HIGHLIGHTS

• Over 45,000 IDPs in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in Central Gondar.

• The level of humanitarian needs in 2019 expected to remain similar to 2018.

• UNHCR notes spontaneous movement of South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia.

• PM Abiy discusses with Western Wollega zone community. Urges the community to nurture a culture of dialogue in solving problems.

Over 45,000 IDPs in need of immediate humanitarian assistance in Central Gondar

A spate of violence in central and western Gondar zones of Amhara Regional state has left thousands of displaced people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Upon request from the Regional Disaster Prevention and Food Security Coordination Office (RDPFSPCO), the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) is dispatching supplies to over 45,000 IDPs in and around central Gondar. The commission has started dispatching 851 metric ton of relief food items consisting of cereals (wheat and rice), CSB, oil and the amount requested for non-food items consisting of consisting 20 tents, 8,000 plastic sheets,18,369 blankets and 73,474 different utenslis. The commission is working with RDPFSPCO to provide similar kind of assistance to people who were displaced in western Gondar. An NDRMC team arrived in Bahir Dar, the regional capital, on 18 February to closely monitor the situation and facilitate coordinated assistance to the affected people.

ETB 35 million allocated by the region, but needs surpass regional capacity

On 13 February 2019, the Amhara Regional Government stated that the region has allocated ETB 35 million to respond to the needs of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the region. However, addressing the needs of the growing number of IDPs is now far beyond the capacity of the region, according to Ato Asemahegn Asres, Head of the Regional Government Communication Affairs Office who called on the support of humanitarian partners and the community at large to provide in-kind and financial assistance. A regional task force is set up to lead resource mobilization efforts and a bank account has been opened for this purpose.

Overall more than 80,000 displaced in the region

Regional reports indicate more than 80,000 people are displaced throughout the region.

Although recent inter-communal conflicts in areas bordering Northern Gondar zone and Tigrai regions contributed to the sudden spike in the number of IDPs in the region; displaced people in the region also come from Oromia (Buno Bedele, Jimma, Nekemt and Kelem Wellega zones), Benishangul Gumz (Kemash zone), SNNP (Bench Maji zone) and Somali regions since October 2017. Overall, the IDPs lack adequate access to basic services such as food, water and sanitation, education, health, shelter and livelihoods.