Ethiopia: Flash Update #1: Displacement in North Wello and Wag Hamra Zones, Amhara Region, As of 19 April 2024

This update is prepared by UNOCHA with the support and collaboration of IASC cluster coordinators and partners. Further updates will be provided, as needed. Boundaries, names and designations of districts/zones indicated in the narration in the report do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. Please contact ocha-ethcommunication@un.org for any comment or question you may have on this publication.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Nearly 29,000 people have been displaced from the rural towns of Alamata in the north of Ethiopia to neighbouring Kobo district of North Wello Zone and Sekota Town of Wag Hamra zone due to escalating violence in recent days.
  • Reports indicate the situation is fluid, therefore this number could rise.
  • A serious food and water shortage requires urgent, lifesaving assistance.
  • Families sheltering in open areas need urgent protection.
    Due to a lack of resources by partners, the only response provided so far is informal contributions from community members for food and water for the most vulnerable.
  • Multi-sectoral support, including sanitation, shelter and non-food items, health, protection and nutrition response are urgent.
  • The Ethiopia Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC) dispatched a team to the area today.
  • OCHA is following up with IASC partners, including the HCT and ICCG to ensure a timely response.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

On 13 and 14 April 2024, armed clashes occurred in Alamata Town, and Raya Alamata, Zata and Ofla woredas. An undetermined number of casualties were reported, while nearly 29,000 civilians reportedly fled towards Kobo, North Wollo Zone (23,000 people) and Sekota, Wag Hamra Zone (5,980 people), mainly women and children (an estimated 70 per cent), youth, and elderly.

As of 19 April, the security situation in Alamata, Woldiya and Kobo towns is reportedly calm following intervention of federal forces, though some skirmishes continue to be reported in rural areas of Raya Alamata. The road between Alamata and Kobo has been re-opened and commercial transport resumed, as well as public services such as banks, gradually.

Most of the displaced populations have sought refuge within the host community, while others took shelter in an industrial site that remains under construction in an area called Gara Lencha, some three kilometres away from Kobo Town. The site is an open area, and therefore presents major protection challenges in addition to health concerns due to lack of sanitation and exposure to the elements.