Skip to main content

Ethiopia: Gedeo-West Guji, Displacement Crisis, Situation update No.7, 17 August 2018

Countries
Ethiopia
Sources
Govt. Ethiopia
+ 1 more
Publication date

Highlights

  • The Government and partners have taken several measures to enhance response coordination and to boost response capacity at site level. Two Emergency Operation Centers (E0Cs) were established in Dilla Town in Gedeo zone and in Bule Hora Town in West Guji zone. -Federal and regional authorities are working on finding a lasting solution to the IDP crisis in Gedeo and West Guji zones.
  • Government and partners have been scaling up response over the last month, but funding gap remains high.

I. Displacement overview

In recognition to the need for urgent scaled-up multi-sector response and based on a working scenario of the dis-placement situation continuing for at least the next six months, the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) and humanitarian partners had released a multi-sector Response Plan on 22 June 2018, targeting 818,250 people displaced (IDPs) by the Gedeo-West Guji violence at a cost of US$117.7 million. The Plan aims to address life-saving needs of the IDPs, ensure dignified temporary living condi-tions, mitigate/prepare for potential public health outbreaks, including measles and acute watery diarrhea (AWD) and ensure protection for vulnerable groups.

The planning figure has changed since the release of the response plan. As of 14 August 2018, the number of IDPs has reduced to a total of 694,327 persons (106,135 HHs) in Gedeo zone. The IDPs are spread across Bule, Dilla Zuria, Kochere, Gedeb, Wanago, Yirgachefe woredas and Dilla and Yirgachefe Towns.

In West Guji zone, zonal authorities confirmed that there are at least 189,010 people (33,394 HH) at 43 collective sites and 18 host communities. The IDPs are spread across Abaya, Birbirsa Kojowa, Bule Hora, Gelana, Hambela Wamena and Kercha woredas.

The Government of Ethiopia is working on finding a lasting solution to the IDP crisis in Gedeo and West Guji zones. For this, the Aba Gadas (traditional leaders) from both West Guji (Oromia) and Gedeo (SNNP) zones, have continued convening a series of peace and reconciliation conferences since 28 July to initiate a voluntary return of IDPs to their places of origin. On 10 August 2018, NDRMC confirmed that all returns will respect humanitarian principles of safety,

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.