Living conditions for more over  395,000 refugees in Ethiopia’s Gambella region rapidly deteriorating

Significant cuts to humanitarian aid from donors like USAID are causing living conditions for more than 395,000 refugees in Ethiopia’s Gambella region to rapidly deteriorate, according to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The aid cuts are straining basic services like food distribution, clean water access, and healthcare.

In a statement released today, MSF, which has provided healthcare in the Kule refugee camp for over a decade, said its teams are now overwhelmed by increasing needs. The general decline in humanitarian funding has led to the suspension of nutrition services in four of the seven camps, putting approximately 80,000 children under five at risk of life-threatening malnutrition.

“We receive food once a month—maize, wheat, and sorghum—but it always runs out before the month ends,” said Nyauahial Puoch, a mother of an MSF patient, highlighting the severe food shortages.

The closure of other facilities has forced MSF’s centers to become a critical lifeline, often leading to overcrowding. In 2025, MSF’s therapeutic feeding center saw a 55% increase in child admissions compared to the previous year, with half of these children coming from neighboring camps. The outpatient department also experienced a 58% rise in patient visits, and prenatal care visits surged by 72% compared to 2024.

“We’re receiving more patients from other camps, largely because these services are no longer available locally due to many NGOs withdrawing from the region because of funding cuts,” explained Armand Dirks, MSF’s project coordinator in Gambella.

The funding cuts have also downsized disease prevention activities, including malaria prevention programs. Malaria is endemic in the region, and MSF’s teams are anticipating a sharp increase in cases during the current rainy season, which runs from May to October.

In July 2025, the number of malaria patients at MSF facilities more than doubled compared to June. Since January, MSF has treated over 23,800 cases, with more than half of these patients traveling from neighboring camps.

“Cases are expected to rise sharply during this peak transmission period, posing a serious threat to already vulnerable refugees,” said Birhanu Sahile, MSF’s deputy medical coordinator.

With NGOs unable to meet the growing needs, MSF is calling on the Ethiopian government to take decisive action to integrate refugees into local services. The Gambella region, in southwestern Ethiopia, has hosted a large number of South Sudanese refugees since 2014.