A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to accommodate refugees and, more generally, people who have fled their home countries. There are also camps for internally displaced people. A majority of refugees who flee their home countries do so because of war, persecution, or suffering caused by the presence of undemocratic governments. The numbers of both international and internal refugees are growing due to environmental catastrophes and economic disasters.
According to UNHCR data from October 2019, Ethiopia is the site of 29 refugee camps offering shelter to people who have fled from the four neighboring countries of Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Eritrea. There are also Yemeni refugees in the country. The refugee population in Ethiopia is estimated at just over 705,000 people. This estimate includes "urban refugees"— refugees of various nationalities who, for reasons of health, education, or personal danger, have left their home countries and currently live in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
The selection of beneficiaries for the Humanitarian Corridors program is mostly carried out in the Ethiopian refugee camps concentrated in the Tigrai region, particularly in the Mai Aini and Shimelba camps.