A United Nations refugee agency report put nearly 70.8 million people worldwide as displaced by violence in the previous year. Inside that global tally, Ethiopia stood out for new conflict-related internal displacement. Tracking groups recorded about 2.9 million new internal displacements in Ethiopia in 2018, among the highest national figures that year.
Slate’s June 2019 feature argued that the Ethiopian crisis drew far less attention than other wars, even as camps and host communities absorbed huge numbers. Ethnic clashes and local security breakdowns drove much of the flight. By late 2018 and early 2019, agencies still counted millions of internally displaced people, including many who had tried to return home.
The piece tied the numbers to political opening after Abiy Ahmed took office, which also let old grievances flare. For Horn readers, the archive value is the scale: Ethiopia’s displacement load rivalled better-known emergencies while remaining under-covered abroad.
Sources: Slate