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UNICEF Ethiopia Humanitarian Situation Report #11 – Reporting Period: December 2016

Countries
Ethiopia
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Sources
UNICEF
Publication date

Highlights:

  • In December 2016, UNICEF has deployed 60 water trucks in Oromia Region to benefit an estimated 120,000 people with access to safe water.
    UNICEF has also dispatched US$650,000 worth of household and community-level water treatment chemicals to different regions; and supported the rehabilitation and maintenance of sustainable water supply systems, which together benefitted around 700,000 people.

  • Between January and October 2016, 271,927 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were admitted to the national Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) Programme. Out of these, 21,667 children (8 per cent) had complications and were admitted to in-patient care.

  • In response to the new influx of South Sudanese refugees, UNICEF supported the Regional Health Bureau of Gambella to vaccinate 23,543 children between 0 to 15 years and 21,863 children between 6 months and 14 years against polio and measles, respectively.

  • UNICEF reached more than 695,000 people with basic hygiene messages on acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) prevention and control in Oromia, SNNP and Somali regions.

SITUATION IN NUMBERS

9.7 million people require relief food assistance in 2016. (HRD, August 2016).

420,000 children are expected to require treatment for SAM in 2016. (HRD, August 2016)

3.9 million people require access to safe drinking water. (HRD, August 2016)

There are 783,401 refugees in Ethiopia. (UNHCR, November 2016).

UNICEF requires US$124 million for its humanitarian work in 2016, including US$115.5 million for the drought response and US$8.5 million for refugee programming.

Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs

The Meher harvest from November 2016 has improved the food security situation in many parts of the country. The National Disaster Risk Management Commission reports that, as a result of good seasonal rains from June to September 2016, the number of people requiring food aid in 2017 has decreased to 5.6 million people as compared to 10.2 million people at the beginning of 2016. However, in many other areas where rains (June to September 2016) were poor and where the effects of the El Niño drought were severe, effects will continue to negatively impact millions of poor households. On the other hand, the effects of the negative Indian Ocean Dipole led to serious water shortfalls in Somali and parts of Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNP). In the coming months, these areas will require an extensive humanitarian response as the regions progress into the dry season. The next seasonal rains in these pastoral areas are expected in April 2017. The Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) which indicates humanitarian needs for 2017 is expected to be released in January 2017.

In Afar, early cessation of the Karma rains (June to September) plus poor and erratic distribution in some areas of the region led to water shortages in Chifra (zone 1), Awra and Gulina (zone 4) and Telalak (zone 5). There are reports of abnormal livestock migration within and out of the region to neighbouring Amhara and Tigray regions. Milk production has also reduced and could not cover household consumptions needs.

The acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) situation in the country is improving in most affected regions as a result of coordinated response, extensive hygiene and sanitation promotion interventions and strengthened surveillance.

Addis Ababa, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Dire Dawa and Gambella reported zero cases for more than four weeks.

In Oromia, the AWD outbreak is contained in most areas except in East and West Hararghe zones. However, the situation in Somali (still badly affected), SNNP, Afar and Tigray is of concern with regard to further outbreaks. The Government and humanitarian partners are further strengthening their AWD interventions in these regions.

Scabies outbreak is currently spreading to SNNP and Oromia while Amhara and Tigray continue to report cases. In SNNP, 82 out of 148 woredas (55 per cent) are affected while the East and West Hararghe zones reported new scabies cases in 10 woredas. Partners’ interventions are ongoing.
Preliminary reports indicate that some 23,764 families in Afar, Oromia, SNNP and Somali regions urgently require non-food items (NFIs) as they are displaced due to drought and conflict. Humanitarian partners are working on prioritization to distribute the required items including shelter materials, kitchen sets, blankets and sleeping mats.

UNICEF, in partnership with the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) is preparing to send 11,780 NFI kits for immediate distribution. In Ethiopia, it is estimated that there are more than 718,000 internally displaced people (130,000 households) due to flood, drought and conflict.
Ethiopia is hosting the largest refugee population in Africa with a total of 783,401 refugees as of November 2016.

South Sudanese refugees constitute the largest group (41.9 per cent), with 328,145 residing in Gambella and Benishangul-Gumuz regions. They are followed by Somali (31.4 per cent), Eritrean (20.7 per cent) and Sudanese (5.1 per cent) refugees. Since September 2016, following renewed conflicts, 54,033 South Sudanese have arrived in Ethiopia. Of these new refugees, 51,984 were registered and relocated to Jewi, Kule, Ngyenyyiel and Tierkidi camps in Gambella.