Refugee Update Up to 15,000 people from the Lou Nuer community have crossed into Ethiopia’s western Gambella Region since mid- February 2012. The new arrivals – most of whom are women, children and elderly – have settled near the border town of Matar and are living in makeshift shelters. Local communities have been sharing existing food and water stocks and other public facilities with the new arrivals, but the influx has stretched water and sanitation facilities beyond their capacity. UNHCR is working with the government refugee agency, ARRA, to establish a transit centre near Matar and to expedite the screening, registration and relocation of individuals verified as refugees to Fugnido camp. As of 13 March, about 1,300 people had been transferred to Fugnido. Fugnido camp was opened in 1993 in response to previous influxes of refugees from Sudan and is home to an existing population of some 23,000 refugees, most of whom would now be Southern Sudanese. UNHCR has started distribution of non-food items (NFIs), including tents, plastic sheets, blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans to the new arrivals in Fugnido from its stockpile in Gambella, while ARRA and WFP are providing food assistance. WFP is also working with Government counterparts to extend food assistance in Gambella Region to cover the already-vulnerable host community. UNHCR and ARRA are also working to prepare for possible additional influxes of refugees in the future. For more information, contact:
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[email protected] Price Update Ethiopia’s year-on-year inflation rate rose to 36.3 per cent in February, up from 32 per cent the previous month.