Ethiopia's refugee response nears collapse as funding dries up

Ethiopia’s refugee response is on the verge of collapse, putting 1.1 million lives at risk as funds run out, according to a joint statement from the government’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), UNHCR, and the World Food Programme (WFP). Without an immediate cash injection, food, water, and healthcare for refugees will stop within weeks. Africa’s second-largest refugee host has seen arrivals surge due to conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan and drought in Somalia, yet aid groups have already cut emergency supplies by 70 percent in 2025.

Ethiopia has kept its doors open despite overstretched resources, but host communities are reaching their limit. “Ethiopia has honoured its commitments to protect refugees, but this heavy responsibility cannot be borne by the Government alone,” said Teyiba Hassen, Director General of RRS. “Our resources are stretched to the limit, and the pressure on host communities is becoming unbearable.”

The funding shortfall is already causing severe harm. In October, WFP cut food rations for 780,000 refugees to just 40 percent of standard amounts—less than 1,000 calories per day. Only 70,000 newly arrived refugees get full rations. Malnutrition now tops 15 percent in camps, and mortality rates among newborns and children under one year climbed to 4.7 percent in 2025. Families are skipping meals, pulling children from school, and turning to early marriage or child labor. Water supplies dropped to 12–14 liters per person daily, falling as low as five liters in some areas—well below the 15-liter emergency standard. Fifty-seven primary schools serving 110,000 children will close on December 31 due to exhausted funds, leaving classrooms locked and teachers unpaid.

WFP needs $90 million over the next six months to keep operations running. “As food runs out, families are being pushed into survival mechanisms,” said Zlatan Milišić, WFP Representative and Country Director. “If we do not receive new funding immediately, we may be forced to completely suspend food assistance to refugees in the coming months, leading to deepening malnutrition and hunger.”

The three agencies are calling on the international community to match Ethiopia’s commitment with financial support.

“Ethiopia has kept its doors open, but it cannot bear this responsibility alone,” they said. “We need sustained support to prevent further deterioration and to help refugees rebuild their lives with dignity.”