ACAPS Thematic Report: Ethiopia – Northern Ethiopia crisis: The humanitarian situation one year into the conflict, 03 November 2021

Conflict broke out in November 2020 in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia, between Tigrayan forces and Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and its allies. One year later, the humanitarian situation is extremely dire and continues to deteriorate. The complex circumstances have made humanitarian response very difficult, and the needs of the population continue to increase.

Access constraints have changed in nature but have persisted throughout the conflict, with varying levels of fighting, insecurity, bureaucratic, and logistical issues impacting the ability to deliver aid. The crisis has resulted in widespread displacement, civilian casualties and alarming reports of atrocities against civilians, and critical levels of food insecurity across the region.

Although gaps in data exist, humanitarian needs across northern Ethiopia are high, with an estimated 5.2 million people expected to be in need of humanitarian assistance (equivalent to 91% of the 5.7 million estimated total pre-conflict population of Tigray).

As at June, estimates indicated that around two million people have been displaced across Tigray, with high numbers located in Adigrat, Adwa, Axum, Mekele, Sheraro, and Shire. The spread of the conflict beyond Tigray has led to increasing needs and internal displacements in Amhara and Afar regions, although the total IDP figure is challenging to establish. Nearly 50,000 Ethiopians have fled the conflict to eastern Sudan.

Intermittent and absent communications (telephone and internet), electricity, and banking services throughout much of the conflict, as well as the lack of fuel and cash, have hindered the ability to adequately respond to people in need and collect data on those in need, creating significant information gaps. Simultaneously, the information landscape has been tightly controlled, politicised, and limited by all parties to the conflict. The lack of up-to-date information continues to prevent a comprehensive understanding of the situation and has serious repercussions on humanitarian response.

On 2 November, the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) declared a national state of emergency to be in place for the next six months. The implications for the needs of the population, humanitarian operations, and the conflict are unknown.

Source: Assessment Capacities Project