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SITUATION OVERVIEW
Conflict, displacement, climate-related shocks, and persistent disease outbreaks continue to be the major drivers of need in Ethiopia. According to the Humanitarian Response Plan 2023, over 20 million people are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance, including 4.5 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Malnutrition remains a public health problem in various regions plagued by food insecurity, inadequate WASH services, and disease outbreaks. Cholera cases continue to rise and spread with outbreaks reported in all the regions, except for Gamella, South West and Tigray. Climate-related events caused by heavy rainfall and floods have resulted in new displacements in Oromia while water shortage due to drought continues to impact Somali Region.
In northern Ethiopia, and despite the spontaneous and assisted IDP returns in some targeted areas of Tigray and Amhara, over 1.5 million people remain displaced and in need of food, shelter, as well as health, education, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services amid limited humanitarian response capacity [1]. In Amhara, the security situation has stabilized after weeks of hostilities allowing the resumption of humanitarian assistance to nearly 580,000 IDPs living in dire conditions across several sites [2]. In Afar, desert locusts continue to pose a risk to great livelihood loss amid a pause in food assistance and increasing malnutrition levels.
Climate-related shocks, particularly associated with the Kiremt season, have brought torrential rain and flooding impacting several parts of Oromia Region. The Joint Government and Humanitarian Partners Flood Contingency Plan for the 2023 Kiremt season predicted that more than 270,200 people in Oromia would be affected [3]. Similarly, over one million people faces water shortage due to drought in over 323 locations across Afder, Dawa, Korahe,
Liban and Shabelle zones in Somali Region.
Map on the severity of needs. OCHA Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, since the onset of the crisis in Sudan, the influx of people to Ethiopia mainly through Metema and Kurmuk in the Amhara and Benishangul regions, respectively, has exceeded 80,000 people. In Amhara, a region already grappling with widespread cholera outbreak, at least 225 cases and seven cholera related deaths were confirmed at the Kumer site, which hosts close to 10,000 refugees and asylum seekers who fled the crisis in Sudan.
Protection risks are reported to be high for women and girls due to the lack of food, water and proper sheltering options.