The prevailing unstable security situation in the South – West and North- West region of Cameroon, has forced Cross River, Taraba and Benue states to play host to 35, 000 Cameroonian refugees and asylum seekers who fled ongoing violence that has ravaged their homes, United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) has revealed.
(UNHCR)’s Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Nigeria Situation and Regional Representative for West Africa, Liz Kpam Ahua made this revelation yesterday, at the ongoing 2nd Regional Protection Dialogue on the Lake Chad Basin in Abuja.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the crisis erupted last year in Cameroon after protests turned violent, amid calls for secession. So far, some 400 civilians have been killed in escalating attacks between separatist groups and government forces, She said the refugees, which include mainly women and children, are in urgent need of food, water, shelter and medical care. Ahua who lamented that the multi – national crisis has left ECOWAS population to live on the fringes of extreme poverty said, a more comprehensive regional refugee response that integrates humanitarian, development and peace approaches must be recognised and adopted.
According to Ahua, an estimated 320,000 Nigerians have also been displaced, many fleeing into Chad and Cameroon between December 2018 to January 2019 due to the unrelenting violence in the North East, with reference to Borno and Yobe states. She said, “According to testimonies gathered by our teams, refugees are fleeing in fear of their lives after threats of retaliation and intimidation following Boko Haram attacks. “The attacks have been blamed on the Islamic State West Africa Province faction of Boko Haram, which has repeatedly targeted the military in recent months.”
The UNHCR representative explained that, the recent displacement had increased pressure on already overstretched aid agencies providing humanitarian assistance in the city. She regretted that these attacks come as Nigeria prepares to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in less than a month. She said, “The Lake Chad region, where the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon converge, is the scene of one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises. “Once a crucial interface between the Sahara and the southern part of Africa, the Lake Chad region now faces many major challenges, including famine.” According to her, “Even though the four countries’ armed forces, working together, have largely succeeded in driving the terrorists back, an important partial victory, kidnappings and suicide attacks continue to threaten people’s lives on a daily basis.
Leadership Nigeria Newspaper NEWSBenue, C/ River, Taraba Host 35,000 Cameroonian Refugees – UNHCRPublished 16 hours ago on January 29, 2019 By CHRISTIANA NWAOGU The prevailing unstable security situation in the South – West and North- West region of Cameroon, has forced Cross River, Taraba and Benue states to play host to 35, 000 Cameroonian refugees and asylum seekers who fled ongoing violence that has ravaged their homes, United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) has revealed. (UNHCR)’s Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Nigeria Situation and Regional Representative for West Africa, Liz Kpam Ahua made this revelation yesterday, at the ongoing 2nd Regional Protection Dialogue on the Lake Chad Basin in Abuja. LEADERSHIP recalls that the crisis erupted last year in Cameroon after protests turned violent, amid calls for secession. So far, some 400 civilians have been killed in escalating attacks between separatist groups and government forces, She said the refugees, which include mainly women and children, are in urgent need of food, water, shelter and medical care. Ahua who lamented that the multi – national crisis has left ECOWAS population to live on the fringes of extreme poverty said, a more comprehensive regional refugee response that integrates humanitarian, development and peace approaches must be recognised and adopted. According to Ahua, an estimated 320,000 Nigerians have also been displaced, many fleeing into Chad and Cameroon between December 2018 to January 2019 due to the unrelenting violence in the North East, with reference to Borno and Yobe states. She said, “According to testimonies gathered by our teams, refugees are fleeing in fear of their lives after threats of retaliation and intimidation following Boko Haram attacks. “The attacks have been blamed on the Islamic State West Africa Province faction of Boko Haram, which has repeatedly targeted the military in recent months.” The UNHCR representative explained that, the recent displacement had increased pressure on already overstretched aid agencies providing humanitarian assistance in the city. She regretted that these attacks come as Nigeria prepares to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in less than a month. She said, “The Lake Chad region, where the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon converge, is the scene of one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises. “Once a crucial interface between the Sahara and the southern part of Africa, the Lake Chad region now faces many major challenges, including famine.” According to her, “Even though the four countries’ armed forces, working together, have largely succeeded in driving the terrorists back, an important partial victory, kidnappings and suicide attacks continue to threaten people’s lives on a daily basis. The humanitarian situation remains critical – more than ten million people are dependent on humanitarian assistance. “Yet this is not all; in addition to Boko Haram, other terrorist groups, such as killer herdsmen, and organised crime are destabilising the Lake Chad Basin, thus also making it a trouble spot with regard to security.” Minister of Interior, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau who reeled out the progress made after the Abuja Declaration of 2016 said, the federal government had taken concrete steps to ensure that security measures on movement restriction complied with international standards.
