Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia: building urban solutions

Ethiopia is one of the main refugee-hosting countries in Africa, with more than 900,000 refugees and asylum seekers in 2023. Many live in camps but increasing numbers are moving to cities. Ethiopia’s international commitments and new legislation provide scope for policy innovation, to which this working paper contributes.

The paper reports findings of the 'Protracted Displacement in an Urban World' project, which examined the wellbeing and livelihoods of people living in protracted displacement in camps and cities, focusing on Eritrean refugees in Addis Ababa, Semera Logia and Aysaita Camp. Key findings highlight the potential of urban refugees, and need to bring local governments into policy debates.