IOM appeals for $40m to assist 1.6 million IDPs in Ethiopia

July 19, 2021 (ADDIS ABABA) – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued as an urgent appeal for $40 million to assist at least 1.6 million internally displaced men, women and children in Northern Ethiopia.

The displaced, IOM said, desperately need life-saving assistance like water, medicine and shelter.

Since the outbreak of the conflict eight months ago in Ethiopia’s Tigray Regional State, millions of people are enduring unimaginable suffering, including forced displacement, hunger, death, and destruction of private and public property.

In Tigray, IOM said it has been providing support to more than half a million people, including displaced children, women, men, and vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and persons with disabilities. This includes shelter and provision of essential items such as food, water, clothing, medicine and supplies for babies, as well as sanitation and hygiene services.

IOM has also been supporting camp coordination and management efforts, providing mental health care to those in need, and producing Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) reports to shed light on the evolving situation.

The agency, however, said nearly $70 million is urgently needed to respond to the needs of internally displaced populations in northern Ethiopia, but only $28.7 million has been received this year.

“The nearly two million people displaced by this crisis continue to live in inhumane and undignified conditions and require critical and urgent support,” said Maureen Achieng, IOM Chief of Mission to Ethiopia.

In partnership and coordination with other UN agencies, IOM said it is committed to delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance, to continue reaching people in need.

An estimated 5.2 million people in Tigray are food insecure, require assistance and are at risk of famine, aid agencies say.

(ST)