Somalis exodus to Ethiopia

The current crisis in Somalia has led to a mass exodus, putting pressure on Ethiopia to cope with the influx.

According to a United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) report, 100 Somalis per day have been arriving at border towns of Ethiopia, prompting the Government and donors to establish a new refugee camp.

The unstable situation in Somalia has also led an increased refugee inflow to the already existing camps close to Jijiga in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia, the report said.

The harsh situation in Somalia has meant about 100 refugees per day have been screened by the Ethiopian immigration authorities before being registered by the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Camp located in Dollo Ado of Somali region.

The high rate of inflow and the congestion at the existing camps forced UNHCR to construct new camps to host the new arrivals, the report reads.

The Somalia crisis has erupted again following the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops that opened space for the al-Shabab militants.

They are now bearing arms on President Sharif Sheik Ahmed's government and the African Union peacekeeping force in Mogadishu.

Suicide attacks are a common technique, targeting officials affiliated with the Government. A recent suicide attack killed Abdulkarim Farah, the former Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia, at the town of Beledweyne near the Ethiopian border.

Somalis are not the only people flooding Ethiopia; Eritrean refugee numbers are also increasing at a similar rate.

During the past two years, the number of Eritrean refugees has increased from roughly 250 per month to almost 800, which prompted the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to try and obtain additional funding to support the refugees, the UNDAF report reads.

Source: Ethiopian Review