The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and partners say they are scaling up their operations in Ethiopia’s Somali region as about 100,000 refugees arrive from Somalia.
Development Diaries reports that the refugees, most of whom are women and children, arrived in Ethiopia’s Doolo Zone in the Somali region to escape clashes and insecurity in the city of Laascaanood, in Sool region.
According to the UN refugee agency, some arrived injured, and newly arrived families are sheltering in schools and other public buildings. Others have no choice but to sleep outside.
Over 170 people have been killed and over 500 injured in Las’anod following clashes between Somaliland troops and local fighters after weeks of unrest.
Refugees are in urgent need of food, nutrition screening, water, shelter, medical care and relief items.
‘The refugees are arriving in a remote area, heavily affected by drought. It takes UNHCR teams and partners two days of driving on dry, sandy roads to reach those newly arrived from Las’anod’, UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia, Mamadou Dian Balde, said.
‘Health, schools and other services in the three areas hosting the refugees – Bokh, Galhamur and Danod – are very limited, with only one hospital, one school and two boreholes for water supply in Bokh, the operational centre of the response’.
The UN agency noted that since the refugees started arriving in early February 2023, the Ethiopian government’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) together with UNHCR and other UN and NGO partners have worked to provide them with life-saving assistance.
Source: UNHCR
Photo source: UNHCR
