UNHCR and partners seek over US$500 million for Nigeria and CAR refugee crises
UNHCR and partners seek over US$500 million for Nigeria and CAR refugee crises
UNHCR, 25 Jan 2016
URL: http://kora.unhcr.org/unhcr-partners-seek-us500-million-nigeria-car-refugee-crises/
"The suffering is great and the needs acute among both the displaced and host communities"
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners on Monday called on donor nations for more than half-a-million dollars this year to help hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee conflicts in Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR) and the host communities providing them with shelter and other basic services.
The two Regional Refugee Response Plans (RRRP), formally presented at a donor briefing in Yaoundé, includes US$198.76 million for 230,000 Nigerian refugees and some 284,300 members of host communities in Niger, Chad and Cameroon as well as US$345.7 million for 476,300 CAR refugees and some 289,000 people hosting them in Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Republic of Congo.
Both RRRPs cover needs in sectors such as protection, education, food security, health and nutrition, livelihoods, shelter, basic aid and water, hygiene and sanitation. The CAR appeal is being made by 25 organizations, including UNHCR and other UN agencies as well as international non-governmental organizations. The Nigeria appeal is made by 28 organizations. UNHCR alone is seeking US$189.54 million under the Central African Republic RRRP and US$62.33 million for the Nigeria one.
“These two humanitarian crises must not be forgotten; they are not going away. The suffering is great and the needs acute among both the displaced and host communities,” said Liz Ahua, UNHCR’s Regional Refugee Coordinator for the CAR and Nigeria situations. “Violence occurs on almost a daily basis in north-east Nigeria and CAR, generating fear and new displacement in the region,” she said, citing suicide attacks, kidnapping, indiscriminate killings and massive human rights abuses.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we won’t see it unless there is a much stronger commitment from African governments and the international community to help re-establish stability and peace,” Ahua said, urging donors to give more generously. In 2015, the Nigerian RRRP received 52 per cent of its financial requirements whilst the Central African Republic RRRP received just 27 per cent.
Despite important steps towards restoring peace in both north-east Nigeria and the CAR, there were also reverses and continuing significant population displacement in 2015. In Nigeria, the government rolled back Boko Haram gains, but the insurgent group turned to terror tactics that spread into neighbouring countries.
In CAR, relative peace was punctuated by waves of violence that triggered flight within the country and into the DRC, but the first round of the presidential election passed peacefully in late December with the participation of tens of thousands of refugees in Chad, Republic of Congo and Cameroon. The second round is due in February.
The crises in Nigeria and CAR will continue to provide major challenges throughout 2016 in countries such as Cameroon, which provides sanctuary and assistance to refugees from both Nigeria and CAR. For just this country, the appeals seek US$130.8 million to help 234,500 CAR refugees and almost 216,700 host community members and US$56.36 million for 100,000 Nigerian refugees and 20,000 hosts in Cameroon.
Highlighting some of the needs, Ahua said: “We need funding to prevent malnutrition among children; to build up schools, proper sanitation systems and provide clean water; and to make sure that families have shelter over their heads.” The Nigeria and CAR regional response plans are part of the wider 2016 humanitarian appeal, asking for US$20.1 billion to reach 87 million people around the world, launched last December
This little Nigerian refugee boy is being weighted at the health clinic in Minawao camp. “We need funding to prevent malnutrition among children" said UNHCR Regional Coordinator for the CAR and Nigeria crisis Liz Ahua. UNHCR / Helene Caux
To read the Nigeria RRRP, go to: http://www.unhcr.org/56a2351b9.html
To read the Central African Republic RRRP, go to: http://www.unhcr.org/56a235c79.html
Media contacts :
In Yaoundé :
Hélène Caux (on mission) on + 221 77 333 1291, caux@unhcr.org
Johannes Zech, on + 237 69 1141 210, zech@unhcr.org
Djerassem Mbaiorem on + 237 67 0401 841, mbaiorem@unhcr.org
In Bangui, Dalia Al Achi on + 236 72 67 5186, alachi@unhcr.org
In Abuja, Hanson Tamfu on + 234 80 57 98 19 73 , tamfu@unhcr.org
In Niamey, Benoit Moreno on + 227 92 19 2417, morenob@unhcr.org
In Kinshasa, Andreas Kirchhof on + 243 81 700 9484, kirshhof@unhcr.org
In Geneva, Leo Dobbs on +41 79 833 63 47, dobbs@unhcr.org
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners on Monday called on donor nations for more than half-a-million dollars this year to help hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee conflicts in Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR) and the host communities providing them with shelter and other basic services.
