OCHA Situation Report
Ethiopia
23 July 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ASYLUM SEEKERS IN BORENA ZONE, OROMIYA REGION

Asylum seekers in Borena zone, Oromiya Region are in urgent need of food 
and other assistance. According to preliminary reports by the belg 
assessment team that visited the area from 20 June to 14 July, the 
living condition of the asylum seekers is deteriorating with reports of 
deaths and malnutrition. There has been influx of Kenyan Boranas to Dire 
woreda of Borana Zone, following clashes between Borana and Gabra clans 
in Northern Kenya two years ago. Approximately 2,500 asylum seekers have 
currently settled in Magado and Dillo kebeles in Dire woreda. Their 
situation is further exacerbated by the failure of this recent Ganna 
rains in the area. A meeting between ARRA, UNHCR, WFP and OCHA was held 
on 20 July that agreed on the urgent need to send food assistance to the 
asylum seekers. UNHCR and ARRA will write a joint letter shortly 
requesting WFP to release food for the asylum seekers. In addition, a 
mission comprised of UNHCR and ARRA will soon depart to the area to 
closely monitor the situation. For more information contact: 
ocha-eth@un.org

FLOOD PREPARATION AND RESPONSE UPDATE

Approximately 1, 255 households have been displaced in Mille Woreda, 
Zone 1 due to the overflow of the Awash River, according to the Afar 
National Regional State Disaster Prevention and Food Security Bureau. In 
response to a regional request for assistance, the federal Disaster 
Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA) has allocated supplementary 
food and plastic sheets to the displaced population. Transportation and 
distribution of the items will begin shortly. The region has also 
deployed two teams to the middle and lower Awash river Basin to alert 
populations at risk of flooding to take precautionary measures, 
including temporarily moving to safer grounds.

In Somali Region, the DPPA and WFP have agreed to pre-position 
approximately 726 tons of food (cereal, blended food, oil and pulses) in 
Gode zone as part of preparedness measures in the event of flooding. 
Pre-positioning of food to other flood-prone areas, such as South Omo 
zone and Gambella region is also under discussion. Meanwhile, 
Contingency Planning preparation is ongoing. For more information 
contact: wfp.addisababa@wfp.org and ocha-eth@un.org

SOMALI REGION FOOD ASSISTANCE

Emergency food assistance is ongoing in Afder, Liben and Shinile zones 
of Somali Region. Furthermore, recent reports indicate that the regional 
president has announced that emergency food assistance will be 
immediately released for Fik, Gode, Warder, Degehabur and korahe, which 
are under military operation. Contact: wfp.addisababa@wfp.org

ACUTE WATERY DIARRHOEA UPDATE

A total of 62 woredas from the six AWD-affected regions continue to 
report cases. During the week six new woredas were affected - four in 
Oromiya (Mayu, Golaoda and Girawa in East Harerge Zone and Shakiso in 
Guji Zone ) and two in Afar (Elidar in Zone one and Awra in Zone four). 
The situation in Afar region has been aggravated by pastoral seasonal 
migration in search of grazing land and large numbers of commercial 
migrant workers coming for the cotton harvest. Shortage of health 
professionals and lack of public awareness are among the major barriers 
in the response. Nationwide, the disease continues to spread rapidly due 
to inadequate water supply and sanitation and poor hygiene practices. In 
an effort to combat the disease emphasis should be given to water and 
sanitation interventions and community education, enhancing a 
multi-sectoral approach that involves Ministry of Health, Ministry of 
Water resources, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information and 
Communication. WHO has allocated US$200,000 to Regional Heath Bureaus in 
the affected regions and US$30,000 to the Federal Ministry of Health to 
support the preparedness and response to the AWD epidemic. Meanwhile on 
17 July, the Oromiya Regional Health bureau convened a meeting with 
humanitarian partners on the ground to discuss the way forward in 
effectively addressing the on-going AWD epidemic.  For more information 
contact: who-wro@et.afro.who.int

BELG/GU ASSESSMENT TEAM DE-BRIEFED

A debriefing of the findings from the belg/gu assessment teams was held 
on Tuesday, 17 July. The team presented regional reports on the 
emergency needs assessment in belg/gu producing and pastoral areas of 
the country. The assessment has been completed in all regions except for 
the Somali Region, which has been delayed due to security constraints, 
although it is nearly completed in six zones. Areas of concern 
identified in the preliminary findings include lowland parts of East and 
West Hararghe, Oromiya Region, pocket areas of Amhara Region and zone 2 
and 4 in Afar Region. Emerging needs from these regions will be 
addressed through the verification assessment in line with the new 
approach. For more information contact: ocha-eth@un.org

RELOCATION OF SOMALI REFUGEES

UNHCR relocated 1,549 Somali refugees from a makeshift shelter at 
Kebribeyah to the reopened Teferi Ber camp, 72 Km from Jijiga, between 
the 13th -19th of July. However, this is just part of the 4,000 Somali 
refugees who have recently been granted refugee status by UNHCR and the 
government's Authority for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA). 
Approximately 500 people are being relocated every three days until all 
4,000 refugees have been moved. This group of refugees fled the renewed 
conflict in strife-torn south and central Somalia over the last year. 
An estimated 7,000 additional Somalis, who also claim to have fled 
fighting and insecurity in Somalia, are waiting to be screened in 
Haritsheik, in eastern Ethiopia. For more information contact: 
gegziabk@unhcr.org

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