Diplomacy
UNHCR Suspends Refugee Registration in Ethiopia Amid Funding Crisis
Kulu Media · 2 hours ago · Read the Full Story on Kulu Media
AI SUMMARY
The UN refugee agency has suspended registration for tens of thousands of refugees from Eritrea and South Sudan in Ethiopia due to a severe funding shortfall.
- Refugee registration in Ethiopia has been suspended for tens of thousands of people from Eritrea and South Sudan.
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih announced the suspension during a Geneva meeting on October 12, 2026.
- UNHCR received only $3 billion out of the $8.5 billion required for its operations in 2026, resulting in a $5.5 billion shortfall.
- The financial crisis has forced the agency to reduce its global workforce from approximately 20,000 employees in 2024 to fewer than 12,000.
- Ethiopia's refugee status determination procedures operate under Refugee Proclamation No. 1110/2019, which assigns primary responsibility to the government.
- Salih warned that insufficient resources are also threatening specialized medical and legal assistance for over 50,000 conflict-related sexual violence survivors who fled Sudan into Chad.
- UNHCR has not specified when the affected registration activities in Ethiopia will resume.
Related
Eritrean Government Demands UNHCR Withdraw Revised Asylum Guidelines
Wazema · 1 hour ago
Sudan Conditions Dialogue With Ethiopia on Halting Support for RSF
Addis Standard · 2 hours ago
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Holds Phone Conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
TIKVAH Ethiopia · 2 hours ago
Ethiopia Secures Additional USD8.5 Million In UN Humanitarian Funding
The Reporter · 1 hour ago