CAIRO, July 24th (SEE) - The UN Migration Agency (IOM) on Tuesday launched an appeal for $22.2 million to respond to the internal displacement crisis in Ethiopia’s Gedeo (SNNPR region) and West Guji (Oromia region) zones.
Since April 2018, some 970,000 people have fled their homes due to fighting between communities along the border of the two regions; the vast majority were displaced in June alone.
“Leaving with what little they could carry and typically losing these possessions on their journey to safety, the displaced communities in Gedeo and West Guji are in great need of humanitarian support to help them get through Ethiopia’s cold and rainy season,” William Lacy Swing, the IOM Director General said.
“The international community must rally for the people and Government of Ethiopia. Some partners have already begun to do so, and we thank them, but the current funding levels for a sudden onset crisis of this scale – nearly one million people displaced such a short period of time – are nowhere near acceptable,” Swing added.
Since June, IOM has been scaling up its response in Gedeo and West Guji.
However, urgent funding is required to continue to provide life-saving assistance.
The IOM appeal outlines funding requirements for the next six months in line with the Government’s West Guji-Gedeo response plan.
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