Ethiopia: UN Refugee Chief Calls for Humanitarian Response

On Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi called for urgent and additional support to meet humanitarian responses for refugees who arrived in Ethiopia after fleeing war and conflicts in neighboring countries.

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Addressing journalists on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Grandi said the refugee crisis in Ethiopia and Sudan has been sidelined and poorly funded by international aid organizations, especially after the Ukraine and Gaza crisis.

"The international community cannot turn its back on the humanitarian response and dire situations in Sudan and Ethiopia that are highly affected by conflicts and internal displacements," Grandi said.

According to Grandi, nearly 8 million people have fled Sudan to neighboring countries since the war broke out in Sudan in April 2023; Grandi also blamed the military generals for failing to reach an agreement and end the sufferings of the Sudanese people.

He added that since April 2023, over 100,000 people have fled to Ethiopia from Sudan, including nearly 47,000 refugees and asylum-seekers.

"I heard stories of heartbreaking loss of family, friends, homes and livelihoods, yet in the midst of this despair, I also saw refugees' determination to move forward, if given the support and opportunity," said Grandi.

The refugees have expressed fear over the security situations in their countries, and they are not willing to return to their countries in the near future, he said. "Without further donor support, it will be extremely difficult to deliver the much-needed help to those who need it most."

He said newly-arrived Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia are being relocated away from the border areas to new settlements in Benishangul-Gumuz, a regional state of Ethiopia, where the government, UNHCR and other partners are working to support the inclusion of refugees into national systems.

Ethiopia is one of six neighboring countries that continue to receive people fleeing Sudan. Grandi expressed appreciation to the Ethiopian government and local communities for allocating land and welcoming refugees, despite the country's own challenges such as drought and security problems.

"Ethiopia's continued generosity to the displaced ... is commendable and should be matched with even greater support from the international community," he said.

As the third largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, Ethiopia is currently home to nearly 1 million refugees, mainly from neighboring countries including South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan, according to a UNHCR statement.

Grandi said that several other regions in Ethiopia are witnessing an increasing influx of refugees such as the Somali region receiving refugees from the Laascaanood area of neighboring Somalia fleeing due to conflict, the effects of El Niño, and recent floods.

In 2024, the overall requirements for UNHCR's response in Ethiopia totals some 426 million U.S. dollars, said the UN agency.