ETHIOPIA: Human rights violations and conflicts continue to cause displacement A profile of the internal displacement situation 3 September, 2009 This Internal Displacement Profile is automatically generated from the online IDP database of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It includes an overview of the internal displacement situation in the country prepared by the IDMC, followed by a compilation of excerpts from relevant reports by a variety of different sources. All headlines as well as the bullet point summaries at the beginning of each chapter were added by the IDMC to facilitate navigation through the Profile. Where dates in brackets are added to headlines, they indicate the publication date of the most recent source used in the respective chapter. The views expressed in the reports compiled in this Profile are not necessarily shared by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. The Profile is also available online at www.internal-displacement.org. About the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council, is the leading international body monitoring conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide. Through its work, the Centre contributes to improving national and international capacities to protect and assist the millions of people around the globe who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflicts or human rights violations. At the request of the United Nations, the Geneva-based Centre runs an online database providing comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in some 50 countries. Based on its monitoring and data collection activities, the Centre advocates for durable solutions to the plight of the internally displaced in line with international standards. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre also carries out training activities to enhance the capacity of local actors to respond to the needs of internally displaced people. In its work, the Centre cooperates with and provides support to local and national civil society initiatives. For more information, visit the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre website and the database at www.internal-displacement.org. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre Norwegian Refugee Council Chemin de Balexert 7-9 1219 Geneva, Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 799 07 00 [email protected] www.internal-displacement.org 2 CONTENTS CONTENTS 3 OVERVIEW 8 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND CONFLICTS CONTINUE TO CAUSE DISPLACEMENT 8 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND 13 BACKGROUND (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 13 BACKGROUND (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 13 CONFLICT-DISPLACEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF DISPLACEMENT DUE TO NATURAL DISASTERS, RESETTLEMENT AND ECONOMIC MIGRATION (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 14 BACKGROUND 16 STUDY SHOWS CONFLICT PREVALENT IN ALL REGIONS OF ETHIOPIA (NOVEMBER 2008) 16 CONTINUED BORDER TENSIONS BETWEEN ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA (2007) 17 BACKGROUND TO THE 1998 BORDER DISPUTE 18 BOTH ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA USED MASS DEPORTATIONS AS A WEAPON OF WAR, 1998-2002 20 REGULAR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, PARTICULARLY AFTER THE MAY 2005 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS (JANUARY 2006) 24 BORDER STANDOFF IN NOVEMBER 2005 THREATENING BORDER STABILITY (MARCH 2006) 25 EASY AVAILABILITY OF SMALL ARMS CONTRIBUTES TO CONFLICTS (2005) 27 CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT 27 CONFLICT BETWEEN GARRE (SOMALI) AND BORENA (OROMIYA) OVER DISPUTED LAND (FEBRUARY 2009) 28 CONFLICT CAUSES DISPLACEMENT OF TENS OF THOUSANDS IN 2008 (FEBRUARY 2009) 28 SOMALI REGION (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 28 SOMALI REGION: ROOT CAUSES OF, AND BACKGROUND TO DISPLACEMENT (AUGUST 2003) 31 SOMALI REGION: CLASHES BETWEEN ETHIOPIAN ARMED FORCES AND ONLF (JUNE 2008) 33 DROUGHT-INDUCED DISPLACEMENTS FUEL CONFLICTS IN EAST AND SOUTH, 2002-2005 (FEBRUARY 2005) 35 SOMALI-OROMO BORDER REFERENDUM OF DECEMBER 2004 36 OROMIYA REGION (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 37 GAMBELLA: CAUSES FOR DISPLACEMENT (2004) 39 GAMBELLA: DISPLACEMENT IN DECEMBER 2003 AND IN 2004 41 GAMBELLA: DISPLACEMENT FROM 2005 TO 2007 (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 44 TIGRAY AND AFAR REGIONS (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 46 TIGRAY AND AFAR: CHRONOLOGY OF THE MILITARY CONFRONTATIONS IN BORDER AREAS BETWEEN ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA, MAY 1998 – JUNE 2000 47 TIGRAY AND AFAR: ARMED CONFLICT BETWEEN ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA DISPLACED CIVILIANS LIVING ALONG THE BORDER, 1998-2000 49 3 SOUTHERN NATION, NATIONALITIES AND PEOPLES REGION (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 50 AFAR: TENSIONS BETWEEN THE AFAR AND THE ISSA (2007) 51 SOUTHERN NATIONS, NATIONALITIES AND PEOPLES' REGION (SNNPR): THOUSANDS DISPLACED DUE TO ETHNIC CLASHES IN THE SOUTHERN REGION, 2002-2003 51 IDPS AROUND ADDIS ABABA (AUGUST 2003) 52 PEACE EFFORTS 53 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ASKED TO HELP CONTAIN REGIONAL CONFLICTS (AUGUST 2009) 53 BORDER IMPASSE BETWEEN ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA POSES SERIOUS CHALLENGES FOR PEACE (JULY 2008) 54 ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY MEDIATION EFFORTS RESULTED IN 2000 CEASE-FIRE 56 THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION, 2000-2005 59 THE UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA (UNMEE) AND THE TEMPORARY SECURITY ZONE, 2000-2005 61 THE TEMPORARY SECURITY ZONE, 2000-2005 62 STABILITY ALONG THE BORDER SHAKY AS BOTH ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA SHARPEN THEIR RHETORIC (2007) 64 TRADITIONAL RECONCILIATION MECHANSISM: PEACE EFFORTS IN GAMBELLA (2007) 65 POPULATION FIGURES AND PROFILE 67 GLOBAL FIGURES 67 DIFFICULTIES IN IDENTIFYING AND COUNTING IDPS (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 67 AN ESTIMATED 200,000 CONFLICT-IDPS (SEPTEMBER 2007) 67 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 68 INTER-ETHNIC CONFLICT IN SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA DISPLACES THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE (FEBRUARY 2009) 68 SOMALI REGION: OVER 15,000 CONFLICT-INDUCED IDPS (FEBRUARY 2006) 69 SOMALI/OROMIYA REGIONS: DISPLACEMENT DUE TO 2004 SOMALI/OROMIYA BORDER REFERENDUM CONTINUES TO BE OF CONCERN (FEBRUARY 2006) 71 OROMIYA REGION: ETHNIC CONFLICT BETWEEN GABRA, GUJI AND BORENA DISPLACE OVER 40,000 SINCE APRIL 2005 (JUNE 2006) 72 GAMBELLA: INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT (FEBRUARY 2006) 74 TIGRAY: 62,000 STILL DISPLACED SINCE THE ETHIO-ERITREAN WAR (JANUARY 2006) 76 THREE MAIN AREAS OF DISPLACEMENT ALONG THE ERITREA/ETHIOPIA BORDER (APRIL 2003) 77 SOUTHERN NATIONS, NATIONALITIES AND PEOPLES' REGION: ETHNIC CONFLICT BASE FOR INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT (MARCH 2003) 79 PATTERNS OF DISPLACEMENT 81 GENERAL 81 HISTORIC AND GENERAL OVERVIEW OF CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT (2003) 