A JOINT CONFLICT NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT METEKEL ZONE, BENISHANGUL GUMUZ REGION, ETHIOPIA 9-16 DECEMBER, 2020 Assessment team Members 1. Wondwosen Shenkutie-Team Leader 2. Ayenew Bekele-Rapporteur 3. Henok G/Silassie-WASH Engineer 4. Abebe Worku-Branch coordinator 5. Abdi Mohammed-Driver Metekel, Gilgel beles December, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………………………I II. LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………………………….I III. LIST OF ANNEXES…………………………………………………………………………….…….I IV. ABBREVIATIONS……………………………………………………………………………….…..II V. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………………..………III 1. Executive Summary………………………………………………………………….…………………..1 2. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….…...2 3. Situational Analysis………………………….………………………………….……………………….3 4. Objectives of the assessment…………………………………………………………………………….6 5. Assessment Methodologies………………………………………………………………………………7 6. Key Findings of the assessment & Discussion…………………………………………………………..7 7. Challenges………………………………………………………………………………...…………….13 8. Conclusion and Recommendations……………………………………………………………..………13 9. Annexes………………………………………………………………………………………...……….15 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Number of conflict affected people and needy population Table 2. The number of health facilities damaged and destroyed in each woreda Table 3. The number of water schemes damaged in all woreda Table 4. The number of schools damaged in all woreda Table 5: Survivors of SGBV & related cases in Metekel zone Table 6. Staple food price for current and last year (2020) LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Administrative Map of Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State LIST OF ANNEXES Annex 1. Contact persons from key local government stakeholders Annex 2. Benishangul Gumuz Regional State in Metekel Zone new IDPs as of December 15/2020 Annex 3: Distance from Addis Ababa to IDP sites Annex 4. Resources required ABBREVIATIONS BGRS Benishangul Gumuz Regional State CBO Community based organization CSB Corn soya blend DRM Disaster Risk Management ERCS Ethiopian Red Cross Society FGD Focus group discussion GBV Gender based violence HIV Human immunodeficiency virus HQ Headquarter IDP Internally displaced people IRC International rescue committee MSF Medicines sans frontiers NFI Nonfood Items NDRMC National Disaster Risk management Commission NRC Norwegian refuge council PLW Pregnant and lactating women PSS Psychosocial support RFL Restoring family links SGBV Sexually gender based violence WASH Water sanitation and hygiene UN United Nations UNHCR United Nations higher commission for refuge UNICEF United Nations international children’s and education Fund UNOCHA United Nations office coordination of humanitarian affairs ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, the assessment team would like to thank ERCS senior management to assign us to conduct this very important mission at the right time. We want to express our gratitude to Metekel zone administration and its respective zonal and Woreda key stakeholders for providing relevant conflict related primary and secondary data throughout this mission. We are also grateful to the cooperation of the assessment participants, respective Agriculture/DRM offices for their kind assistance during conflict need assessment. 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The conflict need assessment at Metekel zone of Benishangul Gumuz region was conducted from 9-15 December, 2020 by a team of 5 staff members drawn from the ERCS HQ and BG branch staff at Assosa and Metekel level. Of the 7 from Metekel zone, only 3 woreda were visited namely, Mandura, Dangur and Dibate woreda due to security problem in the rest part of the woreda. In addition, the team has visited IDP camps found at Gilgil beles, Manbuk, chagni, Dangur and dibate areas. The purpose of the assessment is to verify the impact of the recent conflict in Metekel zone and understand the unmet humanitarian needs, identify sectorial gaps that should be met to minimize humanitarian crises. The overall objective of the assessment is to generate information in all relevant sectors of humanitarian actions to enable ERCS to mobilize local, Regional and international resources for humanitarian response in Ethiopia. The assessment team has utilized assessment methodological tools developed and endorsed to understand the magnitude of people who are affected by the recent conflict in Metekel zone in a given timeframe. For instance key informant interview, focus group discussion, filed observation and secondary data were employed to compile and analyze data obtained from zonal and woreda level. Key findings, Challenges, Conclusion & recommendations, Annexes of the assessment team were summarized. 