ADDIS ABABA, Aug 20 (Bernama) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says Ethiopia has overtaken Kenya as the largest refugee host country in Africa, sheltering over 600,000 people by July.
Xinhua news agency reports conflicts in last December forced more than 200,000 people from South Sudan to seek refugee in Ethiopia, which also hosts Somali and Eritrean refugees.
“Together with the Ethiopian government and other partners, we are providing protection and humanitarian aid in 23 refugee camps and five transit sites around the country,” said UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards on Tuesday.
Some 10,000 refugees have been hit by the recent flood triggered by heavy rains, posing serious health concerns and threatening to undermine gains made in preventing the outbreak of water-borne diseases.
“With the rainy season set to last until October, we are working with our partners to drain the accumulated rainwater into a nearby small stream as quickly as possible,” Edwards said.
-BERNAMA
