Blogs
February 18, 2026 • 3 min read
What began as an unreported emergency at the Matar entry point soon exposed the devastating reality confronting thousands of displaced families. With the support of the European Union Humanitarian Aid, GOAL Ethiopia swiftly launched a lifesaving response to address the most urgent needs. The intervention expanded to provide critical health and nutrition services to those at greatest risk, preventing further loss of life. Within months, coordinated efforts transformed a chaotic and neglected site into an organized humanitarian response, restoring stability and renewed hope to families who had lost almost everything.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan and South Sudan has forced millions to flee their homes, seeking safety across borders. Ethiopia’s Gambella Region, already hosting large refugee populations, saw a sudden influx of new arrivals in early 2025. With limited infrastructure and resources, humanitarian actors, including GOAL Ethiopia, mobilised quickly to meet urgent needs, focusing on health and nutrition services in a context where existing services were already stretched.
A Sudden Influx and a Dire Situation
In mid-March 2025, thousands of newly displaced South Sudanese arrived in Ethiopia through the Matar entry point in Gambella. The situation went unreported for several weeks, leaving families stranded without assistance.
When GOAL’s Gambella team learned of the crisis, they travelled to the site and were confronted with devastating conditions. “Over ten thousand people were trying to survive around a small primary school, and no one was there to help,” recalled Alemayehu Reta, GOAL’s Refugee Programme Manager. “It was the rainy season, muddy, swampy, and almost impossible to install a temporary shelter. But as humanitarians, we couldn’t turn away. We started responding with the minimal resources we had.”
The situation demonstrated how quickly fragile border regions can become overwhelmed when large population movements occur without coordinated preparedness and surge support.
Mobilising Support and Resources
During the height of the influx, families arrived exhausted, hungry, and in desperate need of care. Emergency teams rushed to provide basic health and nutrition services, but the scale of human suffering was overwhelming.
As GOAL’s country office assessed the situation, the urgency was clear: without immediate resource mobilisation, thousands of lives would remain at risk.
“After visiting the site, I couldn’t stop thinking what if it were my family and me in that situation?” reflected Solomon Girma, Deputy Programmes Manager.
With the support of GOAL Ethiopia’s senior management, a small-scale lifesaving response began, targeting the most critical medical and nutrition cases while advocacy efforts for greater support were underway to secure the funding required to scale up services.
Upon learning of the situation, the European Union Humanitarian Aid stepped in with financial support, enabling a more coordinated and large-scale emergency response to address the urgent needs of the refugees.
Lives Saved, Hope Restored
Four months after the launch of the EU-supported emergency project, a joint team revisited the Matar site. The transformation was remarkable. GOAL provides consistent health, nutrition, and food assistance. Refugees are being officially registered and relocated to formal camps, and the once-chaotic area has become calm and orderly through coordinated efforts between humanitarian partners and government authorities.
Among those receiving care is Nyapot Doll, a 30-year-old mother whose daughter, Nyatit, nearly lost her life to severe malnutrition and malaria. “If this centre hadn’t been here, my child wouldn’t have survived,” said Nyapot. “GOAL saved her life. After weeks of battling malaria and hunger, she now plays and eats normally again. I finally feel relieved.”
Another mother, Lektet Pilual, 20 years old and six months pregnant, fled the violence in South Sudan with her three children after her husband was killed. “The journey was unbearable,” she shared. “We walked for six days through marshy grasslands. We finished our food after a few days and survived on wild fruits. I still don’t know how we made it.”
Today, the Matar response area continues to deliver lifesaving health and nutrition support while facilitating the relocation of refugees to safer camps with UNHCR. Dr. Maru Yenehun, Deputy Programme Manager and member of GOAL’s health team, reflected on the progress:
“Initially, we struggled to respond at scale, but over time, our capacity improved. Thanks to the European Union Humanitarian Aid, we can now assist refugees with greater reach and quality. The needs remain high, but this partnership gives us the means to continue supporting those in crisis.”
While conditions have improved at the camp, displacement in the region continues and needs remain high. The situation in Matar highlights how quickly humanitarian needs can escalate, and how vital rapid reporting, coordinated response, and sustained international support are to protect lives in fragile border regions.
