Humanitarian situation in Ethiopia remains complex: UNHCR

The humanitarian situation across Ethiopia's conflict-hit northern region remains complex, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.

In its latest Northern Ethiopia emergency update report, the UN agency said there were 2.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), more than 240,000 returnees and 94,140 refugees and asylum seekers in the Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Over 15 months into the conflict, the overall security situation remains complex and fluid, hindering effective delivery of life-saving assistance to the most affected populations," the UNHCR said.

According to the UNHCR, the spillover of the conflict affecting the three northern Ethiopian regions has brought an "undue burden to the civilian population that continues to endure the conflict with minimal basic services and assistance".

Humanitarian needs have risen dramatically, with more than 9.4 million people in urgent need of food and other aid, it said.

Authorities in the Amhara and Afar reported more than 250,000 and 293,000 displaced populations, respectively, this year.

The UNHCR stressed that fighting has continued in Afar's Abala area, eventually blocking the only supply road access to Mekelle, Tigray's capital city.

The Agency has provided core relief items to 113,000 displaced individuals in Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions since January 2022.

It also said it only received 13 per cent of the $205.4 million it wants to finance its emergency operations in Ethiopia in 2022, with a funding gap reaching $178.7 million.

The Ethiopian government on March 24 announced an indefinite humanitarian ceasefire in its conflict with rebels in the Tigray region.

The next day, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a rebel group, also announced that it had "cautiously" agreed to a ceasefire.