Joint Rapid Needs Assessment Mission Afar Region 02 to 07 December 2020 Background On the 4th of November 2020 conflict erupted between the Ethiopian Federal Government and the Regional Government of Tigray, some of the areas along the border with Tigray region were affected and as result large number of people fled the areas affected by the conflict to safer places within the Afar region. Furthermore, the areas along the border were also affected by the shutdown of the telephone network, banking system, electricity, also the inaccessibility to market which resulted in the unavailability of essential food supplies and affected the livelihood of displaced people and host community. With the objectives of understanding the overall situation, humanitarian partners in the Afar region, initiated discussion with the DPFSPCO and suggested organizing assessment mission to assess the impact of the conflict in the areas along the border with Tigray. An agreement was secured to conduct regional government- led assessment mission and as a result humanitarian partners and government sector bureaus mobilized resources and organized two joint teams to carry out five days rapid assessment to seven woredas along the border with Tigray that was directly affected by the conflict. Afar region remains highly vulnerable to a wide range of natural and man-made disasters. The region has been susceptible to recurrent drought, flood, animal diseases, conflict that has led to critical food and water shortages, deterioration of pasture, livestock mortality and large displacement impacting on the lives and livelihoods of the affected community. 1 Objectives The mission although was meant specifically to assess the impact of the recent conflict, also provided an opportunity for the team to assess the pre-existed needs. More specifically the mission sought to achieve the following objectives; • To assess the impact of the conflict and humanitarian needs across the areas that the team was able to visit and gather relevant information by engaging the affected communities and local authority, also observing the overall situation. • The assessment team intended to verify IDPs figures, identify needs and gaps, assess needs related to food security, WASH, Shelter/NFI, Health and Nutrition and Protection. Participants The joint assessment mission consisted of the following participants. Regional Government – (DPFSPCO, Health, Water, Women and Child and Peace and Security) WASH- (UNICEF/WASH Cluster and COOPI) Shelter/NFI- (IOM and NRC) Protection/GBV- (UNICEF/CP and IOM/SMS) Food Security – (WFP) Health and Nutrition (Relief International and GOAL). Logistics – (WFP) Coordination- (OCHA) Education- (Plan and Save the Children) LNGOs- (FSA) Security- (UNDSS) Methodology Interviews with Key informants using the MIRA questionnaire coupled with observations and focused group discussions with local authorities were used to gather information and assess the situation. Assessment Findings The findings are divided to general findings and cluster specific ones as listed below; Displacement- The team was able to confirm and verify the presence of IDPs in all areas that was able to visit, figures vary, however it is very clear people living in all villages/kebeles along the border with Tigray were displaced, though it was very difficult to estimate the exact figures of the total displaced people. Very limited number of Tigrayan people were displaced into the Afar region, local authorities in Yallo confirmed receiving about 1100 Tigrayan people which the team was unable to verify, the IDPs had returned three days prior to the assessment team arrival. Sr. Woreda Village HHs Individ Estimated no Remarks No uals of HHs in the villages of origin 1 Yallo Walaei 50 300 1870 Locations of displacement (Farada, Halalga, Dar Ada, Munjololi, Genet, Matro Abur and Baru Udayli 85 510 Santawa, Radiyoyeta, Homerto, Nele, Enabagu, and Rakrak 93 558 Alameyta) 2 Megale Tonsa 388 2328 1788 Locations of displacement Milki, Kormada, Karfatu, Leban, Alagoba, Kosoboda, Wara'a and Arfa Aradu 500 3000 Hida 500 3000 3 Aba'ala Adkalu 11 65 2810 Locations of displacement The Afar IDPs Coming from Tigray Region when the conflict Started. Wasama 8 48 2 Gelaiso 751 4510 Locations of displacement Lahi Gure, Gali Gure and Giride 4 Erebti Adu 397 2382 163 5 Dalol Adukuwa 78 470 521 Bereh 63 380 Adaaro 75 450 Ma’awo 76 460 Asagara 55 330 Ayenedib 66 400 Sebiba 43 260 Beriber 63 380 09 Berahle Halegubi 26 160 33 A’ala Leele a’la 7 40 10 Kuneba Goaa 89 535 208 and Kadhada Efso 57 347 Kuneba 61 368 01 kebele Total 7393 3542 21281 Authorities expect huge influx, should the current full lockdown on Tigray region is eased. Majority of the Tigrayan IDPs interviewed were young people (some are 14 to 16-year-old), who fled for their safety and in fear of enrollment to military. Some of Afari were displaced from villages within the Tigray region and others from villages along the border with Tigray in the Afar region, all confirmed their willing to return if the situation