UN Agencies Launch Job Initiative for Refugees in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, 26 September 2026
The ILO and UNHCR have partnered to expand employment for refugees in Ethiopia, despite escalating regional conflicts that threaten economic stability and repatriation plans.
Fostering Self-Reliance Amid Regional Turmoil
In a bid to address the protracted displacement crisis, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) officially strengthened their partnership on 25 September 2026 to expand decent work opportunities and sustainable livelihoods for refugees and host communities across Ethiopia [2]. This joint initiative is designed to bolster economic self-reliance, reducing aid dependency by integrating displaced populations into local labour markets [2][GPT]. By focusing on shared economic infrastructure, the programme aims to benefit both refugees and the host communities that accommodate them, fostering social cohesion in highly vulnerable regions [2][GPT].
Escalating Hostilities and the Humanitarian Impact
However, the viability of these livelihood programmes is being severely tested by a sudden and violent escalation in Ethiopia’s internal conflicts [1][3]. On 23 September 2026, active hostilities reignited between the Ethiopian National Defense Force and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) alongside allied regional militias, bringing a fragile period of relative calm to an abrupt end [3]. This resurgence of fighting has triggered widespread alarm among international observers, who warn that the escalating violence threatens to destabilise the entire Horn of Africa [1][4].
Communication Blackouts and Restricted Flight Access
Refugees and local communities face further isolation due to severe infrastructure shutdowns [1][5]. Essential telecommunications and internet services have been cut off in Mekelle and several areas of the Amhara region, leaving civilians unable to access safety information or plan evacuation routes [1][5]. This digital blackout is compounded by severe transport disruptions; on 23 September 2026, Ethiopian Airlines suspended all flights to Mekelle, Axum, and Shire following reports that Tigrayan forces had seized control of the Mekelle airport [1][4]. With roads also blocked in the neighbouring Afar region, escape routes for those fleeing the violence have been effectively severed [1].
Forced Recruitment and the Barrier to Repatriation
The security crisis is further worsened by egregious human rights violations, notably forced conscription campaigns [1]. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the TPLF for conducting aggressive forced military recruitment across Tigray, targeting children as well as demobilised former combatants [1]. Families resisting these drafts have faced retaliatory violence, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings [1]. For Ethiopian refugees currently living in cross-border settlements like Kakuma and Kalobeyei in Kenya, these harrowing developments eliminate any immediate prospect of safe, voluntary repatriation, locking them into long-term displacement [1][GPT].