Addis Abeba--Ethiopia's humanitarian logistics network faced mounting pressure in the final quarter of 2025 as conflict, climate shocks, and disease outbreaks continued to drive displacement and restrict aid delivery across several regions, according to a new Logistics Cluster fact sheet.
The report says sustained insecurity and infrastructure damage in the Amhara, Oromia, Somali, and Tigray regions compounded operational challenges for humanitarian partners, who relied heavily on coordinated logistics support to deliver life-saving assistance to hard-to-reach communities.
During the October-December period, access along key transport corridors remained fragile, with repeated security incidents delaying convoy movements and disrupting cargo delivery. Seasonal flooding further worsened the situation by damaging roads and bridges, cutting off critical routes, and slowing the transport of relief supplies.
The Logistics Cluster, a coordination platform supporting humanitarian partners, said it remained fully operational throughout the quarter, focusing on inter-regional cargo transportation, shared warehousing, and information management. The cluster facilitated airlifts of critical health supplies to priority locations, helping maintain essential health services in areas with limited road access.
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However, the report highlights persistent structural bottlenecks. Widespread fuel shortages, particularly acute in Amhara and Tigray, severely constrained transportation services and reduced the movement of humanitarian goods.
In July, Addis Standard reported that the Tigray Trade and Export Agency warned fuel supply to the region had dropped sharply over a two-month period, intensifying pressure on essential services and public mobility. Speaking to Addis Standard, the agency's Communications Director Tekleshe Gebrehiwot said fuel shipments fell from 5.2 million liters in May to 2.09 million liters in June, an over 85% shortfall from the region's expected monthly quota of 15 million liters, stressing that the decline was heavily affecting transport, healthcare, and education systems across Tigray.
The report added the complex bureaucratic and administrative procedures delayed the importation of vehicles and relief items and hindered cargo movement within the country, with Amhara among the most affected regions.
Previously, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) warned that an estimated 500,000 displaced people sheltered across camps and host communities in Ethiopia's Amhara region are facing acute shortages of food, shelter, water, sanitation, healthcare, and protection services, with nearly 90% of the displaced living within host communities while the rest have taken refuge in overcrowded makeshift sites, including Debre Berhan and Jara camps, which are currently hosting around 22,000 and 10,000 people, respectively.
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The shortage of commercial trucking services in areas where humanitarian fleets could not safely operate created additional supply chain gaps, leaving some partners with limited options for last-mile delivery.
A report by Addis Standard last May revealed worsening trucking insecurity in Ethiopia's Amhara region, where the Tana Heavy Vehicle Drivers Association said more than 30 drivers were kidnapped within two weeks amid escalating conflict between federal forces and Fano militias. An association official warned that weak accountability had made abductions increasingly frequent, identifying the Checheho-Gayint-Debre Tabor-Woreta corridor and the Gondar-Metema trade route as high-risk areas; the latter was closed for nearly two months, forcing drivers onto unsafe detours, and even after reopening, kidnappings and armed attacks continued.
The Logistics Cluster warned that unless access constraints, fuel shortages, and administrative barriers are eased, humanitarian operations risk further delays at a time when needs remain high across conflict- and climate-affected communities. Reliable logistics services are crucial for maintaining aid delivery and enhancing the overall response capacity of humanitarian actors.
