Introduction
The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia remains dire, with multiple overlapping crises, including conflicts, natural hazards, and epidemic outbreaks.
The regions in northern Ethiopia are grappling with the devastating effects of 2 years of conflict, which ended in November 2022. Meanwhile, ethnic conflicts are escalating in other regions, specifically in Amhara and Oromia, both hosting over 60 million people, close to half of the Ethiopian population.
The increasing intensity and frequency of alternating droughts and floods further exacerbate the situation, sometimes hitting the same regions.
What are the needs?
Different shocks exacerbate hardships, limit access to essential services, and weaken people’s coping strategies. These challenges have also caused widespread and prolonged displacement across the country.
Several regions in Ethiopia are grappling with high levels of malnutrition, with some areas reaching very high or critical levels.
The conflict in northern Ethiopia has led to massive and acute humanitarian needs in the Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions, which are still only partially addressed.
Ongoing armed conflicts, particularly in Amhara and Oromia, continue to endanger the lives of many, increasing humanitarian and protection needs. These conflicts hinder access to vulnerable communities, preventing the delivery of much-needed aid.
Over 9 million children are currently out of school, with over 1,200 schools reportedly occupied by armed groups. International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations have also been reported. Recurrent droughts and floods contribute significantly to food and nutritional insecurity, as well as loss of income opportunities.
Ethiopia also hosts over 1 million refugees, including people fleeing war-torn Sudan. Refugees in Ethiopia rely almost entirely on humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs.
Large-scale epidemics remain a pressing concern: a cholera outbreak which began in August 2022 persists in certain areas, while malaria (with over 9 million cases reported) and measles continue to pose a significant public health threat.
How are we helping?
For 2025, the EU’s initial humanitarian budget allocation is €40 million, to provide life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable populations.
The EU supports vulnerable people in Ethiopia by funding emergency humanitarian aid. This includes life-saving interventions for those affected by conflict, such as internally displaced people and recently arrived refugees (for example, from Sudan). The assistance also extends to those impacted by natural shocks like droughts, floods, and epidemics.
Through its humanitarian efforts, the EU provides vital support in various areas, including protection, food aid (via multi-purpose cash assistance), clean water and hygiene, shelter, essential supplies, nutritional assistance, disease prevention, primary healthcare, and education. It also ensures protection for children affected by humanitarian crises.
In addition, part of the EU’s funding supports the coordination of the humanitarian response in Ethiopia.
The EU is also funding actions helping to build up communities’ resilience to recurrent shocks through disaster preparedness and early action in the face of multi-hazard crises.
In the second half of 2024, some areas in the South and South-East of Ethiopia were affected by heavy rainfall under the influence of the La Niña and subsequent landslides. The EU provided assistance through its Emergency Toolbox funding.
Additionally, an environmental expert from Sweden was deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to support the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit (JEU) in conducting assessments and providing recommendations.
La Niña is also forecasted to bring a dry spell on the pastoralist areas that rely on the October to December rains and that are highly impacted by climate hazards. To continue supporting anticipatory actions, the EU has recently mobilised €200,000 for the Ethiopian Red Cross Society through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) to help mitigate the potential impact of the forecasted drought on 2 of the most vulnerable areas.
Last updated: 14/01/2025
Facts & figures
Over 1 million refugees, mostly from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan (UNHCR)
4.5 million are internally displaced (OCHA)
Over 15 million are estimated to be acutely food insecure (OCHA 2024)
20 million people need humanitarian assistance (OCHA 2024)
EU humanitarian funding:
€40 million in 2025
€86.55 million in 2024