Broken dreams, destroyed livelihoods, suffering, and tragic events characterize the stories of people who find themselves as refugees in other countries. Fortunately, the kind gestures typically provided to them by host communities, governments, and humanitarian organizations contribute to restored hope, increased self-reliance, a sense of belonging, and a platform from which to bounce back stronger and better. Ethiopia is one such refugee-friendly country, hosting around one million refugees, the majority of whom are from surrounding countries. Many of them live in refugee camps spread throughout five regional states, mostly in remote, and hard-to-reach places.
About five months ago, fighting in Lascanod, Somaliland, caused major displacements of people with at least 100,000 fleeing into Ethiopia's Somali region. According to Prince Bruce, Ethiopia's Chief Security Adviser, "Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDSS took the lead in conducting a joint security assessment mission to the locations where refugees had gathered and developed risk management plans and offered operational support to humanitarian organizations, enabling them to move in and provide lifesaving support to the refugees." Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDSS Ethiopia maintains a presence throughout the country, allowing 28 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies, funds, and programs to carry out their mandate by providing security-related advice and assistance.
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and its implementing partners' response to the refugee crisis in Ethiopia is one of their most significant humanitarian operations. "We are enhancing our collaboration with host government security services as our primary security partners, as well as the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ humanitarian country team, to ensure that the needs of refugees and internally displaced people are met and their rights protected,"Mr. Bruce stated.
Also closely supporting refugee operations are field-based Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDSS staff such as Mahamoud Mahama who is the Field Security Coordination Officer in charge of the Somali region. Mahama describes the support ¡°Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ humanitarians often work in hazardous and unpredictable situations in remote locations such as refugee camps. Therefore, our assessments look at issues ranging from terrain, road infrastructure, accommodation, emergency evacuation procedures, and other underlying security concerns to mitigate risks that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ personnel may face while in the field.¡±
If the security of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ personnel is jeopardized, it can have a significant impact on the delivery of critical humanitarian aid to refugees and internally displaced people. To reduce such risks, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDSS, in collaboration with United Nations Security Management System entities, develops contingency plans, provides security training to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ personnel deployed to high-risk locations, and conducts security analysis on a regular basis to guide Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ operations. Mr. Bruce notes that "security is an expensive venture that requires adequate investments because it takes time to get the right logistics in place such as the appropriate vehicles, reliable communication equipment, and the right staffing."
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDSS Ethiopia is grateful to its external donors such as the United States Agency for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth & Development Office, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian through the Ethiopian Humanitarian Response Fund.