Climate Shocks Exacerbate Effects of Violence in Ethiopia

In a report issued on Thursday, the Global Protection Cluster (GCP), which encompasses various international NGOs and United Nations agencies, called for concerted efforts to find durable solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia.

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"The effects of ongoing conflict and inter-communal violence have been exacerbated by climate shocks, including erratic rainfalls and devastating drought, reportedly the worst in 40 years," the GCP report reads.

Noting that Ethiopia is highly dependent on rain-fed agriculture and natural resources, the protection analysis emphasized that this African country is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Following three consecutive failed rainy seasons since 2020, Ethiopia faces one of the most severe droughts, with over than 8 million people affected.

The Global Protection Cluster emphasized that affected communities' living conditions are negatively impacted on a large scale due to rapid deterioration of livelihoods, opportunities and capacities, which was compounded by a volatile security environment which hinders the humanitarian effort to stop, or at least mitigate, the resultant human suffering.

The report highlights five protection risks ranging from attacks on civilians and on civilian infrastructure; gender and conflict-related sexual violence; denial of resources, opportunities and services; family and child separation; as well as deprivation of liberty.

The report, among other things, called for increased protection of civilians, investigation of all credible allegations of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, strengthened civil-military coordination and a scale-up of protection monitoring and family tracing activities.

Earlier this month, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) also disclosed that drought conditions across Ethiopia have left more than 7.2 million pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in four regions of Ethiopia in need of food aid.