UN appeals for $358M for refugees in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

The UN needs $358 million to care for refugees being sheltered in Ethiopia, UN officials said Monday.

Kisut Gebre Egziabher, Ethiopia spokesperson for the UNHCR refugee agency, told Anadolu Agency that this sum would be enough to provide for the basic needs of refugees such as food, energy (cooking), and self-employment training, among others.

The money would be for 2020-2021, he said.

Ethiopia, according to him, currently hosts 735,000 refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Yemen.

With its open-door policy for refugees, Ethiopia last year issued a revised refugee law granting refugees the right of self-employment, schooling, and other services normally available to citizens.

“Later this year, in February or soon after that, the UNHCR will hold a meeting in Geneva where donor agencies and countries will respond to the appeal we have just made,” said Kisut.

Last year the UNHCR appealed for $346.5 million, of which the donor community gave 43%, he said.