Recent flooding has also affected thousands of the displaced living in settlements near the Baro river.
"The IDP [internally displaced person] problem is related to continuing conflicts in the area," Solomon Hussein, Gambella programme manager for Zoa Refugee Care, said on Thursday. "We saw 17 new villages established recently by the Nuer who were pushed out of their homes by other groups."
These villages comprise 'tukuls' or small shelters, each housing four or five people. "The IDPs are not farming and are completely helpless," Solomon added. "We counted more than 44,600 people but the local leaders said the actual number is higher."
According to Zoa and local authorities, the IDPs are from Gambella's three largest indigenous groups, the Anuak, Nuer and Mazinger.
"We have just conducted an assessment of the situation," Solomon added. "It is very serious. There is continuous displacement in Gambella. We saw people who have been displaced for 12 years."
In a report on humanitarian trends in Ethiopia last month, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted that intra-ethnic animosity was fuelled by competition for land, pasture and water.
The IDPs needed water for themselves and their animals, shelter, security and livelihood assistance, including tools and seeds. Several humanitarian agencies in the area were meeting some of the needs, according to OCHA.
However, the efforts of several NGOs engaged in peace-building activities were being hampered by the continued movement of people from Sudan, both refugees and raiders, into Ethiopia, the report said.
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