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Ethiopia continues to experience conflict: UNICEF

Ethiopia continues to experience ongoing conflict, large-scale displacement, and multiple disease outbreaks, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.

The UNICEF said in its latest Ethiopia humanitarian situation report issued late Thursday that the humanitarian situation in the East African country, mainly attributed to ongoing conflicts and disease outbreaks, has been further worsened due to climate-related shocks.

“Most recently, this has been compounded by flooding as a result of El Nino, all of which are having a profound impact on vulnerable individuals, particularly children,” the UNICEF said.

It said the flooding has severely affected over 1.5 million people across parts of southeastern Ethiopia, displacing over 600,000 people, causing the deaths of 57 people and thousands of livestock, as well as damaging and destroying infrastructure and crops.

According to UNICEF, heavy rains in the Somali region has led to flooding that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and has also left many communities trapped due to excessive flood waters.

Amid the continuing dire humanitarian situation caused by multiple natural and man-made calamities, UNICEF said funding shortfall is hampering its humanitarian response to address the mounting humanitarian needs across the country.

UNICEF said its 674.3 million U.S. dollars Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) 2023 Appeal for Ethiopia remains 72 percent unfunded.

Out of the total appeal of 674.3 million U.S. dollars, including 255.7 million U.S. dollars for the Northern Ethiopia response and 345.4 million U.S. dollars for the drought response, only 28 percent of the total funding requirement is available to date, it said.

“UNICEF continues to appeal for critical funding to meet the humanitarian needs of children, adolescents, women, and men in Ethiopia,” it said.