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Watchlist 2022
January 5, 2022
AT A G LAN CE
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5/13/23, 4:37 PM Crisis in Ethiopia: Climate change meets conflict | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Ethiopia rose into the Watchlist Top 5 last year as conflict escalated in the northern
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Tigray region. A year later, the risk of drought due to the “La Niña” effect, combined with
continuing conflict in Tigray and the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, are pushing
the country even further up the list—to number 2. Here's what you need to know about
the growing humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia.
Conflict broke out between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation
Front (TPLF) in November 2020. Since then, there have been several rounds of fighting.
In June 2021 the federal government declared a “unilateral ceasefire,” but this has not
brought an end to the conflict. Instead, fighting continues to affect parts of Tigray,
Amhara and Afar.
The United States has claimed that 900,000 people are facing famine conditions in
Tigray, although these figures cannot be verified due to restrictions on humanitarian
access. What can be said with more certainty is that Ethiopia is highly exposed to the
impacts of climate change, which is causing increasingly frequent and severe drought
and flooding that are likely to drive up needs for millions across the country.
Conflict in northern Ethiopia has led over 2 million people to be displaced and left
millions in need of humanitarian assistance,” says Madiha Raza, the IRC’s senior
global communications officer for Africa and Yemen. “Coupled with weather shocks,
COVID-19, no end in sight for the conflict and insufficient humanitarian access,
millions of people will fall into further need if the crisis continues unabated.
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5/13/23, 4:37 PM Crisis in Ethiopia: Climate change meets conflict | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
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Halima Hashi, a refugee from Somalia, raises awareness of the rights of women and girls in
Helowyn refugee camp in southern Ethiopia.
Photo: Martha Tadesse/IRC
Scientists have warned that the March-to-May rainy season is likely to be poor in 2022,
due to the weather phenomenon known as “La Niña.” The event compounds risk in a
country where IRC teams report that climate change is causing more frequent flooding
and drought. Flooding affected 617,000 people in mid-2021 and caused large-scale
losses of livestock and crops. Droughts can have a similarly serious impact,
driving food insecurity and pushing people to urban areas for work.
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5/13/23, 4:37 PM Crisis in Ethiopia: Climate change meets conflict | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Ethiopia’s economy is starting to recover from the impacts of the pandemic. However, just
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1.2% of the population has been fully vaccinated, suggesting this recovery could falter if
there are subsequent waves of transmission in the country.
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The Ethiopian ministry of peace has described plans to deliver aid in Tigray as “impeded,”
citing shortages of trucks to carry supplies, while the U.N. considers much of northern
Ethiopia as “hard to reach” or “partially accessible.” Regardless of the causes of these
constraints, their impacts are clear. In October 2021, the U.N. said five of the seven main
partner agencies working in Tigray had temporarily been forced to suspend food
deliveries due to shortages of fuel. Access constraints also mean that the humanitarian
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5/13/23, 4:37 PM Crisis in Ethiopia: Climate change meets conflict | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
community does not have clarity about the precise food insecurity situation in northern
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Ethiopia, although the U.S. has said it believes 900,000 people are living in famine
conditions.
Read more about the top 10 crises the world can’t ignore in 2022, learn how the
IRC selected these countries, and download the full 2022 Emergency Watchlist
report for data citations and profiles of all 20 crisis countries on the IRC's list.
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5/13/23, 4:37 PM Crisis in Ethiopia: Climate change meets conflict | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
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The IRC helps children whose families were displaced by conflict in Ethiopia and now live in Qoloji camp, in the south of th
European Union. (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse/IRC)
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In strong partnership with local nonprofit organizations, we distribute cash and basic
emergency supplies, including for women and girls, and build and maintain safe water
supply systems and sanitation facilities. The IRC also supports government partners and
community workers in primary health care clinics, constructs classrooms and trains
teachers, and provides livelihoods-related training and job opportunities to youth and at-
risk households.
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5/13/23, 4:37 PM Crisis in Ethiopia: Climate change meets conflict | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Donate now to support the IRC's life-changing work in Ethiopia and worldwide. We are
on the frontlines providing critical aid to crisis-affected people in more than 40 countries,
including places on the 2022 Emergency Watchlist.
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5/13/23, 4:37 PM Crisis in Ethiopia: Climate change meets conflict | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
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