Southwestern Ethiopia: 30 Refugees Die of Hunger, Malnutrition

On Wednesday evening, the state-backed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said that thirty refugees have died in Ethiopia's southwestern region of Gambela due to hunger and malnutrition.

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According to a EHRC press release, the refugees died while leaving their camps in search of food.

Official data shows that Gambela Region has hosted tens of thousands of South Sudanese refugees who have fled civil conflict since 2013.

In recent months, the region has also provided shelter to thousands of Sudanese refugees escaping the ongoing fighting that erupted in mid-April.

In June, the World Food Program of the United Nations announced the suspension of most food aid programs in Ethiopia, citing large-scale aid misappropriation.

Furthermore, the EHRC also noted that the cessation of food aid, coupled with the lack of nutritionally adequate food for children, is contributing to a malnutrition crisis, particularly affecting children.

The UN agency estimated that more than 20 million people in Ethiopia, affected by ongoing drought and conflict, are in urgent need of humanitarian food assistance.