* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Preliminary Appeal
Ethiopia
Assistance to asylum seekers and refugees from South Sudan – ETH141
Preliminary Appeal Target: US$ 2,364,264
Balance Requested: US$ 2,364,264
Geneva, 30 December 2013
Dear Colleagues,
There has been tension within the South Sudanese government since President Salva Kiir reorganized his entire cabinet in July 2013, including the dismissal of his vice president, Riek Machar. On the evening of 15 December, violence erupted in Juba. According to UNOCHA, a total of 58,000 people have sought refuge in UNMISS compounds in the country. Another 92,500 people have been internally displaced in five states and in Juba. These figures keep changing with new developments.
What started out as a political crisis has now mutated into an ethnic-based conflict. The three states closest to the Ethiopian border are mostly inhabited by people of Nuer ethnicity making the likelihood of an influx into Ethiopia low. However, if the government decides to attack Bor in Jonglei State, a stronghold of the ex-Vice President, the likelihood of a massive influx into Ethiopia is high. Ethiopia therefore is expecting close to 20,000 refugees to arrive in Ethiopia should the latter scenario prevail. The majority of the population is expected to be women and children.
As of 26 December 2013, Ethiopia has received 3,122 refugees from South Sudan. The new arrivals include 2,186 people from the Anuak tribe, 400 from the Dinka, 447 from the Nuer and 89 from the Murle tribe. The regional government in Gambella has reported that 414 ethnic Anuak Ethiopians have also returned from South Sudan. (ARRA/UNHCR) ACT Ethiopia Forum members are closely monitoring the situation and working on their respective contingency plan in the event that the situation in South Sudan escalates as expected.
http://www.actalliance.org/resources/appeals/ETH141_South_Sudanese_refugees.pdf/view
