Over 300,000 refugees have fled Burundi to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda since April 2015. The situation in Burundi remains complex; while refugees continue to arrive throughout the region, others are deciding to return home. The Burundi refugee response remains one of the most underfunding refugee situations in the world.

As the protracted emergency enters its sixth year, the South Sudan situation remains the largest refugee situation on the African continent. There are over 2.2 million refugees in Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a further 1.8 million people displaced internally in South Sudan. The situation continues to be characterized as a children’s crisis with children constituting over 65 percent of the refugee population.

Highlighting statelessness in the 12 Member States of the ICGLR, and what is being done to eradicate it. Media coverage, testimonies of stateless persons, reports on the issue and all documents pertaining to the Brazzaville Declaration process can be consulted in English, French, Portuguese and Arabic.

The dire crisis in the Central African Republic continues to trigger massive forced displacement, increasing pressure on resources and living conditions in host communities and countries. Intense militia activity and inter-community violence hampers humanitarian access and exposes civilians to serious protection risks. According to OCHA, CAR remains the country with the highest humanitarian needs per capita, with 50 per cent of the population having to rely on humanitarian assistance to survive, while 25 per cent is displaced either internally or in a neighbouring country.

With ongoing crises in the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well as increased insecurity in Burkina Faso, approximately 14 million people are internally displaced across the region. In this challenging context, UNHCR will assume its leadership role across the three clusters, provide direct assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs), ensure that protection remains at the center of the multi-stakeholder humanitarian response, and work towards solutions in coordination with all partners, including key development actors. “The West and Central Africa region faces multiple humanitarian and development challenges. However, this has not prevented its governments and people from showing solidarity with over 21 million asylum seekers, refugees, and internally displaced persons. To ensure sustainability, this solidarity needs to be supported by adequate funding,” said Mr. Abdouraouf Gnon Konde, Regional Bureau Director.