European Union (EU) Allocates €200,000 in Humanitarian Aid Following Ethiopia Earthquake

In response to the recent earthquake in Ethiopia, the European Union has allocated €200,000 in humanitarian aid to help address the urgent needs of the most affected communities in the Main Ethiopian Rift, including the Afar, Amhara and Oromia regions.

Since October 2024, the Main Ethiopian Rift has been impacted by seismic activity, including a significant earthquake centred around the Fentale volcanic complex. Over 50 earthquakes, including a 5.8 magnitude tremor on January 4th, have caused severe damage to homes, infrastructure and services. The EU funding will bolster the efforts of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) in delivering much-needed relief including multipurpose cash, clean water, shelter, healthcare, sanitation and emergency referrals.                                                                     

This four-month project, scheduled until the end of May 2025, is expected to benefit 10,000 people in the three worst affected regions. The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). 

Since the beginning of 2025, the Afar, Amhara and Oromia regions have been hit by multiple earthquakes and tremors, affecting over 99,000 people and forcing many into informal internally displaced person (IDP) sites. The earthquakes have caused significant damage to critical infrastructure, including homes, schools, health centres, roads and farmland.

Widening fissures on several major routes has also raised fears over the Kesem/Sabure dam. Any failure to the dam could result in catastrophic flooding downstream, potentially threatening hundreds of thousands of lives. Furthermore, damage to the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway threatens regional connectivity. Additionally, these earthquakes have also sparked fears of potential volcanic eruptions, as they are occurring near two active volcanoes, Fentale and Dofen.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia.