In Ethiopia’s Kule refugee camp, which hosts 50,000 South Sudanese refugees, a U.S.-funded organization abruptly halted mental health and social services for victims and survivors of sexual violence and withdrew their staff. No other organization has been able to meet the ongoing need since.
Date: 12/25
Region: Africa
Country: Ethiopia
Topic: Health, Refugees & Displacement
Policy Lens: Migration & Mobility
Additional Context: Living conditions for refugees in Ethiopia’s Gambella region are rapidly deteriorating, following significant cuts to humanitarian aid in the region. The sharp decline is largely due to global reductions in support from key donors such as USAID, straining basic services such as food distribution, health care, access to clean water, and sanitation services. Located in southwestern Ethiopia near the South Sudanese border, Gambella has hosted a large number of mostly South Sudanese refugees since 2014. Today, more than 395,000 refugees are living in seven camps, including Kule refugee camp.
As an MSF aid worker stated, "MSF is working at full capacity, but the scale of needs in Kule far exceeds what we can address alone. Without urgent support and interventions from other organisations, this crisis will continue to escalate, putting thousands of vulnerable lives at even greater risk.”