Heavy fighting in South Sudan's Unity and Upper Nile states over the last two months has displaced more than 100,000 people and blocked humanitarian aid deliveries for some 650,000 people as aid organizations were forced to withdraw. Since the beginning of the year, some 60,000 South Sudanese have fled the country, mostly to Sudan (30,000), Ethiopia (15,000) and Uganda (15,000) bringing the total South Sudanese who fled the country since December 2013 to some 555,000, while some 1.5 million are internally displaced in the country.

An average of 180 South Sudanese refugees arriving in Ethiopia as South Sudan marks its 4th anniversary of independence on Thursday. Ethiopia shelters 700k ref.

To intensify the current malaria prevention and control measures in refugee camps, 4,140 transitional shelters were sprayed with Propoxur chemical in Kule camp from 29 September to 7 October. The other five camps are following.

Global Handwashing Day celebrations were held in all refugee camps in Gambella on 15 October with support from all Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) partners. These celebrations will be peaked with the upcoming World Toilet Day to be celebrated on 19 November.

At an ad hoc inter-agency task force meeting held on 27 April and which was co-chaired by UNHCR and ARRA, ARRA assured all humanitarian actors of security as the government has reinforced the presence of Ethiopian Defence Force and Federal Police who are currently controlling the situation in Gambella region.

ECHO - The South and South-East of Ethiopia are affected by serious drought due to the fourth consecutive failed rainy season.

New arrivals (since 15 December 2013) from South Sudan into Ethiopia's Gambella Regional State surpassed 100,000 on April 28 (totaling 100,426 individuals).

The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Miss Khung-wha KANG, paid a one-day visit to Gambella.

The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, visited Gambella to have first-hand impressions of the South Sudan refugee crisis where he visited Tierkidi camp.

The “Master Plan Mission” from UNHCR Geneva was in Gambella from 20-29 October to test the new master plan tool kit and to assist in identifying new camp site.