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Eastern Africa: Displaced Populations Report (Issue 15, 31 March - 30 September 2013)

Countries
DR Congo
+ 13 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Nearly 750,000 people displaced since March 2013

As of September 2013, there were 9,901,158 people displaced in Burundi, (eastern) DRC, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The figures for the displaced population show an increase of 747,185 individuals since the end of March 2013. Of the total displaced population, 2,146,730 are refugees while 7,754,428 are internally displaced persons (IDPs) and people severely affected by conflict. Internal displacement trends in the eastern Africa region are largely driven by internal armed conflicts, inter-communal fighting and insecurity. In addition, the region remains prone to natural disasters, including floods and drought. IDPs arising from natural disasters are however temporary and their figures remain estimates.

DRC, Sudan and Somalia continue to record the highest number of IDPs and persons severely affected by conflict at an estimated 2.7 million, 2.9 million and 1.11 million people, respectively. The IDP population in eastern DRC increased by nearly 170,000 individuals in the last six months, during which the country’s security organs continued to battle rebellion from the M23 group and various armed groups operating in the affected region. The majority of the displaced people are located in North Kivu Province, which is home to 37 per cent (over 1 million people) of the entire IDP population in eastern DRC. Insecurity in DRC has further compelled an estimated 90,000 to flee into Burundi, Uganda, and Rwanda since April.

Somalia has recorded a notable decline in its IDP population since 2007-2012 when the IDP population was estimated at 1.4 to 1.5 million people. The reduction is attributed to improved stability, especially in the south, resulting in reduced new incidents of displacement and facilitated access for verification of displacement data.1 In Sudan, inter-communal hostilities and clashes between Sudanese security forces against armed groups left at least 400,000 people uprooted from their homes across Darfur, North and South Kordofan regions between January and June 2013. More than 1.4 million IDPs continue to receive food assistance in camps in Darfur, while another 1.1 million are displaced or severely affected by fighting in South Kordofan and Blue Nile States, according to estimates from the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SRRA). The IDP population in Ethiopia has increased by over 100,000 individuals since March, according to the International Office of Migration (IOM). Ethiopia was host to some 416,315 IDPs in September, driven largely by conflict and natural disasters, reports IOM.2 The IDP population figures in Burundi, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda remain largely unchanged as no new verification exercises were undertaken during the reporting period. However, respective governments continued efforts aimed at finding durable solutions for displaced populations.

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