There are now more than 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ethiopia, a new report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed on Tuesday.
The new report on internal displacement released by the UN migration agency on Tuesday and endorsed by Ethiopian authorities contains data collected between June and July through the assessment of more than 1,200 internally displaced persons sites and over 1,200 villages where internally displaced persons had reportedly returned.
“The primary cause of displacement is conflict, which has resulted in 1,233,557 internally displaced persons, representing about 68 percent of the total displaced persons across this country,” the IOM report said.
According to the UN migration agency, the second-highest cause of internally displacement in the East African country is drought, which displaced 351,062 people, followed by seasonal floods, which displaced about 104,696 people. Flash floods displaced about 50,093 people across the country.
“We are happy to continue providing comprehensive and reliable data on internally displaced persons and returning IDPs throughout the country via our National Displacement Report. It is our hope that this data will be well used to inform humanitarian responses and guide policymaking,” said Sarah Chong, Acting Coordinator of Displacement Tracking Matrix for Ethiopia at the IOM.
According to the IOM, the data and report are used to assist national, regional and local government counterparts in tracking the fluid mobility situation in Ethiopia
