30 April 2026 – In response to the rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia following the influx of South Sudanese refugees, the European Union is providing €100,000 in emergency humanitarian aid to support those arriving in the country. The funding will deliver life-saving assistance to thousands of people in urgent need.
The influx stems from renewed conflict in South Sudan in December 2025, which has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee across the border into neighbouring Ethiopia. Akobo County alone has seen a mass exodus, with an estimated 270,000 people at risk of displacement. In early March, authorities in South Sudan instructed civilians, UN agencies and humanitarian organisations to vacate the area ahead of planned military operations. Within days, the situation deteriorated, and between early March and 6 April, more than 110,000 people—many of them women and children—had crossed into Ethiopia’s Gambella Region in search of safety.
This three-month project, scheduled to run until the end of June 2026, is expected to assist at least 10,000 refugees in Abaya Woreda, Gambella Region. EU funding will support the Ethiopian Red Cross Society in delivering critical relief, including food, clean water, shelter, healthcare, hygiene and protection services for the most vulnerable. Humanitarian Service Points will be established at key entry locations to provide immediate assistance to new arrivals. Children and mothers will receive emergency nutrition support, while trained volunteers will offer first aid, psychosocial care, and support for restoring family links, alongside addressing protection concerns.
This latest influx further exacerbates an already dire situation in Gambella, which hosts approximately 450,000 South Sudanese refugees. The region is also under strain due to ongoing intercommunal violence and limited humanitarian resources. Immediate and sustained support will be critical to stabilising conditions for displaced populations, supporting overstretched host communities, and preventing further deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
In addition, the EU is allocating €75,000 in emergency assistance to respond to severe flooding and landslides that occurred on 10 and 11 March in southern Ethiopia. The disaster claimed 131 lives and injured more than 260 people. In total, over 14,000 people were affected, with widespread destruction of homes and livelihoods.
This funding will support the Ethiopian Red Cross Society in assisting 500 of the most vulnerable households in Gacho Baba, Kemba and Bonke. The four-month project, running until the end of July 2026, will provide multi-sectoral assistance, including emergency shelter, water and sanitation, and healthcare services to enhance the safety, dignity and protection of affected populations.
These allocations are part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) managed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The European Union, together with its Member States, is the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid. This assistance reflects European solidarity with people in need worldwide and aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard human dignity in the face of natural disasters and human-made crises. Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the EU supports millions of people affected by crises each year.
The European Union is signatory to a €12 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.
The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of 12 million.
For further information, please contact:
Peter Biro
Regional Information Officer for the Great Lakes, East & Southern Africa,
European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): peter.biro@echofield.eu
