NRC.no: Ethiopia: Conflict and drought has forced 6,000 families to flee their homes in the Oromia and Somali regions.

From: Berhane Habtemariam <Berhane.Habtemariam59_at_gmx.de_at_dehai.org>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2017 13:32:38 +0100
“Now I have to learn how to live in a small traditional hut, at the age of 84”, says Ibado Samatar, a farmer in Ethiopia. 
Ibado had never left her home town of Mechare in west Oromia. But when her family was attacked by marauding bandits, and her farm was razed to the ground, she had no choice but to leave. Now resettling, she will live in a small ‘buul’, a traditional hut in Somali language. She is part of 6,000 households displaced from the Oromia region into the Somali region due to the conflict and the current drought.
There are now more than 6,000 internally displaced people that have arrived in Anot Keble in Ethiopia’s Somali region. Recently there have been few new arrivals, but many more families have been sheltering here for over a year. After losing their homes, their social support systems, and having lost their livelihoods, Ibado and other displaced families here have extensive needs for survival.  Anot Keble has become a central location for households displaced and on the move. Most displaced families are trying their best to construct temporary shelters for their families under the scorching sun by using whatever materials they can find.
They all are survivors, and hopeful that life will get better.
Coming together with partners, including with government authorities from the Oromia and Somali regions, the UK Department for International Development (DfID) and UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), NRC has taken a lead in reaching the hard-to-reach populations with emergency shelter and the provision of household utensils.
While it remains clear that humanitarian needs here in Anot Keble are critical, the NRC team on the ground in Ethiopia will continue its urgent work, at times traveling for long hours to reach those in need, near and far, with much needed emergency assistance. 
Photo: NRC/Mefti Mekonnen
 
 Read caption

Had no choice but to leave

Mefti Mekonnen
Ethiopia: Conflict and drought has forced 6,000 families to flee their homes in the Oromia and Somali regions.
 
February 5, 2017

“Now, at the age of 84, I have to learn how to live in a small traditional hut,” says Ibado Samatar.

She used to be a farmer. When her family was attacked by bandits and her farm was razed to the ground, Ibado had no choice but to leave. Before that, she had never left her home town of Mechare, in the western part of Oromia region.

Now she has to live in a small “buul”, a traditional hut in Somali language. Together with 6,000 families, she has fled from Oromia region into the eastern Somali region because of conflict and drought.

 Read caption

 
Surviving

Many of the more than 6,000 families sheltering in Anot Keble in Somali region have been here for over a year, along with a smaller number of new arrivals. After losing their homes, social support systems and livelihoods, Ibado and other displaced people here are struggling to survive. The camp has become a central location for people who have been displaced and people on the move. Most displaced families are trying their best to construct temporary shelters for their families under the scorching sun, using whatever materials they can find.

Inta Abdulahi, 37, travelled for five days to Anot Keble to escape from the harsh drought conditions.

“I used to be a farmer, now I am a displaced person,” she says. “There is no water, no shelter nor food.”

Since they arrived at Anot, her six children have been sleeping on the ground, exposed to biting snakes and other threats.

I used to be a farmer, now I am a displaced person.
Inta Abdulahi, internally displaced Ethiopian

Many stories

The stories are many. There is the mother carrying her 7-months old baby while building a shelter for her family. There is also the older man who has seen too much, and is sitting tired and weary in the unforgiving heat.

But there is also hope, as children quickly become friends playing together in the sun. They all are survivors and hopeful that life will get better.

Providing emergency assistance

Together with partners, including with government authorities from the Oromia and Somali regions, the UK Department for International Development (DfID) and UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has taken a lead in reaching the displaced populations with emergency shelter and household utensils.

Humanitarian needs in Anot Keble are critical, and the NRC team will continue its urgent work, at times traveling for long hours to reach those in need with much needed emergency assistance.

Received on Sun Feb 05 2017 - 07:32:40 EST

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