A severe humanitarian catastrophe is rapidly unfolding in the southern Ethiopian region of Gambella, prompting the federal government to deploy troops to quell intense violence and widespread unrest. Residents and aid workers on the ground attribute the escalating conflict to rapidly deteriorating living conditions, which have been exacerbated by an influx of refugees from Sudan and South Sudan. The escalating violence, marked by a mounting death toll, has forced relief agencies to suspend their operations, further compounding the crisis.

The latest major relief organization to withdraw from the region is the World Food Programme (WFP), one of Ethiopia's leading aid agencies. A WFP spokesperson confirmed that due to "escalating tensions in the Gambella region, ongoing food distribution has been temporarily halted," impacting over 400,000 refugees who rely on assistance, including recent arrivals. This suspension of vital services underlines the gravity of the situation.

The recent wave of conflict ignited last month following the killing of Gambella's police chief, Umod Ujulu, a member of the Nuer ethnic group. He was reportedly killed by his deputy, who belongs to the Anuak ethnic group, triggering a wave of violence that residents describe as difficult to contain. Alemitu Omod, President of the Gambella Regional State, confirmed that numerous civilians have died and remain unaccounted for, suggesting a high casualty count. The city of Gambella remains tense and deserted, with strict curfews implemented to allow families to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones from public streets. The violence has also reached refugee camps; Lok Gatkuoth, a senior figure in the Jewi camp (which houses 430,000 South Sudanese refugees), reported attacks and killings based on ethnicity within the camp.

Gambella has a long history of ethnic clashes between its two dominant tribes, the Nuer and Anuak, primarily over land rights, resources, and political power-sharing, with armed attacks occurring regularly. Nyateny Nul, a Gambella resident, points to a dwindling economy, high unemployment, and declining support for the thousands of refugees as key drivers of the current crisis. She stated, "People are now hungry and they blame their misfortune on others, pushing them to see violence as a way to escape their extreme poverty and hopeless situation and living conditions."

The region's political power structure, which is deeply split along ethnic lines, makes effective governance challenging and leaves it vulnerable to recurring conflicts. These conflicts frequently spill into Gambella's refugee camps, which have themselves been struggling with declining support since the previous year. Doctors Without Borders highlighted this predicament, stating last year that "living conditions for refugees in Ethiopia's Gambella region are rapidly deteriorating following the significant cuts to humanitarian aid in the region." The organization attributed this sharp decline largely to "global reductions in support from key donors such as USAID," straining essential services like food distribution, healthcare, and access to clean water and sanitation. Many residents report that conditions have since worsened drastically, making vulnerable camps with minimal infrastructure ripe for conflict as people desperately compete for the limited aid available. James Akob, a recent arrival from Juba now in Pugindo refugee camp, described the recent ethnic strife as a "bloodbath," noting that people are dying even within the camp. He observed, "Hungry residents turning against each other based on their ethnicity, blaming their misfortune on the other group and killing each other," and attributed some of the unrest to the influence of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO).