Massive displacement requires new attention

Drought and war have contributed to the many needs of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Eritrea, with people losing their homes, livestock and belongings as they fled in panic during the conflict with Ethiopia. Up to one million people in Eritrea suffered "massive displacement" last year, the international Action by Churches Together (ACT) network said. ACT said it had revised a previous appeal issued in June 2000, which had mainly focused on providing relief assistance.

It called for a total of US $5,161,555 for assistance to war- and drought-afflicted populations, including for food and non-food items, mine clearance programmes, and for the rehabilitation of the water sector. The appeal included the activities proposed by ACT members DanChurch Aid, for a mine action programme; Dutch Interchurch Aid for relief food distribution; and Norwegian Church Aid for shelter construction.

The appeal pointed out that two of the front lines of the conflict were situated within the two most populated regions of Eritrea. Gash Barka Region to the west, and Debub Region in the south were also "the most fertile and productive zones of the country and together produce 70-75 percent of the country's agricultural output".

It said the two Eritrean regions hosted 48 percent of the population. The appeal also pointed out that although some refugees from Sudan and Eritrean IDPs had started moving back to their traditional homes at the end of last year, major population movements were expected to start now because of increased security and expectations for a lasting peace.

Land-mine clearance programmes were essential for these returning populations. According to the most recent figures from the Eritrean Information Coordination Centre (ICC Update, February) about 250,000 IDPs were still in camps in Eritrea, the appeal said.