Attachments
Highlights
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USAID, WFP suspend in-kind food assistance to Tigray during the month following the discovery of widespread diversion of food aid.
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In May, UNICEF provided SAM treatment to more than 16,000 acutely malnourished children younger than five in conflict-affected areas of northern Ethiopia.
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Heavy rainfall in Afar during the month led to flooding affecting more than 300,000 people, worsening the spread of ongoing communicable disease outbreaks, including measles and dengue fever.
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Escalating conflict in Gambella during the reporting period led to the closure of schools across three towns and woredas, impeding flood response efforts as the region entered its rainy season.
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During the month, UNICEF continued to provide critical assistance to more than 45,000 refugees and returnees fleeing violence in Sudan.
Situation in Numbers
31.4 million people in need (2023 HNO)
16.5 million children in need of humanitarian assistance (CSA)
4.51 million Internally Displaced People (IDPs)
916,436 total refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR, 31 May 2023)
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) 2023 Appeal requires US$ 674.3 million to meet the critical humanitarian needs of children, adolescents, women, and men in Ethiopia. Including US$ 50.9 million in funds carried over from 2022, only US$ 129.3 million has been received towards the appeal to date, representing only 19 per cent of the required needs to reach children and their families with critical lifesaving and life-sustaining support. Within the appeal, funding dedicated to the response in northern Ethiopia has been budgeted at US$ 255.7 million and fully incorporated into the HAC. Furthermore, another US$ 345.4 million within the HAC has been dedicated to responding to the severe drought that has impacted more than 24 million people across four regions. UNICEF continues to appeal for support to close the remaining gaps and to ensure that children and their caregivers receive lifesaving support in 2023 and beyond. Since the beginning of 2023, UNICEF has been able to mobilize US$ 37.7 million for the Northern Ethiopia Response Plan and US$ 42.7 million for the drought response.
UNICEF expresses its sincere gratitude to the many donors who have already provided critical support towards UNICEF’s HAC, including the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Germany, Japan / Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Ireland, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), UK Aid / Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) / Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), and private sector donor contributions through UNICEF National Committees.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
The discovery of the widespread diversion of in-kind food aid in Tigray Region in April prompted USAID and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to temporarily suspend the provision of food assistance to the region in early May. The pause comes despite the fact that more than 20 million conflict and drought-affected people in Ethiopia remain in dire need of food assistance, according to the country’s 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). In mid-May, host community and internally displaced populations (IDPs) in Tigray’s Mekelle and Shire woredas demonstrated against the suspension, calling on humanitarian agencies and government partners to resume the distribution of food aid to critically food insecure communities. Humanitarian actors have expressed concern that the lack of food assistance will likely result in a sharp increase in acute malnutrition rates throughout the region, placing an additional financial and logistical burden on UNICEF to provide greater quantities of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and other essential health treatments to meet the increase in nutrition needs. Despite increased humanitarian access to vulnerable conflict-affected populations in Tigray since the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) in November 2022, malnutrition rates remain high in the region, as people continue to struggle to meet their daily food needs. Preliminary findings from the February Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) in the region found that rates of global acute malnutrition (GAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were 26 per cent and 3.1 per cent, respectively, while approximately half of the region’s pregnant and lactating women (PLW) were found to be acutely malnourished. Additionally, the Tigray Regional Health Bureau (RHB) indicated that between March and April—when the diversion of food aid was first reported—there was a 28 per cent increase in the number of children younger than five years of age dying from acute malnutrition.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in Afar Region in mid-May led to flooding that affected more than 300,000 people across the region. To meet the resulting needs of host communities and tens of thousands of IDPs, humanitarian actors have responded with emergency shelter and WASH support, including through water trucking and the provision of non-food items (NFIs); however, the response remains insufficient to date. Flooding has impacted the operations of dozens of schools and health facilities, as well as more than 20 water schemes in the region, limiting the ability of communities to access education services, primary healthcare, and safe drinking water. Additionally, flooding likely exacerbated the spread of ongoing communicable disease outbreaks in the region, including measles and dengue fever, the latter having affected more than 4,000 people as of the end of May. In Gambella Region, escalating conflict during the month complicated UNICEF efforts to respond to flood-affected communities, where the onset of the rainy season has led to flooding that has damaged infrastructure throughout the region, including roads, health facilities, and water schemes. The increase in intercommunal clashes has led to at least five deaths, displaced nearly 1,000 people, and destroyed more than 100 homes in Itang woreda. In addition, fighting led to the closure of schools in Gambella and Itang woredas, preventing nearly 650 children from attending school for more than two weeks. As a result of both conflict and flooding, UNICEF and its government and non-government organization (NGO) partners estimate that more than 5,000 people from the host community and IDP populations in the region will require emergency shelter, WASH, nutrition, and education assistance in the coming months.
During the reporting period, UNICEF continued to provide health, nutrition, and protection assistance to more than 45,000 refugees, Ethiopian returnees, and third-country nationals fleeing conflict in neighbouring Sudan. Throughout the month, between 700 and 1000 people per day were crossing through the point of entry (PoE) in Amhara Region’s Metema woreda, approximately 60 per cent of whom were Ethiopian returnees while 28 per cent were Sudanese or Eritrean refugees. While most of the arrivals are transiting through Metema and relocating to other parts of Ethiopia, with support from humanitarian agencies, nearly 6,500 people are staying in Metema, 1,300 of whom have been provided with temporary shelter. Separately, in Benishangul Gumuz Region, nearly 1,000 refugees had crossed through the PoE in Kurmuk woreda, while an additional 8,000 Ethiopian returnees had crossed into the region via the Guba border crossing in Metekel Zone, as of 30 May. At all entry points hosting refugees and returnees, there are critical needs that have yet to be addressed, including the provision of tents and plastic sheeting for Mobile Health and Nutrition Teams (MHNTs) and reception centers, access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services, and the establishment of a sustainable supply of safe drinking water. These resources are essential to ensuring the well-being and protection of those who have sought refuge in or returned to Ethiopia during this challenging time.