(19-Feb-23) Mogadishu, Somalia – Tens of thousands of people have arrived in Ethiopia, fleeing recent clashes in Somalia. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 60,000 Somalis, mostly women and children, have fled to Ethiopia’s Somali region in the past few weeks to escape clashes and insecurity in the city of Laascaanood, in Sool region. Many of them have lost loved ones in the clashes or have been separated during flight.
Families have temporarily settled in more than 13 locations in the towns of Bookh, Galhamur and Danot Woredasiin in the Doolo zone in Ethiopia’s Somali region. The refugees are hosted in some of the areas worst hit by the drought and the impact of climate change, following five consecutive failed rainy seasons, where resources are already overstretched. Many urgently need food and nutritional support, water and sanitation facilities, as well as specialized support for people with specific needs.
In response to this sudden influx, UNHCR is working with the Ethiopian Government’s Refugees and Returnees Services (RRS) and regional authorities, together with UN and NGO partners, setting up temporary reception centers and providing immediate life-saving aid.
Inside Somalia, more than 185,000 people have been displaced from Laascaanood town and its surrounding areas since early February. According to local authorities, displaced families have settled in 66 sites within Somaliland while others have crossed into the Puntland region in northern Somalia and other villages bordering Ethiopia.
UNHCR is calling for all parties to respect the safety of civilians and for additional funding support to meet the needs of these newly displaced. The UNHCR, through its partners, is distributing relief items to 3,000 families in targeted locations and mobilizing cash assistance to reach 42,000 people for a period of three months once the security situation allows access to the area.
