The EU is providing €61 million in humanitarian funding for Ethiopia amid reports of renewed conflict and a worsening situation in the country’s north.
The funding is intended to support people affected by conflict, displacement, disease outbreaks and climate-related hazards, including the impact of El Niño, the European Commission said in a statement on Monday.
The situation in Northern Ethiopia is “rapidly deteriorating”, with reports of military activity in multiple localities and the take-over of Mekelle, Axum and Shire airports in Tigray by Tigray People’s Liberation Front forces.
The Commission also said it had been monitoring “several” drone strikes carried out in recent weeks by the Ethiopian National Defence Force, and called for de-escalation, the protection of civilians and unimpeded humanitarian access.
Humanitarian needs remain high in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach areas, particularly in Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia and Tigray.
Ethiopia is hosting large refugee populations, while conflicts in neighbouring Sudan and South Sudan have led to sudden influxes of people.
What the EU funding will cover
The money will be used for emergency food assistance and nutrition, healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene services, protection, shelter and essential household items, as well as education in emergencies, the Commission said.
It will also support rapid emergency response to sudden crises, along with anticipatory measures and disaster preparedness actions.
International humanitarian law — the rules of war intended to protect civilians and those providing aid — must be respected, including the impartiality and independence of humanitarian operations.
Strikes affecting humanitarian convoys and any denial of humanitarian access were condemned by the EU in the statement.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in New York last Saturday a wider package worth close to €710 million for displaced people in Africa and global crisis relief, with €18 million allocated to Ethiopia as part of the €61 million total for 2026.