81 REPORTS ON DISPLACEMENT DUE TO REPRESSION BY GOVERNMENT IN RURAL AREAS (JANUARY 2006) 83 RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES AND ECONOMIC MIGRATION (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 84 PHYSICAL SECURITY & FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 85 4 PHYSICAL SECURITY 85 SOMALI REGION: SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST POPULATION IN OGADEN, AND ECONOMIC RESTRICTIONS (AUGUST 2009) 85 DISPLACEMENT-SPECIFIC HUMANITARIAN AND PROTECTION CHALLENGES (SPECIAL REPORT 2007) 91 PHYSICAL SECURITY OF IDP WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE A PROTECTION CONCERN (2007) 93 SOMALI REGION: SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST POPULATION IN OGADEN, AND ECONOMIC RESTRICTIONS (2007) 95 SUBSISTENCE NEEDS 101 GENERAL 101 ETHIOPIAN STATE ACCUSED OF HIDDING FAMINE, DEPRIVING NEEDY OF FOOD AID (SEPTEMBER 2008) 101 DROUGHT CAUSES ENORMOUS STRAIN ON ETHIOPIA'S SOUTH-EAST (APRIL 2006) 102 IDP NEEDS IN DOBA WOREDA IN OROMIYA REGION (FEBRUARY 2005) 105 TIGRAY IDPS LIVE ON MEAGRE RESOURCES, GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO INCLUDE THEM IN PSNP (FEBRUARY 2006) 105 IDPS NEEDS IN MIESSO IN OROMIYA REGION (DECEMBER 2004) 106 CONFLICT INDUCED NEWLY DISPLACED PEOPLE IN ACUTE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN SOMALI AND OROMIYA REGIONS (MARCH 2006) 106 CONFLICT INDUCED IDPS IN BORDODE/MIESO AREAS (SOMALI) IN NEED OF PLANNED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (APRIL 2004) 107 FOOD 109 HIGH MALNUTRITION IN IDP PRODUCING AREAS (JULY 2009) 109 OVER 6 MILLION ETHIOPIANS NEED FOOD AID (OCTOBER 2008) 113 HEALTH 114 THERAPEUTIC FEEDING CENTRES IN VULNERABLE REGIONS (JULY 2009) 114 DROUGHT POSING HEALTH RISKS TO CHILDREN (JANUARY 2006) 115 HEALTH RISKS IN RELATION TO THE 2006 DROUGHT (APRIL 2006) 115 HIV/AIDS PREVALENCE EXACERBATED BY FREQUENT POPULATION MOVEMENTS (MARCH 2003) 116 WATER AND SANITATION 116 SOMALI REGION FACING FOOD AND WATER CRISIS (AUGUST 2009) 116 PEOPLE IN NEED OF EMERGENCY WATER ASSISTANCE INCREASED FROM 2.6 TO 4.2 MILLION DURING 2003 (JUNE 2003) 118 EDUCATION 119 CHILDREN IN PASTORALIST AND CONFLICT AREAS FACE POOR ACCESS TO EDUCATION (OCTOBER 2008) 119 ISSUES OF SELF-RELIANCE AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 121 SELF-RELIANCE 121 IDPS LIKELY TO BE DISADVANTAGED IN LOCAL ALLOCATION SYSTEM (JANUARY 2004) 121 IDPS SELF RELIANCE PARTICULARLY DISRUPTED BY LOSS OF ASSETS AND ACCESS TO FARMLAND (MAY 2002) 122 DOCUMENTATION NEEDS AND CITIZENSHIP 125 5 GENERAL 125 ACCESS TO LAND, IDENTITY CARDS AND PUBLIC SERVICES GOES THROUGH LOCAL KEBELE OFFICIALS (JANUARY 2004) 125 ISSUES OF FAMILY UNITY, IDENTITY AND CULTURE 126 GENERAL 126 TRADITIONAL ETHIOPIAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE IS HIERARCHICAL (JANUARY 2004) 126 PROPERTY ISSUES 128 GENERAL 128 LAW AND POLICY 128 FEDERAL AND REGIONAL LAND PROCLAMATIONS INTRODUCE A SYSTEM OF LAND REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATION (JAN 2008) 128 COMPENSATION FOR LAND INADEQUATE AND POSSIBLY PUTTING AT RISK THOSE WITHOUT LAND CERTIFICATES (JANUARY 2008) 129 LAND PROCLAMATIONS AN ATTEMPT FOR ENHANCED GENDER EQUALITY (JANUARY 2008) 130 PATTERNS OF RETURN AND RESETTLEMENT 132 RETURN 132 RETURN MOVEMENTS DIFFICULT TO MONITOR (2005) 132 GAMBELLA: RETURN MOVEMENTS IN 2007 132 THOUSANDS OF DROUGHT-IDPS ASSISTED TO RETURN IN SOMALI REGION (2007) 133 OBSTACLES TO RETURN 136 TIGRAY: RETURN CONSTRAINED BY PRESENCE OF LANDMINES TIGRAY (2007) 136 RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES 137 GOVERNMENT RESETTLEMENT PLANS FOR 2006 IN AMHARA (FEBRUARY