Source: Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
Website: http:/
Internal displacement due to conflict occurs in different parts of Ethiopia. It is caused mainly by ethnic tensions exacerbated by the government’s regionalisation policy along ethnic lines, tight political control from the centre, and widespread resource shortages in a chronically food-insecure country. In the absence of a coherent approach to internally displaced persons (IDPs), estimates of displacement vary from 100,000 to 280,000, including some 60,000 drought IDPs. This report considers the displacement situations in the four regions of Tigray, Somali, Oromiya and Gambella. Drought displacement and the national resettlement scheme are mentioned as well.
There is no official line on who is an IDP and official recognition of IDPs is politically sensitive. While the displaced in some regions, such as Tigray and parts of Gambella, are said to be integrated in the government’s food-for-work programme or receive food aid, many displaced are currently not recognised as such, which puts them in danger of being excluded from national food distribution schemes and the required protection. The current drought affecting the south and east of Ethiopia is again diverting attention from the plight of IDPs. Political volatility as occurred after the May 2005 parliamentary elections and tensions along the Ethiopian-Eritrean border could easily cause additional displacement.
Read full Overview and Internal Displacement Profile at IDMC’s website www.internal-displacement.org
Source: NRC, April 27, 2006