Leadership Nigeria Newspaper NEWSBenue, C/ River, Taraba Host 35,000 Cameroonian Refugees – UNHCRPublished 16 hours ago on January 29, 2019 By CHRISTIANA NWAOGU The prevailing unstable security situation in the South – West and North- West region of Cameroon, has forced Cross River, Taraba and Benue states to play host to 35, 000 Cameroonian refugees and asylum seekers who fled ongoing violence that has ravaged their homes, United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) has revealed. (UNHCR)’s Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Nigeria Situation and Regional Representative for West Africa, Liz Kpam Ahua made this revelation yesterday, at the ongoing 2nd Regional Protection Dialogue on the Lake Chad Basin in Abuja. LEADERSHIP recalls that the crisis erupted last year in Cameroon after protests turned violent, amid calls for secession. So far, some 400 civilians have been killed in escalating attacks between separatist groups and government forces, She said the refugees, which include mainly women and children, are in urgent need of food, water, shelter and medical care. Ahua who lamented that the multi – national crisis has left ECOWAS population to live on the fringes of extreme poverty said, a more comprehensive regional refugee response that integrates humanitarian, development and peace approaches must be recognised and adopted. According to Ahua, an estimated 320,000 Nigerians have also been displaced, many fleeing into Chad and Cameroon between December 2018 to January 2019 due to the unrelenting violence in the North East, with reference to Borno and Yobe states. She said, “According to testimonies gathered by our teams, refugees are fleeing in fear of their lives after threats of retaliation and intimidation following Boko Haram attacks. “The attacks have been blamed on the Islamic State West Africa Province faction of Boko Haram, which has repeatedly targeted the military in recent months.” The UNHCR representative explained that, the recent displacement had increased pressure on already overstretched aid agencies providing humanitarian assistance in the city. She regretted that these attacks come as Nigeria prepares to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in less than a month. She said, “The Lake Chad region, where the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon converge, is the scene of one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises. “Once a crucial interface between the Sahara and the southern part of Africa, the Lake Chad region now faces many major challenges, including famine.” According to her, “Even though the four countries’ armed forces, working together, have largely succeeded in driving the terrorists back, an important partial victory, kidnappings and suicide attacks continue to threaten people’s lives on a daily basis. The humanitarian situation remains critical – more than ten million people are dependent on humanitarian assistance. “Yet this is not all; in addition to Boko Haram, other terrorist groups, such as killer herdsmen, and organised crime are destabilising the Lake Chad Basin, thus also making it a trouble spot with regard to security.” Minister of Interior, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau who reeled out the progress made after the Abuja Declaration of 2016 said, the federal government had taken concrete steps to ensure that security measures on movement restriction complied with international standards. Other achievements according to him include, strengthening collaboration between government actors, humanitarian organisations and other stakeholders and the development of balance between security and right to seek asylum. He explained that Dialogue 2 is a follow up to the first Regional Protection Dialogue held in 2016. Dambazau who was represented by the permanent secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar said, the fora would propose and seek adoption of a framework for comprehensive solutions that is in line with international principles and standards. He expressed optimism that it will also boost strategic partnerships to enhance protection and solutions through coordinated and complimentary responses.
- Leadership
Comments
Post a Comment