UNICEF Ethiopia Humanitarian Situation Report No. 5: September to October 2025
Situation Report
Source UNICEF
https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/u ... tober-2025
Posted 9 Dec 2025
Originally published 8 Dec 2025
Report No. 5 - September-October 2025
Highlights
• Between September 1 and October 31, 2025, a total of 1,439,158 malaria cases and 51 deaths were reported nationwide
• Between September and October 2025, UNICEF has provided lifesaving treatment to nearly 116,162 children under five suffering from acute malnutrition across the country.
• During the same period, 566,982 women and children received primary healthcare services, 309,348 people gained access to safe drinking water through the rehabilitation and solarization of water systems and 19,328 children, adolescents, and caregivers received mental health and psychosocial support.
• During the reporting period, UNICEF supported over 51,527 out-of-school children to access formal and non-formal education opportunities.
• UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal for Ethiopia, totals $493 million and remains 73 percent unfunded, amid ongoing needs for supplies, cash assistance and essential services.
Situation in Numbers
1,115,839 Total Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) 2025 Appeal highlights the urgent need for US$493.2 million to address the critical humanitarian requirements of children, adolescents, women, and men in Ethiopia. Currently, only US$133.2 million is available for this appeal, which represents 27 percent of the total funding required, even after accounting for the US$49.4 million carried over from 2024. This significant shortfall underscores the need for continued support to bridge the funding gaps. UNICEF is urging donor partners to provide assistance to ensure that children and their caregivers receive the lifesaving and life-sustaining aid they desperately need in 2025 and beyond.
UNICEF extends heartfelt thanks to all donors who have generously supported the 2025 HAC. Special appreciation goes to the Canada, Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), European Commission Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), German Federal Foreign Office, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), United States Foreign Assistance and all private sector donors who have shown their commitment through UNICEF National Committees. Your contributions make a profound difference in the lives of children and families.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
Ethiopia is currently facing a complex and multifaceted humanitarian crisis, driven by recurrent droughts, floods, armed conflicts, large-scale displacement, disease outbreaks, and severe economic instability exacerbated by inflation. These overlapping shocks have significantly worsened food and nutrition insecurity, particularly among children. Vulnerable populations face increasingly life-threatening conditions that jeopardize their survival, growth, and development. According to OCHA’s access analysis1, humanitarian operations across Ethiopia remained largely unhindered during September and October 2025, with more than 800 woredas and towns accessible to aid organizations. However, 41 woredas were classified as hard-to-reach 36 in Amhara and 5 in Oromia primarily due to localized insecurity and the presence of various armed actors. Additionally, 289 woredas experienced partial accessibility, with intermittent constraints affecting the aid delivery operations. Compared to the previous two months, access conditions deteriorated in South Wello and North Shewa (Amhara) and West Shewa (Oromia) Zones.
During the reporting period from September 1 to October 31, 2025, a total of 1,439,158 malaria cases and 51 related deaths were reported nationwide. According to the malaria surveillance report for Epidemiological Week 44, 81.4 percent of cases were concentrated in five regions: Oromia (27.4 percent), Amhara (24.3 percent), South Ethiopia (13.1 percent), Southwestern Ethiopia (8.2 percent), and Central Ethiopia (8.4 percent). In total, 913 woredas reported at least one malaria case, with a laboratory confirmation rate of 92.3 percent. Plasmodium falciparum accounted for 60.8 percent of confirmed cases.
On October 11, 2025, two significant earthquakes struck northern Ethiopia. The first quake, with a magnitude of 5.6, had its epicenter about 56 kilometers northeast of Mekelle in Tigray, while the second quake, measuring 5.3, occurred near the Afar region. Both earthquakes were shallow, at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers, making the tremors strongly felt across Tigray and Afar2. The impact was severe, with over 43,000 people displaced in the Afar region, primarily in Kilbeti Resu Zone (including Berhale, Konaba, and Dallol woredas). In Tigray, around 225 individuals were displaced, with damage concentrated near Mekelle 3 .
FEWS NET anticipates that through May 2026 4 , southern and southeastern pastoral areas will experience significantly below-average October–December Deyr/Hageya rains. Below-normal rainfall is expected to dominate across southern portions of the Somali region, increasing drought risk and leading to poor livestock conditions and reduced income for households with small herds. Nationally, a near-average 2025 meher harvest is expected due to good production in western surplus areas; however, localized shortfalls are anticipated in eastern and southern Tigray, Wag Himra, North and South Wello (Amhara region), and near crop failure in East and West Hararghe (Oromia region). Persistent and multi-layered conflicts are expected to continue across Ethiopia, with periodic escalations in Amhara and Oromia 5. Similarly, the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute’s Bega outlook indicates that near-normal to below-normal rainfall will dominate across southern portions of the Somali region, while below-normal rainfall conditions are expected to prevail across Borena, Guji, Sidama, and other southern parts of Ethiopia.
As part of its response to internal displacement, UNICEF Ethiopia Country Office launched the Multisectoral IDPs Return Support Plan for Tigray in October 2025 to support the Government of Ethiopia in facilitating the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of an estimated 574,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) including 142,926 women (24.9 percent ) and 300,776 children (52.4 percent ) to their areas of origin in Western Tigray. The plan adopts a coordinated, multisectoral approach to address immediate humanitarian needs while laying the groundwork for recovery, peacebuilding, and durable solutions. In total, the initiative targets 990,000 people, including approximately 374,333 individuals from host communities, with an estimated funding requirement of US$35 million.
The U.S. Congress is moving forward with Resolution H.Res.937, which calls out the [Potemkin Party] Government of Ethiopia for actions that threaten regional stability, violate fundamental human rights, and undermine the strategic interests of the United States in the Horn of Africa.
