UNHCR Representative Analyzes Dire Need of Humanitarian Aid in Ethiopia

In a recent report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre – IDMC, more than 5.1 million new displacements in Ethiopia were triggered by conflict and violence. Ethiopia set a world record for displacements in a single year with three times more displacements recorded in 2020. The UNHCR, a UN Refugee Agency alongside Ethiopian authorities are providing emergency aid to thousands of Eritrean refugees who have fled after an attack on the camp in the Afar region. VOA’s Simegnish Yekoye spoke to Mamadou Dian Balde, a UNHCR representative in Ethiopia as he shares his insights on the dire situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and how it has impacted refugees and internally displaced persons. Mamadou believes the ultimate need is peace and solutions to help those in need. He also speaks about the limited UNHCR humanitarian assistance funding for Ethiopia and how this will affect thousands of refugees if funding levels are not met.