0 . MAJOR CHANGE SINCE THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE HIP
In Somalia, the situation of about 1.1 million IDPs remains a major concern. The government is currently planning to relocate some 78,000 IDPs settled in Mogadishu to new sites outside the city centre by August 2013, starting process to the resettlement or return of all IDPs in Mogadishu (in total, 369,000 people). The situation of the 1 million Somali refugees in the region is also of concern as one speaks about potential repatriation while the conditions are not conducive in Somalia. The country still faces a very fragile security situation and the absence of basic services in the most vulnerable areas of the country, where most refugees come from. There is a clear need to advocate for durable solution to respect international law, and notably the voluntary and dignified nature of return, and to enhance protection and livelihoods activities for refugees and IDPs as well as in the return areas. Furthermore, Somalia is still facing the consequences of repeated years of drought and conflict and, in particular, the consequences of the famine situation in 2011, which caused an estimated 258,000 excess deaths. Malnutrition rates remain above emergency thresholds in vast areas of the country with 45,000 children severely malnourished and over 1 million people considered being acutely food insecure.
In Ethiopia, the situation of the refugees remains a significant concern at a time when an increasing number of refugees from Eritrea and the two Sudan's are reaching Ethiopia. The full capacity of the camps in the North and West of the country is almost reached and there is already a need to open new camps and plan protection activities. Ethiopia is also affected by small scale disasters triggering the displacement of the population (currently some 78,000 people were newly displaced from January to March 2013 due to drought, conflict and flooding in Afar, Oromia and Somali regions, bringing the current total to 313,000 compared to 245.000 in December 2012). There is a need to reinforce the response capacity of the humanitarian partners. There is also a need to address the continued malnutrition rates and food insecurity in the poorest and most vulnerable areas, where many gaps have been identified in the food assistance, nutrition and health sectors and remain to be addressed (e.g. GAM rates as high as 24.4% have been registered in certain parts of Somali region – Gode zone). Support has to be provided through multisector activities to tackle malnutrition and food insecurity in order to build people's resilience capacity to face further recurrent shocks.
DG ECHO has mobilised additional EUR 12 million to address the above described situation. EUR 6.6 million will be allocated to Somalia and the remaining EUR 5.4 million to Ethiopia