Ethiopia: Recent Earthquakes Displace 10,000 in Amhara’s North Shewa Zone – Affected Population Across Three Regions Nears 100,000

Addis Abeba — A series of earthquakes with their epicenter in the Awash Fentale area have displaced close to 10,000 residents in the North Shewa Zone of the Amhara region, which borders the Afar region.

This displacement adds to the 60,000 people affected in the Afar region and 20,000 in the Oromia region, bringing the total number of people impacted by recent seismic activity across the three regions to nearly 100,000.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that more than 38 districts in the North Shewa Zone of the Amhara region, including Tarmaber, Efratana Gidm, and Hageremariam, have experienced severe damage to property due to the earthquakes.

“A total of 2,139 households (9,995 people) have been directly affected and displaced,” the IFRC stated. “More than 360 houses have been reported as damaged, while 908 hectares of farmland and 23 kilometers of roads have also been destroyed.”

Since late September 2024, the Main Ethiopian Rift, encompassing the Afar, Amhara, and Oromia regions, has been affected by a series of tremors and a significant earthquake. The epicenter of this activity is the Fentale volcanic complex, which has shown signs of gradual ground deformation since 2021.

Seismic activity intensified in late December 2024, with over 20 earthquakes recorded in the Awash Fentale area between 04 January and 06 January, 2025. The strongest of these, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake, struck near the Dofen mountains on 04 January.

According to the IFRC, approximately 60,000 people in the Afar region have been affected by recent seismic activity. Of these, 40,000 have been relocated, including 25,000 individuals from the Awash Fentale district and 15,000 from the Dulecha district.

In the Oromia region, around 27,120 people from seven kebeles in the Fentale district have been impacted by the tremors, with 20,720 individuals relocated to 11 informal internally displaced persons (IDP) sites. These sites include schools and other facilities located away from high-risk areas, according to the organization.

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Last week, Addis Standard reported that displaced individuals are living in overcrowded shelters with limited access to food, water, and essential supplies. According to the displaced people, aid from the government and humanitarian organizations has been inadequate.

Earlier this week, a parliamentary oversight team that visited the affected population stated that efforts to support citizens displaced by earthquakes in the Afar region are “insufficient.”

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