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Addis Ababa, October 22, 2020 – A report compiled after a recent inter-agency mission from October 7-11, 2020 to the Guji area in the Oromia regional state, said that the humanitarian and security situation in the Guji area is “dire”.
“An inter-agency mission made up of an international NGO and four UN agencies visited the Guji area after successive reports of serious humanitarian concerns among the internally displaced population in the area,” said the latest humanitarian bulletin published by UNOCHA.
The mission confirmed the worrying humanitarian and security situation in the area and identified several humanitarian needs that need urgent attention, according to the report. “The security situation in parts of the Guji area, Oromia region, has worsened since April 2020 with an increased scale and scope of security operations by government defense forces against unidentified armed groups. [UAG],” He said.
Insecurity has affected humanitarian operations and is generating protection and other concerns. The Guji area is home to some 120,000 internally displaced persons, including 40,000 displaced in 2017 as a result of the conflict between the Oromia and Somali regions, and another 80,000 displaced by renewed insecurity since mid-2019.
“There is still no agreed data on internally displaced persons between the local authorities and the federal authorities. An ongoing verification exercise in March 2020 with federal counterparts was disrupted as a result of COVID-19, ”the UN report said, adding that the area is also highly affected by drought where food insecurity is prevalent. COVID-19, flooding and the desert locust continue to compound humanitarian concerns in the area since recent months.
Meanwhile, continuing insecurity continues to displace communities. “There are believed to be some 15,000 (unverified) people secondarily displaced since May 2020, including those who were asked by security forces to move to safer terrain on very short notice,” the report says.
While the former case number of 40,000 IDPs is in the government’s regular food aid system and has been receiving support, this was halted three months ago due to increased insecurity. “As a result, IDPs are opting for negative coping mechanisms, such as selling livestock at a significantly low price, which will have a lasting impact on their livelihoods.
Meanwhile, the 80,000 internally displaced people only received exceptional assistance in March and have not received any support since.
The displaced community has no access to water and has to travel up to 2 hours to a “nearby” pond. Inadequate housing is also another concern raised by the IDPs visited, which has health and protection implications mainly for women, children and the elderly. There are visible signs of health problems, including skin conditions, sick children and a couple of heads of households who reported that their elders suffer from health problems due to lack of proper nutrition.
In general, food, shelter, water, WaSH, non-food items and health (for both humans and livestock) are the main humanitarian needs, the report noted. HOW
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