Ethiopia: Metekel Zone, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Flash Update No. 2 (29 January 2021)
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HIGHLIGHTS
• On 21 January, the federal Government of Ethiopia declared a State of Emergency in Metekel Zone in Benishangul Gumuz Region (BGR).
• Since mid-2020, 180,000 civilians have been displaced within Metekel and in Amhara.
• These IDPs are in addition to the 28,000 returnees formerly displaced in 2019 by inter-communal violence, whose livelihoods had barely stabilized when unidentified armed groups intensified their activities.
• On 24 January, 1256 ethnic Gumuz asylum seekers reportedly arrived in Sudan’s Blue Nile Province.
• Humanitarian situation may worsen, as access remains severely restricted by insecurity.
• The regional Government has been providing limited life-saving assistance since July 2020 using armed escorts.