Nashon Tado (07.06.2013)
Norwegian Ambassador to Djibouti and Ethiopia, H.E Odd Inge Kvalheim visited NRC in Djibouti’s Ali Addeh Refugee Camp this week.
The Ali Addeh Refugee Camp is located 170km from Djibouti capital and is currently hosting an estimate of 18,000 refugees mainly from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. The refugee camp is divided into 8 sections, each with an average of 2,000 refugees, with refugees from Somalia being the majority. So far, 1,100 refugees have been registered in 2013, with an average of 250 refugees arriving each month.
The Ambassador for Djibouti and Ethiopia, H.E Odd Inge Kvalheim visited the Ali Addeh refugee camp on 4th of June 2013 to witness the situation and learn about the challenges that aggravate the human displacement situation. The field visit was organized by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and facilitated by the National Office for Assistance to Refugees and Affected Populations (ONARS) and UNHCR Ali Sabieh Office.
He visited the food distribution centre managed by ONARS and UNHCR and went to the new arrivals section of the refugee camp. Here, he visited homes made from plastic sheeting where incoming refugees receive shelter. He also visited homes located at section 5 of the settlement where most of the shelters are made from clothing and are in need of rehabilitation.
“This is a good learning opportunity for me, interacting directly with the refugees of Ali Ade and listen to their issues. I can imagine the difficult condition in which they are living on a daily basis, with the temperatures rising to as high as 40 degrees Celsius, strong winds and lack of basic facilities”, said Kvalheim, who is also an African Union Ambassador.
NRC has opened a field office at Ali Sabieh about 20km to Ali Addeh Refugee Camp in 2013 to respond to the needs resulting from displacement and the refugee situation.