Navigating coexistence under scarcity: A triadic analysis of refugee–host social cohesion in Kule, Tierkidi, and Jewi Camps, Gambella, Ethiopia

Gambella People's National Regional State in Ethiopia represents a vital humanitarian corridor within the Horn of Africa. As of early 2026, the region hosts a disproportionately dense population of South Sudanese refugees who fled civil conflict since 2013. This qualitative phenomenological study examines the micro-level social dynamics between South Sudanese refugees and host communities in the Kule, Tierkidi, and Jewi refugee camps of Gambella, Ethiopia. Conducted during a period of acute humanitarian funding contraction (2024–2025), the study draws on 30 Key Informant Interviews and 12 Focus Group Discussions to explore how ethnic identity, economic interdependence, and resource scarcity shape social relations. Advancing a triadic analytical framework, the research distinguishes among refugees, ethnic-kin host communities, and ethnic-other host communities, thereby moving beyond conventional binary models of refugee–host relations. The findings demonstrate that bonding, bridging, and negative social capital coexist simultaneously, continuously reshaped by competition over land, water, and firewood, perceived inequities in service delivery, and the mediating role of informal governance mechanisms. The analysis reveals that shared ethnicity facilitates cooperation but does not guarantee cohesion, while ethnic difference does not inevitably produce conflict. Ultimately, the study contributes to theories of social capital, ethnic boundary-making, and everyday peace, offering actionable insights for conflict-sensitive humanitarian programming in protracted displacement contexts.