The two Regional Refugee Response Plans (RRRP), formally presented at a donor briefing in Yaoundé, includes US$198.76 million for 230,000 Nigerian refugees and some 284,300 members of host communities in Niger, Chad and Cameroon as well as US$345.7 million for 476,300 CAR refugees and some 289,000 people hosting them in Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Republic of Congo.
Both RRRPs cover needs in sectors such as protection, education, food security, health and nutrition, livelihoods, shelter, basic aid and water, hygiene and sanitation. The CAR appeal is being made by 25 organizations, including UNHCR and other UN agencies as well as international non-governmental organizations. The Nigeria appeal is made by 28 organizations. UNHCR alone is seeking US$189.54 million under the Central African Republic RRRP and US$62.33 million for the Nigeria one.
“These two humanitarian crises must not be forgotten; they are not going away. The suffering is great and the needs acute among both the displaced and host communities,” said Liz Ahua, UNHCR’s Regional Refugee Coordinator for the CAR and Nigeria situations. “Violence occurs on almost a daily basis in north-east Nigeria and CAR, generating fear and new displacement in the region,” she said, citing suicide attacks, kidnapping, indiscriminate killings and massive human rights abuses.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we won’t see it unless there is a much stronger commitment from African governments and the international community to help re-establish stability and peace,” Ahua said, urging donors to give more generously. In 2015, the Nigerian RRRP received 52 per cent of its financial requirements whilst the Central African Republic RRRP received just 27 per cent.
Despite important steps towards restoring peace in both north-east Nigeria and the CAR, there were also reverses and continuing significant population displacement in 2015. In Nigeria, the government rolled back Boko Haram gains, but the insurgent group turned to terror tactics that spread into neighbouring countries.
In CAR, relative peace was punctuated by waves of violence that triggered flight within the country and into the DRC, but the first round of the presidential election passed peacefully in late December with the participation of tens of thousands of refugees in Chad, Republic of Congo and Cameroon. The second round is due in February.
The crises in Nigeria and CAR will continue to provide major challenges throughout 2016 in countries such as Cameroon, which provides sanctuary and assistance to refugees from both Nigeria and CAR. For just this country, the appeals seek US$130.8 million to help 234,500 CAR refugees and almost 216,700 host community members and US$56.36 million for 100,000 Nigerian refugees and 20,000 hosts in Cameroon.
Highlighting some of the needs, Ahua said: “We need funding to prevent malnutrition among children; to build up schools, proper sanitation systems and provide clean water; and to make sure that families have shelter over their heads.” The Nigeria and CAR regional response plans are part of the wider 2016 humanitarian appeal, asking for US$20.1 billion to reach 87 million people around the world, launched last December
This little Nigerian refugee boy is being weighted at the health clinic in Minawao camp. “We need funding to prevent malnutrition among children" said UNHCR Regional Coordinator for the CAR and Nigeria crisis Liz Ahua. UNHCR / Helene Caux
To read the Nigeria RRRP, go to: http://www.unhcr.org/56a2351b9.html
To read the Central African Republic RRRP, go to: http://www.unhcr.org/56a235c79.html
Media contacts :
In Yaoundé :
Hélène Caux (on mission) on + 221 77 333 1291, caux@unhcr.org
Johannes Zech, on + 237 69 1141 210, zech@unhcr.org
Djerassem Mbaiorem on + 237 67 0401 841, mbaiorem@unhcr.org
In Bangui, Dalia Al Achi on + 236 72 67 5186, alachi@unhcr.org
In Abuja, Hanson Tamfu on + 234 80 57 98 19 73 , tamfu@unhcr.org
In Niamey, Benoit Moreno on + 227 92 19 2417, morenob@unhcr.org
In Kinshasa, Andreas Kirchhof on + 243 81 700 9484, kirshhof@unhcr.org
In Geneva, Leo Dobbs on +41 79 833 63 47, dobbs@unhcr.org