The Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, Mr. Peter H. Vrooman, visited UNHCR Sub-Office Gambella on 9 December. Mr. Vrooman’s last visit to Gambella was in March 2015 when he inaugurated Jewi camp along with the President of Gambella Regional State, His Excellency Ato Gatluak Tuk Khot; Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA); Deputy Director Ato Ayalew Aweke; then outgoing UNHCR Representative (Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa), Mr. Valentin Tapsoba; and the Deputy Assistant Secretary Catherine Wiesner of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM) in Washington.

The Canadian Ambassador to Ethiopia, H.E. Phillip Baker, on 7 December 2015 visited UNHCR Gambella Sub-Office to familiarize himself with the South Sudanese refugee operation in Gambella Region. He was accompanied by a representative from Canada is Dedicated to International Development (DFTAD), Mr. Dave Weber.

Due to identification of risk of measles outbreak in Kule refugee camp, MSF-Holland conducted a mass measles vaccination exercise from 11-14 January 2016 wherein 97.2% i.e. 5,767 from 5,934 targeted children aged 6-59 months were vaccinated against measles.

541 new arrivals, consisting of 131 families from South Sudan, were registered at the Pagak entry point and relocated to Pugnido 2 camp on 15 January 2016. The refugees were mainly from Upper Nile State and 70% of them were children. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) facilitated the relocation.

The Italian President, His Excellency Sergio Mattarella on 16 March visited the South Sudanese refugee operation in Gambella Region, western Ethiopia. He was accompanied by Italian government officials, media personnel and other officials from the Embassy including the Italian Ambassador for Ethiopia. The mission was received and welcomed at Gambella Airport by the President of Gambella Region, His Excellency Gatluak Tut Khot, Vice President of the region, His Excellency Engineer Olero Opiew, Ato Ayelew Awoke ARRA Deputy Director from Addis Ababa, ARRA Zonal Coordinator, Ato Teferi Bekele, the UNHCR Head of Sub–Office Ms. Angele Djohossou and UNICEF colleagues from Addis Ababa and Gambella.

On 23 March, the World Water Day was celebrated under the theme: “Better water for better jobs”. During the celebration refugees demonstrated importance of water for human life through local songs and dramas. UNHCR urged refugees to manage water in sustainable manner and to ensure that all people including those living with disabilities have access to safe water.

From 14-15 March, the UNHCR Representative, Ms. Clementine Nkweta Salami visited the UNHCR operation in Gambella to get first-hand information on the prevailing security situation and the way forward to ensure staff safety and to keep humanitarian activities running smoothly. Interethnic clashes broke out in the region on 28 January and lasted for a few weeks.

From 10_13 March 2016, UNHCR supported a WFP mission that was evaluating the impact of WFP Ethiopia operations for the period 2014-2015 in Gambella. The mission visited Jewi and Tierkidi refugee camps and interviewed different refugee groups including key informants from food, nutrition, WASH and livelihoods sectors.

On 8 March the International Women’s Day was colourfully celebrated in refugee camps in Gambella region. The occasion was marked with traditional dancers, songs by school children, drama and speeches that focused on gender equality promotion. The Refugee Central Committee (RCC) chairpersons spoke of the need for the refugee community to change some of the cultural habits that deny women opportunities to participate in leadership. Among few things mentioned were early marriage which prevent girls from completing higher education.

For better protection and humanitarian assistance, UNHCR, in collaboration with partners, is undertaking a shelter addressing exercise in all the six refugee camps in Gambella region. The exercise, which started on 7 March, involves marking of shelters using permanent paint indicating the plot address. The address with make it easier to locate refugees and improve on provision of services and assistance. About 20,000 transitional shelters and 38,000 emergency shelters/tents are being marked with addresses during the exercise.