Ethiopia: IOM to Mitigate Climate Change-Induced Displacement

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) called for more efforts to mitigate climate change-induced displacement in Ethiopia.

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The UN migration agency, in a statement released on Thursday, said that across the East African country, severe drought and extreme weather events have threatened livelihoods, killed livestock and caused massive displacement of people.

According to data collected by IOM through its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), more than 800,000 people were internally displaced by drought between November 2022 and June 2023 in Ethiopia.

Another 1.1 million people in six regions have been affected by floods and landslides, according to IOM, citing the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC).

"These displacements are often uncontrolled, forced and insecure, leading to humanitarian and protection concerns," it said.

The IOM noted that while most displacement in Ethiopia in recent years has been due to conflict, people are increasingly on the move because of climate change. Migration is often used as a coping mechanism and solution to mitigate the impact of climate change, particularly for those who practice transhumance.

According to the IOM, communities in southern and northeastern Ethiopia are suffering from a devastating drought, the worst in 40 years, following four consecutive failed rainy seasons since the late 2020s.

Official data show that the drought is spreading in scope and scale to other areas of the country; and the IOM stated that the drought has led to a "staggering scale of livestock deaths." IOM data show that more than 4.5 million head of livestock have died since the end of 2021 and another 30 million weakened and emaciated head are at risk.

He further noted that climate change-induced displacement is manifested by one in four outgoing and returning migrants coming from drought-affected regions of Ethiopia, with the Somali, Oromia and Afar regions being the most severely affected.

Drought continues to reduce the capacity of communities of origin to support migrants in transit or upon return, while limited food availability is leading to increased migration as affected populations move in search of water, pasture and aid.