Protective Frameworks and Their Effects on the Socio-Economy of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ethiopia: The Case of the Afar Region

Abstract

The study aims to evaluate the impact of protective frameworks on the socio-economic conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Ethiopia-Afar Region due to conflict in the northern region. This evaluation will be conducted using national and international instruments such as the Ethiopian Constitution, the Kampala Convention, UN Guiding Principles, and the Great Lakes Protocol. The study employed a qualitative research method, and primary data were collected through key informant interviews, observations, and document reviews. The study’s findings show that the government is limited in providing an adequate response. The findings also indicate that the government’s ability to provide an appropriate standard of living, including, at the very least, access to enough food, water, decent housing, health care, a foundational education, and opportunities for jobs and livelihoods, is limited. Additionally, none of the IDPs recovered any personal property that was destroyed or left behind at their place of origin as a result of their displacement; one of the study’s key findings is that national policy does not adequately protect the rights of IDPs. The study’s conclusions recommend developing a national policy framework to protect IDPs both during and after relocation, to provide them with a long-term solution by ensuring adequate living conditions, to find a mechanism by which IDPs can recover their own property and documentation that was lost or destroyed as a result of displacement, or to be compensated for it and to provide a legal remedy for crimes committed against IDPs. Ethiopia must also ratify international agreements such as the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (GPID) and establish reliable institutional frameworks. This will compel the Ethiopian government to prioritize and pay attention to IDPs affected by war and other causes.