2022

HIGHLIGHTS

• Humanitarian operations in Tigray are largely reduced or suspended due to lack of fuel, cash and supplies.

• The second phase of the measles vaccination campaign in Tigray concluded reaching 595,000 children in 69 locations.

• Malnutrition rates among children and pregnant and lactating women in Tigray, Amhara and Afar remain alarmingly high, reaching 95% among screened women during the week in Tigray.

• More than one million people assisted with food in Amhara during the week under two food distribution rounds, and nearly 85,000 people assisted in Afar.

• The ongoing fighting in Afar continue to drive large-scale displacement and increased needs in the region, and to block the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Tigray.

KEY FIGURES

9.4M People targeted in Amhara, Afar and Tigray
63,110 Refugees in Sudan since 7 November

FUNDING

$957M: Requirements Northern Ethiopia
$337.5: Outstanding gap

BACKGROUND

Situation Overview

The situation in northern Ethiopia remains tense and unpredictable. While the situation in Tigray and Amhara regions remained relatively calm during the reporting period with no specific incidents reported and with static lines of contact, heavy clashes reportedly continued in Afar Region, including the use of heavy weapons and airstrikes in multiple locations in Kilbeti Resu Zone along the border with Tigray. The clashes continue to threaten civilian lives and safety, increasing the humanitarian needs notably through additional and new displacements, restricting access of the population to support their livelihoods, and hindering humanitarian access and delivery of aid to affected areas. In Amhara, some areas remain inaccessible including Adi Arekay in North Gondar, parts of Wag Hemera and North Wello zones due to security concerns.

The fighting in Afar also continued to block the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Tigray by road, via Semera-Abala-Mekelle, which has not been possible since 15 December, close to two months now. On 1 February, however, one truck carrying 40 metric tons (MT) of wheat, which was stranded in Abala town when the fighting erupted on 17 December, reached Mekelle. Further, the level of humanitarian supplies that was allowed through that route and overall has been far below what is needed. Overall, 1,339 trucks have entered the Tigray region from Semera since 12 July, which represents about 9 per cent of the required supplies needed to meet the vast scale of humanitarian needs in Tigray. Additional 17 trucks of supplies entered from Kombolcha, Amahara, to Tigray last November.

Medical supplies were airlifted to Tigray during the reporting week. Between 2-4 February, a partner INGO made three cargo flights with 14.5 MT of medicines including antibiotics, glucose for treatment of diabetes, oral hydration solution, anti-worm, anti-allergy, and anti-fungal drugs. This life-saving assistance via air remains limited and is far from what is required to support the response in the region. Health partners estimate that 2,200 MT of emergency health kits, 1.5 million doses of cholera vaccine, polio oral vaccination for 888,000 children under five years, more than 30,000 MT of nutrition supplies for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in outpatient clinics and 100 MT for children hospitalized at stabilization centers, about 830 MT of nutrient supplements to fortify the nutrition of 1.4 million people, mainly women and children, and 15,000 MT of Vitamin A supplements, are required to meet the urgent nutrition and health needs in the region solely. The community is reported to have resorted to extreme coping strategies, for instance, Ayder hospital, the main hospital in Mekelle, is mobilizing bed sheets from the community to make gauze.

Fuel delivery into Tigray is still restricted with no fuel for humanitarian operations allowed into Tigray in more than six months, since 2 August, except for two WFP trucks in November. Unable to secure sufficient fuel loans locally and having almost exhausted fuel supplies, humanitarian operations are largely reduced or suspended including critical distributions of food, water, health and nutrition services. It is estimated that more than 200,000 litres of fuel are required every week for the humanitarian organizations to carry out their response operations. Food partners, for instance, reported that as of 9 February, they have less than 3,000 litres of fuel left (excluding contingency stock) in Tigray, and all of them are operating on credit, having accrued more than 150 million Ethiopian birr (about $US3 million) of debt due to unavailability of cash. Some partners, particularly local non-governmental organizations, have not been able to pay their staff salary since June 2021.

The water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector is greatly affected by the lack of fuel, cash and supplies, and significantly reduced further vital response activities during the reporting week in Tigray. WASH partners are currently operating in 11 woredas in Central, South-Eastern, and North-Western zones, down from 29 woredas in five zones the previous week. Only over 3,000 IDPs were reached with water trucking during the week, down from more than 143,000 people a week earlier. About 418,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in 131 sites need water trucking services every day, requiring 295 water trucking trips daily with 1,990 litres of fuel. Only 13 latrine stances were constructed/rehabilitated benefiting 650 people, down from 134 latrine stances constructed/rehabilitated a week earlier, benefiting 6,800 people, and only over 6,000 people received WASH non-food items (soaps and jerricans) compared to more than 13,000 people a week earlier.

In addition to fuel and cash required to operate essential water trucking distribution other critical WASH services, partners also need equipment and supplies for distribution of essential WASH NFIs, construction of infrastructure, and rehabilitation and maintenance of water schemes. Partners estimate they need 98 generators for water pumping; 89 surface pumps; 14 motor pumps; 40 switch boards; 37 welding machines; 12 kits of maintenance tools; more than 670 chlorine tablet drums (each 45kg); more than 66,000 water purification boxes; and 27 MT of aluminium sulphate for water treatment. About 9,300 water points or more than 54 per cent of more than 17,000 water points in Tigray are not functional, requiring repairs, affecting the access of more than 3.5 million people to safe drinking water.

In Afar, it is estimated that more than few hundred thousand people have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict. During the week, 425 households arrived from Abala to Quiha, near Mekelle in Tigray, where they are being sheltered in a school. According to a recent assessment by regional authorities in Tigray, more than 5,500 people were displaced from border areas in Afar and Amhara to Enderta, Adigudom, Wajirat, Samere woredas, and Quiha in Tigray since last December. The newly displaced are in urgent need of food, non-food items, and health care. On February 6, the Afar regional authorities moved about 2,000 additional displaced people and 300 refugees from Afdera to Semera due to the ongoing fighting in the area. The IDPs are to be relocated by the authorities to Silsa village, one hundred kilometers from Semera, in the upcoming weeks.

In Tigray, more than 10,000 IDPs have voluntarily returned from five IDP sites in Shire to different areas in North-Western Zone since end of January. Partners are exploring possible supported returns to accessible areas in Adigrat, with some 21,000 IDPs awaiting the start of the return process. Key concerns of IDPs to return in Tigray include lack of food, damaged homes, lack of livelihoods, lack of return package including relief items, and cash support.

In Amhara, it is estimated that more than half a million people have returned to South Wello, North Wello and North Shewa since mid-December. During the week, some 160 IDP households (about 350 people) returned from Kulich Meda IDP site to their place of origin in Meka, Chew Ber and Zarima kebele. On the other hand, new displacement reported from North-Gonder Zone in Amhraa, from North-Western Zone in Tigray and from Oromia Region to North Shewa Zone. Mapping of return locations in Amhara, confirming the number of people returned, and assessing damages in return areas are ongoing.