In 2014, the federal government, headed by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), redrew the boundary between the two regions. As a result the Somali Region lost three villages to the Afar Region. Since then, they have been trying to get the villages back under their control. 46,000 IDPs in the Afar region, and 78,000 IDPs in Siti zone, Somali region. OCHA, “Ethiopia: Access Snapshot – Afar region and Siti zone, Somali region,” 31 January 2021, https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ocha_200204_access_snapshot_afar_sitti_somali_region.pdf.

Between July and October 2020, approximately 29,000 households were internally displaced because of violent conflicts in the disputed areas. OCHA, “Ethiopia: Afar-Issa land dispute, Flash Update,” 27 January 2020, https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/afar_issa_flash_update_27_01_2021.pdf.

On 23–24 July 2021, militia from the neighboring Afar region attacked and looted a Somali town, Gedamaytu, also known as Gabraiisa. Somali region officials said: “Many are displaced and the town is almost completely looted.” Citing Ali Bedel in Kim Helfrich, “Town in Ethiopia’s Somali region attacked,” defense Web (28 July 2021), https://www.defenceweb.co.za/security/civil-security/town-in-ethiopias-somali-region-attacked/. Neither specific numbers of evicted/displaced persons, nor population figures for Gedamaytu are available.

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