Addis Abeba – A new report reveals the miserable state of five internally evacuated persons (IDP) sites in the Wollo zone north and south of the Amhara area. The “severely degraded” condition is attributed to overcrowding, damaged and aging shelter, which, according to the report, “was not intended to be extended.”
Field reports conducted by Ethiopia’s Emergency Shelter & NFI Clusters are humanitarian shelters and settlement coordination agencies, with numerous evacuated families living at the sites of Jala, Yari1, Yari2, Mekaneiyas and Djerbadegan IDP, being packed or minimalistic in communication spaces. He also said, “People with disabilities lack professional accommodation.”
Non-food item (NFI) conditions were described as equally important. “The last full distribution occurred on most sites in 2022. The support afterwards was rare and inconsistent,” the report states.
The Amhara region continues to experience one of Ethiopia’s most complex humanitarian crises, driven primarily by displacements caused by conflicts from nearby areas such as Oromia, far away, Benichan Lugumus and Tigley. The already tragic conditions for these IDP sites are “augmented further by uncertainty within the region and service disruptions,” according to the report.
In early 2025, more than 660,000 individuals have sought evacuation from areas affected by these conflicts to the Amhara area. The displaced persons currently live in 31 IDP sites and collective centres across seven management zones.
The report highlights that the Wolozone in the north and south host the largest portion of displaced people living on-site, accounting for 55% of all IDP sites and collective centres in the region.
“While limited return efforts were launched in early 2024, the outlook for large returns, relocations or other durable solutions remains minimal,” the report states. “Uncertainty remains surrounding the future of many IDPs.
Last year, Addis Standard reported that thousands of individuals living at the Jara IDP Centre in North Wolozone face severe food shortages.