1 2. Introduction Benishangul- Gumuz Regional State (BGRS) is in the western part of the country bordering with Amhara Region in the north and northeast, Oromia and Gambella regions in the south and southeast, and the Sudan in the west. The regional capital Assosa is about 679 km west of Addis Ababa. Agro-climatically most of the region lies 580 – 2730m above sea level, of which most of the land mass is classified as kola. The region is endowed with huge natural resources, such as forest, agricultural land, and water resources. Metekel Zone is located in Benishangul-Gumuz Regional state of Ethiopia. It is bordered by Kamashi on South and South West, on the West by Sudan, and on the North and East by Amhara Region (Awi zone). Abay (Blue Nile) river defines the Zone's boundaries with Kamashi, while the Dinder river defines part of its boundary with the Amhara Region. Metekel zone has 7 woredas and the largest zone in the region. The major crops produced in the zone includes Finger millet, Sorghum and maize. The Zone is also known with cash crops production including Sesame, Ground nut and Soybean. It is also a potential mine area for Gold and Marble. Metekel Zone is found at an altitude range of 511 – 2,700 meters above sea level. Above 88% of the zone is categorized to be lowland. The zone has bimodal type of rainfall and receives an annual rainfall amount which ranges between 1,200 to 1,900 mm, while the average temperature is between 15°C to 27°C. 2 Figure 1. Maps of Benishangul gumuz region 3. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS 3.1 Displacement situation: April, 2019 - July, 2020 Due to conflict in Metekel zones of various woredas, Benishangul Gumuz Region since April 2019 nearly 6012 households or 31,237 people has been displaced. Nearly 12 IDPs sites from BGRS and 3 from boarder areas of Amhara region were hosted in collective sites and host communities across 5 woredas of Metekel zone and one woredas of Amhara region. Currently, although the security situation in zone has been led by command-post, however, sporadic violence and killings of people, new displacements, damage of assets, destruction of key social services like health post and schools continue particularly in 6 Woredas (Mandura, Dangur, Guba, Dibate, Wombera and Bullen) of Metekel zone. According to discussion with zonal and woreda level key stakeholders, there are three type of internally displaced peoples (IDPs), namely, the first one is an old IDPs since from April 2019(the support continued for them from various partners), the second one is a new IDPs from July, 2020 and the last one is from ethnic Gumuz (the number of displaced and whereabouts is still yet unknown) makes the situation more sever and complex. Subsequent to the continued discussion between Amhara regional state and Benishangul Gumuz region, the return process was initiated to return IDPs to their places of origin in May, 2019. During returning process, about nearly all IDPs from Amhara region and internal IDPs sheltered in collective sites within Metekel zone have returned to place of their origin. But since July, 2020 the number deaths, property damage and newly displaced people has been increasing in all sites following attacks of armed groups in the area through all direction. As a result, this conflict has brought multifaceted problems for IDPs and the whole residents. Food Aid: Following the displacement, government, CBOs and partners, through various coordination mechanisms, have provided humanitarian response to meet immediate needs of the affected communities since April, 2019. To mention a few national government, regional government, Assosa University, UNICEF, Amhara youth association, Oromia relief association, Action for Needy in Ethiopia, Catholic church, ERCS, NRC and the others were involved to offer food and non-food items for both old and new IDPs hosted in all sites. The assessment team practically on the ground assessed that the humanitarian response in Metekel for these IDPs has been extremely limited, due its geographical remoteness, volatile security and lack of partners permanently present in the zone. According to zonal authorities, food security prospects for 2021 in Metekel zone are a great concern, limiting the affected population's access to assistance. Vast farm lands have been abandoned and unharvested, so that thousands of IDPs mainly Amharas has been fleeing Metekel zone (BGRS) into Amhara region following violence of armed Gumuz groups. Initially, IDPs were settled in Gungua Woreda and Chagni towns, later scattered into 2 other areas such as Addis Alem and Menta wuha areas who came from Dibate, Bullen and Wonbera Woredas. During our visit to Dibate and Changi IDP sites, the government (NDRMC) has been transporting emergency food and nonfood items for identified beneficiaries hosted in Dibate, Bullen and Wonbera Woredas. Emergency Shelter and NFI: These IDPs has been living in different camps, rent house, with