Ethiopia

Context

Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country with a population of 126 million, faces complex challenges that combine political instability, humanitarian crises, economic pressures and climate change. For several years, the country has been plagued by inter-ethnic tensions and armed conflicts, exacerbated by political rivalries and territorial disputes. These conflicts, particularly in regions such as Tigray, Oromia and Afar, have led to massive population displacement and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people.

Ethiopia’s economy, although one of the most dynamic on the continent, remains vulnerable to external and internal factors such as drought, floods and the effects of climate change. These phenomena exacerbate food insecurity and strain the livelihoods of the rural population, which is largely dependent on agriculture. In addition, tensions in the region, particularly with Eritrea and the geopolitical situation surrounding the Renaissance Dam, further complicate the prospects for stability and development.

In 2024, OCHA estimates that some 21.4 million people in Ethiopia will be in need of humanitarian assistance, including 15.8 million in need of food aid: alarming figures representing almost a quarter of the population. The country regularly ranks among the countries with a very low Human Development Index, illustrating the scale of the challenges in terms of poverty, access to basic services and resilience to recurrent crises.

TGH in Ethiopia

TGH has been present in Ethiopia since the beginning of 2024, helping people affected by conflict and climate change in the northern region of the country.

In November 2020, conflict broke out between the Ethiopian federal government and the forces of the Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF). The Tigray region became the epicentre of the conflict, but the violence quickly spread to other neighbouring areas in the north of the country, notably Afar and Amhara.

The African Union reports around 600,000 deaths and 3 million internally and externally displaced people related to this conflict, which ended in November 2022 with the signing of a peace agreement in Pretoria. The war also caused massive destruction of infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and homes, and plunged the region into a severe humanitarian crisis, with continuing high levels of need for food, shelter and health care.

TGH launched its first project in the Afar region to help the people affected by this conflict and to meet their needs.