Climate change: Driver of emerging migration in Ethiopia

Climate change is an emerging driver of migration in Ethiopia, leading to large scale-displacements. According to data collected by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), through its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) methodology, between November 2022 and June 2023, drought was the primary cause of displacement for 810,855 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Additionally, flooding and landslide incidents impacted nearly 1.1 million people across six regions, as reported by the Ethiopia Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC).

Climate-induced displacement is the second most reported primary reason for displacement in the country, following conflict. These movements are often unmanaged, forced, and unsafe, resulting in humanitarian and protection concerns.

Climate Displacement, however, is more than just the statistics. Every person displaced due to environmental factors has a story worth telling. Here are some of the Faces of Climate Displacement in Ethiopia.

WEJADO

Wejado, 65, is a father to eight children. In 2012, he fled to Gelabo, Konso in the southwestern part of Ethiopia, due to conflict. A few years later, he finds himself in another predicament, facing the consequences of drought.

“The conflict that I tried to run away from killed my four oxen and five goats. I brought what is left when we moved here. With this drought, followed by the flooding, I’m afraid I will lose my livelihood again,” he said.

GELGAYE

Gelgaye is a 10-year-old child with severe autism. He is the seventh child out of eight siblings.

Like many families in Konso zone where they now lived, they were initially displaced due to conflict. Due to the drought, the family has seen more challenges, particularly in finding livelihood that can help pay for medical expenses for Gelgaye.

“Gelgaye never moved his body properly until he was seven. He used to hold his hands and legs together. Now, even though life is tough here, I am happy and grateful that he plays around and walks slowly,’ says Gelgaye’s mother.

Their family is now living in a shelter with support from IOM. The family also receives multipurpose cash support to help them mainly with health-related services.

*This interview was done with the help of a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support officer.

Tayech

Tayech, 25, is a mother of two. Together with her husband, they moved their family to Gelabo IDP site in 2012 due to the conflict. She gave birth to her youngest baby in the IDP site six months ago.

“This is not the first time we fled due to conflict. I’m afraid we might have to move again due to the drought here,” she shares. “I want to go back to my life. I want to have a real home for my children and get back to my land, and continue farming. Even though I am grateful for all the support we get here, this is not home.”

Konischa

Konischa, 65, remembers vividly how he had to walk for many hours to get to leave an area in Ethiopia that had been greatly impacted by the drought.

“I came from Dhoqolle kebele in Dubuluk woreda (district), it is around seven hours walk from this part of the district where we can access some services and get assistance. I lost everything,” he says. “While this is not home, we are better off here. I think about my children and their future. Here, maybe they have a better chance for a fruitful life.”

Debo

Debo is 20 years old, married with one child.

“Like many people in this area, my family fled here to Dubuluk due to the drought. It is not perfect, but we feel safe here. There is help and there is water all day. I used to pay 1 birr per jerry can before IOM built this outlet. I have to go to Dubuluk town to fetch water. Sometimes when I don’t have money, I have to ask for help or beg, but now it is free in the compound,” she shares while fetching water from one of the IOM-built outlets.

“God pours water as rain, not milk or money. We need cattle, and I’m working hard to buy one for the family. Here the camp is close to the town and the market. I want to stay here and live a regular life.”

Dabo

When Dabo left her hometown due to the severe drought, she never thought that she will find an opportunity to use her passion for teaching. Trained and supported by IOM, she is now a hygiene promoter in the Dubuluk IDP site.

“I left school early because I started a family. While the drought left me with nothing, coming here has allowed me to work with IOM as one of the hygiene promoters in the site, Dabo proudly shares.

“As a hygiene promoter, my responsibilities are big, I teach my community about hygiene which is very important in this kind of camp setting. I am very happy that I got a job and helping my people. I teach about environmental hygiene, water, and sanitation, washing hands, safe water chain, how to keep their water jerry cans clean, and latrine management.”

Soda Magala site, Borena zone, Oramai region
In Soda Magala site in Borena Zone, hundreds have been displaced due to drought and the failure of expected rainfall in 2022. One of them is an elderly woman , who was originally from a rural part of Dire woreda, about 10 km away from the current site.

They left because they lost everything to the drought – all their cultivated land and all farm animals died. They thought they could seek help and shelter in the new site, but they arrived to bare ground, without any shelter, and decided to go back again to their place of origin.

“The situation remained so bad back home, so we sent a few from my family back to the site, who constructed cover with sticks, before they all returned there,” she says. Besides the material for shelter, they have received food and cash assistance, but the most pressing needs were food and shelter.

They survive depending on community labor; timber and firewood are collected and sold in the town, along with pond water being sold. But life is difficult without any help – especially for the elderly. If you are young, you can collect more firewood which is usually sold for 30 birr. For the elderly, or the ones especially suffering from hunger, it is not possible to collect as much because of the weight they need to carry.

Previously they were pastoralists and farmers. If their livelihood can be restored, she would like to go back home, and get her old life back.

Raro Fulensa site, Dawa region
In Raro Fulensa site, Dawa Zone, individuals are initially displaced due to the drought. Their biggest needs are water, food, plastic shelters, and health- and school facilities.

Ani (not her real name) is originally from the rural part of Raro, about 20 kms away from the site. Previously they were pastoralists, primarily owning cows, but also sheep and goats. Most of the cows died due to the drought.

“We tried to survive on goats and livestock and we also tried to cope by selling firewood and gum, but it simply wasn’t possible. We couldn’t stay any longer, and started walking towards this site, which took around a day on foot, walking in mass,” she recalls.

She has been at the site for more than a year and is currently living with 10 other people in her household.

“I never ever want to go back. Our place was so severely affected by the drought. Here, at least, we have the chance to do something else, like collecting and selling gum. When we arrived here, we never intended to go back. We are ready to start life anew.”