improved, some of those interviewed confirmed huge displacement within the Tigray region, more specifically in the areas of Mohoni, Atbira, Chirchir and Halaga. The Afari IDPs were worried about properties in livestock in their places of origin, some said they don’t if their houses have been damaged or not. Living conditions for both, recently displaced people and host community remain very critical and require an immediate support more specifically on the areas of food, Shelter/NFI, Health WASH and Protection. The team was able to engage with local community, woreda authorities who reported large number of displacements along the border with Tigray, all people living in the those places were displaced, some lost their properties and livestock and majority currently living with host community and relatives. The conflict is having grave impact on the affected communities both in terms of access to basic services (i.e. food, water, health, nutrition, child protection, social welfare, etc.) and in terms of on-going security and protection issues. There is almost complete disruption of daily life and infrastructure (i.e. power supply, bank system, communication, markets) and perception of insecurity among people in border Woredas, even in Kebeles with no presence of armed actors and no displacement. A key observation was that, while displaced groups are particularly affected, the entire community in the border Woredas has been affected due to the Regional border closure’s impact on availability of food, drugs, health & nutrition supplies and the lack of electricity and fuel on water supply. Resulting protection issues are therefore to be expected in both the displaced and local communities. Worth mentioning also that all interviews with Key informants were only conducted in accessible Kebeles, but communities reported that many IDPs, especially young males, who initially fled to Kebele centres have now moved back to the border areas, within Afar Region, approximately 1 day’s walk from any road, to check on their livestock. The number and status of these IDPs are unknown and provision of assistance to them will be extremely challenging due to their inaccessibility. The category of affected 3 communities includes, Tigrayans and Afar IDPs, host communities, conflict affected community including IDPs-hosting households. Among the IDPs are vulnerable female headed households, children and youth, including unaccompanied and separated children (UASC). In addition, all affected people face significant obstacles to accessing basic needs and services which has profound implications for their physical and mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. Protection and Gender Based Violence: The conflict places women and children at grave risk of Gender Based Violence and life-threatening health complications. Single female headed HHs, with large family sizes of many young children, who were visibly affected by several kinds of health and nutrition conditions (Afar IDPs); Child marriage has been reported by female KIs as a significant protection concern. The problem was already exacerbated by the school closures in March 2020 due to Covid-19 and further intensified by the conflict situation that has forced almost all partners to withdraw from these Woredas and suspend programming. In Yalo Woreda, authorities reported that Tigray IDPs who had been living in three Collective Centres in Yalo Woreda were ordered to Tigray by the National Defence Forces, as their areas of origin are now under Federal control. They returned, with the assistance of the authorities, at the end of Nov 2020, while Afar IDPs remained in the Woreda. Key informants interviewed raised the following protection related concerns. • Loss of IDP HH assets due to loss and damage in the conflict and/or due to having to flee suddenly; • Lack of information about the situation of family members in Tigray or in the border area due to lack of telephone network and insecurity; Displacement of registered refugees out of refugee camp (Berhale camp) to the host community (Erebti Woreda and town) due to reported lack of assistance and fear of a spread of fighting1; Afari asylum seekers (48 HHs)from Eritrea are fully dependent on the local community for assistance and their children are unable to access education. Overcrowding of local community shelters due to hosting of IDPs, often of large family size, creating GBV, Child Protection and COVID-19 risks. According to Abala Woreda officials, border areas used by pastoralists for livestock grazing are likely now mined and there is presence of UXO in some locations. Women and female headed HHs have to borrow money and food from business owners which puts them at risk of over indebtedness and this in turn heightens their risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. • Women and children have to walk long distances to collect firewood in the hills (unavailability of charcoal in the markets and no electricity for cooking) which puts them at risk of sexual violence and abduction.