Situational Analysis of Internally Displaced People in Drought-Affected Regions of Ethiopia, June-2022

BACKGROUND

Ethiopia is experiencing one of the most severe La Niña-induced droughts in the last forty years following four consecutive failed rainy seasons since late 2020. More than 8 million pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in Somali (3.5 million), Oromia (3.4 million), SNNP (1 million) and South-West (more than 15,000 people) regions are currently affected by the drought, of which more than 7.2 million people need food assistance and 4.4 million people need water assistance (UNOCHA, 06/03/2022).

The drought situation is not expected to improve rapidly due to the high probability of a fourth consecutive failed rains forecasted for 2022. During the drought season, harvests have yielded little and water sources dried up. Subsequent food shortages are putting millions of Ethiopians at risk of malnutrition, while poor access to water is leading to hygiene and sanitation issues, gravely threatening public health (HelpAge, 2021).

Source: iMMAP