South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia survive on petty trade – report

By Charles Lotara
Ethiopia is hosting 628,585 combined number of refugees and asylum seekers drawn from around Africa and South Sudanese account for nearly half of that grand total with recent statistics placing the actual figure at 297,918.
A recent World Bank report obtained by The City Review reveals that despite while the arrival of refugees has been associated with the expansion of commercial activity and trade, in Ethiopia, there still exists a paucity of reliable income-earning opportunities for refugees and their host counterparts.
“Refugees mainly rely on aid, petty trade, alcohol sale, and collection and sale of firewood to make a living. On the other hand, host communities depend on agriculture and wage employment,” read part of the report prepared by social welfare specialists from the World Bank.
With scarce energy resources available, refugees have resorted to deforestation as majority use firewood and charcoal as their source of energy. The most visible impact of the refugee presence, the World Bank says, is on forests and natural habitats since refugees rely on wood for cooking and heating. Constrained refugee livelihoods have also led to competition over resources, localized security, and theft.
The World Bank says although refugees and hosts access basic services such as water, health, and health alike, inequities in access to and quality of services has led to tensions between groups.
The Ethiopian government has been urged by the financial institution to use a tailored approach in addressing these crises in the different refugee hosting areas as it seeks to implement its key refugee pledges related to work and livelihoods, increased provision of social and basic services, and local integration for long-term refugees.
Experts say clear communication and consultations are vital in shaping inter-group dynamics between refugees and hosts and could inform a development program driven by community-based needs assessments.
A joint statement by Varalakshmi Vemuru, Practice Manager at Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice, Aditya Sarkar, Independent Researcher and Consultant, and Andrea Woodhouse, Senior Social Development Specialist says the bank is ready to support host governments with favourable strategies for refugees.
“By better understanding the evolution of the relationship between host and refugee communities in Ethiopia, the World Bank hopes that it can support hosting governments in enabling these groups to live empowered and dignified lives and also draw lessons for other parts of the world contending with similar challenges.”