UNHCR operational highlights
• At the end of July 2013, Ethiopia hosted a total of 415,038 refugees broken down into 240,226 (57.88%) Somalis, 74,513 (17.95%) Eritreans, 65,447 (15.77%) South Sudanese, 30,614 (7.38%)
Sudanese and 4,238 (1.02%) refugees from several other countries.
• The operation registered a total of 5,779 new arrivals in July-up from 3,555 last month. 0ver 3,000 of this month’s new arrivals originated from South Sudan, with another 1,519 coming from Eritrea, representing the highest arrival figure from that country so far this year. The new camp at Hitsats now accommodates 2,570 Eritrean refugees.
• As part of his effort to garner support for the global initiative for solutions for Somali refugees, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr António Guterres, visited Ethiopia and met with senior AU and Government officials. (Details under ‘operational developments & achievements’)
• UNHCR has secured a new site in western Ethiopia, to be developed into a refugee camp to host South Sudanese refugees fleeing conflict in Jonglie State, Pibor County. The number of refugees arriving from Pibor since May has crossed the 5,000 mark, underpinning the need to quickly develop the camp and transfer the refugees. A recent field reconnaissance mission to the new site at Okugo, near the former refugee camp of Dimma, indicated that the site can accommodate up to 24,000 people.
• A decision has been made to relocate UNHCR’s Field Office from Alamata to Semera, the capital of the Afar Regional Government. This will bring UNHCR closer to where government structures are. In the same region, sports materials were distributed to 90 Eritrean refugees in the remote Barahle camp. Donated by the International Olympic Committee, the kit will support UNHCR’s drive to provide entertainment and constructive engagement to refugee youth.
• The second round of polio vaccination was administered to refugee children under 15 years in the five refugee camps in Dollo Ado. This was carried out side by side with measles and Vitamin A vaccination campaign to children under 5 years. Over 76,000 refugee children were vaccinated in June following reports of the identification of the first wild polio virus in Somalia.
• The Refugee Housing Unit (RHU) has started pilot-testing of the new shelter prototype in Dollo Ado. Following a hands-on training to 13 selected families in Hilaweyn camp, the RHU team commenced wind speed and household comfort testings. So far, six of the 13 units have been built with full participation of refugees and occupied by six families.
• UNHCR has distributed solar lanterns to 1,115 refugee households in Aw-barre camp, reaching 52.7% of the camp’s population. Two experts from SunLite, the company which has produced the solar lanterns, visited the Jijiga camps in order to provide technical and operational training to all refugee users.
• UNHCR is following up on a possible trafficking case reported by a refugee family in Kebribeyah refugee camp. According to the parents their daughter, who is 18 years old, disappeared from the camp and they were contacted by individuals, allegedly calling from Libya, who requested them to deposit 2, 600 dollars as a ransom for her release or face her death.