Funding gap hampers response to critical needs of Somali refugees in Ethiopia: UNHCR

Addis Ababa, June 9, 2023 (FBC) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says Ethiopia is facing multiple emergencies amid critical levels of underfunding with new and ongoing Somali refugees fleeing to the country.

Ethiopia is struggling to keep up with the ever-growing needs of refugees across the country, UNHCR has stated.

Two months since the launch of an interagency refugee response appeal to help Somali refugees fleeing to Ethiopia since February, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and humanitarian partners have received only 2 per cent of dedicated funds for requirements totaling $116 million, it added.

UNHCR says that an estimated 100,000 people have fled ongoing conflict and violence in their homes in Laascaanood, a once bustling city in the Somaliland area of Somalia.

It states, Families, women, children, older people and people with disabilities have fled with only what they could carry after shelling and explosions destroyed their homes and forced them to seek safety in Ethiopia’s Doolo Zone.

Over 20,000 Somali refugees have been relocated by the Ethiopian government and UNHCR with the support of partners to a new site in Mirqaan, where services including water distribution, emergency shelter and sanitation are being provided.

The Ethiopian government’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) is conducting individual biometric registration with support from UNHCR.

The recent influx means Ethiopia is now hosting nearly 1 million refugees, but its generosity has not been matched by sufficient funding. “UNHCR continues to appeal to the international community for support for the thousands of Somali refugees who have already suffered from conflict and violence. We can’t forget them and the generous communities who have opened their doors,” said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia.