Provision of transportation assistance to South Sudanese, Somali and Eritrean refugees in
Ethiopia. The proposed intervention will contribute towards the provision of timely, safe and dignified emergency transportation services from entry points to designated camps for 11,000 South Sudanese, Somali and Eritrean refugees in Gambella, Somali and Tigray regions of Ethiopia.

The Revised 2017 South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan launched on 15th May, 2017 anticipates a total of 75,000 new refugees to reach an overall total of 405,000 South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia. Due to the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan there remains the potential of massive influxes into the Gambella Region emphasizing the urgent need for multi-sectoral humanitarian interventions to meet the needs of refugees.As of 31st July 2017, IOM  relocated 81,599 South Sudanese (45,675 Females and 35,923 Males) entering Gambella since September 2016 of which 36,414 entered since January. The increased influx from South Sudan has a severe impact on the already limited resources in existing camps and places a significant strain on the host community. With camps in Gambella Region reaching full capacity, Gure Shombola camp in Benishangul-Gumuz region was established in April 2017 to host 13,000 newly arrived refugees. As of June 30th, 2,524 South Sudanese refugees have been relocated from Nguenyyiel camp in Gambella to Gure Shombola camp in Benishangul-Gumuz. The Government of Ethiopia recently indicated willingness to review additional options alongside Gure Shembola relocation including potential out of camp status for new refugees in Gambella.
 
According to UNHCR contingency planning, the instability and the worsening drought conditions in neighboring Somalia is anticipated to force significant numbers (5,000 – 10,000) of Somalis to flee their homes towards Dollo Ado refugee camps. From January to June 2017, 5,752 registered asylum seekers have already crossed the border from Somalia to Dollo Ado, higher than the 3,000 expected for the whole of 2017 in previous planning figures. Between 1st January and 30th June 2017, IOM provided transportation assistance and pre-departure medical screening to over 5,900 Somali refugees (3,061 Females and 2,845 males).

In addition, political instability and poor economic conditions in Eritrea, have resulted in a spike of refugees arriving in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region since February 2017. IOM began providing transportation assistance in Tigray since 1st March following an urgent request for support from Administration for Refugees and returnees Affairs (ARRA) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). New arrivals are transported from Endabaguna Reception Center, located 20 kilometers west of Shire, to five camps in Tigray Region. As of 30th June 2017, IOM provided transportation to a total of 9,548 Eritrean refugees with 11% unaccompanied minors. According to UNHCR planning figures, a total of 15,000 Eritrean refugees are expected to enter Ethiopia by end of 2017. With a large percentage of unaccompanied minors, decongesting the reception center is crucial to mitigate exposure to various health and protection risks.

With the proposed action, IOM will ensure provision of Pre Departure Medical Services (PDMS) and transportation assistance to refugees from border points/reception center to UNHCR and ARRA designated refugee camps. The migration health center will continue to provide medical services such as PDMS to determine those Fitness To Travel (FTT) for all the travelling asylum seekers/refugees and provision of medical escorts. Persons requiring medical attention will continue to be referred to relevant stakeholders, such as ARRA and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). IOM will also continue to provide special assistance and medical escort to unaccompanied and separated children, pregnant and lactating women, disabled and elderly and those with chronic medical conditions among others.