Refugee Update
Tigray Region continues to receive new refugees from Eritrea, with an estimated 200 refugees registered in the past week. Although the rate of arrival has slightly decreased following the surge seen in March - when 1,480 refugees were registered - reports indicate that more are expected to arrive. Given this arrival trend and existing camps quickly reaching full capacity, UNHCR and the Government Refugee Agency, ARRA, are expediting the development of the fourth camp in the area. The new camp has a capacity to accommodate 20,000 people.
In western Ethiopia, an estimated 7,000 additional people arrived in Gambella’s Wanthowa woreda since 20 February, according to reports from local authorities. The new arrivals cite renewed insecurity in South Sudan’s Jonglei State as their reason for flight. The report is subject to verification. An earlier caseload of some 16,000 South Sudanese refugees currently live in host communities in Wanthowa woreda. UNHCR and ARRA will relocate 6,000 of the refugees to Pugnido camp in the coming weeks, while the remaining group, most of whom keep livestock, will be relocated once a new camp is established near their current location. Pending the relocation, the refugees will receive a one-time ration of food assistance through WFP. The food supply is already dispatched to Wanthowa.
Meanwhile, in Somali Region, the number of new refugee arrivals to the Dollo Ado reception center remains relatively low. A total of 124 refugees were registered during the past week, bringing the total registered in April to an estimated 400 people. Most of the new arrivals originate from Bay, Gedo and Bakol Districts of Somalia.
The onset of the seasonal rains in March and the associated seasonal agricultural activities are possible reasons for the low arrival rate, in addition to heavy rains which may impact the mobility of the population. Following the high rate of refugee arrivals seen at the beginning of 2013, only 1,987 refugees were registered in March a drop from 3,654 in January and 4,726 in February. At present, some 193,600 refugees are hosted in the five camps in the Dollo Ado area. Overall, Ethiopia hosts over 394,000 refugees from neighboring countries, mainly from Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. For more information, contact: gegziabk@unhcr.org