The “most forgotten” IDP crisis in the world is in Africa, the NGO Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) says in a report released Wednesday in which it expressed concern over the consequences of the war in Ukraine for this continent.
The NRC publishes an annual list of the “10 most overlooked displacement crises” based on three criteria: lack of political will from the international community to find solutions, lack of media coverage, and lack of funding for humanitarian needs.
NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland said in a statement that the 2021 ranking “reflects the chronic failure of political authorities, donors and the media to address the conflicts and human suffering on this continent”.
While typically most African countries are included (8 out of 10 in 2020), 2021 is the first year “10 of which are all in Africa,” according to the report.
As in the previous year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ranks first with “a sixth consecutive case of manual abandonment on the list” – highlighting the NRC – with 5.5 million displaced persons in particular. in the northeast of the country.
“This is one of the worst humanitarian crises of this century, but those with the power to change the situation inside and outside of Africa are ignoring the waves of brutal and targeted attacks against civilian populations that are tearing communities apart.” said. .
Burkina Faso ranks second in West Africa, especially in the north of the country, where more than 1.75 million IDPs are the scene of attacks by extremist groups, ahead of Cameroon, South Sudan, Chad, Mali, Sudan and Nigeria. Burundi and Ethiopia.
Hunger is on the rise in many of these countries, particularly with the food situation deteriorating after “the war-induced increase in wheat and fuel prices in Ukraine,” the NRC warns.
“Furthermore, many donor countries decide or are considering cutting aid to Africa in order to divert their resources to Ukraine and accept refugees in their countries,” the report said.
source: Noticias
