Ethiopia: 130,000 displaced in need of protection and humanitarian aid

There are some 130,000 people internally displaced (IDPs) in Ethiopia due to conflicts. This figure includes 62,000 persons in Tigray who have been displaced by the military confrontation which arose from a border dispute in May 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Since 2003, about 51,000 people in Gambella have been displaced by ethnic clashes and power struggles. As of July 2004 all the displaced people were unable to return to their areas of origin due to insecurity, the presence of landmines, lack of resources and an inability to construct their livelihoods in areas of return.