UN agency survey shows 131,000 displaced in Tigray

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says there are more than 131,000 people displaced in 39 accessible locations in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and neighbouring Afar and Amhara, according to its survey.

The data was gathered through a Displacement Tracking Matrix, its new survey which gathers and analyses data on population estimates, vulnerabilities, and the needs of displaced populations.

IOM said it had identified 30,383 displaced households.

The IOM says many of the displaced persons, including women and children, are in need of emergency shelter, food and access to clean and safe drinking water.

The numbers represent about 2% of Tigray's population of between 5-7 million. According to the IOM, “the data are not indicators of the total number of persons displaced due to the crisis but rather represent only the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in sites accessible to DTM surveyors.”

The northern Tigray region has been the centre of a conflict between the federal government and its former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The conflict erupted on 4 November 2020 when Ethiopia's government launched an offensive to oust the TPLF after its fighters captured federal military bases in Tigray.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: AFP]