The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Refugees

  • 91,000 refugees to return from Cameroon in February

    The Federal Government (FG) in collaboration with the Cameronian government and the United Nations  High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will begin the process of returning 91,000 Nigerian refugees from Cameroon next month.

    The collaboration, which was formed through a tripartite commission, has the sole responsibility of repatriating the refugees, who are at the Minawao refugee camp.

    Head Humanitarian, Resettlement and Assistance  department, Presidential Committee on the Northeast Initiative (PCNI) Dr Sidi Ali said that the process has already began.

    He added that they are hoping that by the end of February the final process of bringing them back into the country will commence.

    Dr Ali, who revealed that the refugees are desperate to return home, lamented  poor funding.  According to him, of the N45 billion budgetted for the Northeast in 2017, only N10 billion has been received so far.

    He said: ” As we speak the Nigerian, Cameroonian governments and UNHCR have formed the tripartite commission with the sole responsibility of bringing the refugees back to Nigeria. They are currently in Minawao camp in Cameroon, the processes has already began, we are doing the profiling and making arrangements , putting the reception centers in place. Initially we where looking at February, early February but by and large, we are hoping that by the end of February the final process of bringing them back into the country will commence.

    “Relocation of IDPs and stabilisation of camps, returnees registration and profiling, the number of people that we are bringing back into the country from our neighbouring countries particularly Cameroon has grown from 80,000 last year to 91,000. It is a task that we must be able to accomplish in 2018 by putting all hands on deck to bring these people back to Nigeria.”

  • Cross River provides succour for refugees

    Cross River provides succour for refugees

    Cross River State government has provided food and relief materials for over 3,000 Southern Cameroonian refugees camping in Ikom Local Government.

    The United Nations said over 10,000 refugees have been registered in councils.

    Items donated included rice, plantain, beans, yam, garri, palm oil, cartons of noodles, toiletries, cooking utensils, among others.

    Governor Ben Ayade said he was aware of the pains of being chased out of your ancestral home, hence the need to ameliorate their suffering.

    Ayade, represented by the Managing Director, Cross River Food Bank Commission, Dr. Mercy Akpama, said his administration prioritised the welfare of residents, especially those in distress.

    He said: “I am aware of your pains and I am not relenting in my contact with President Muhammadu Buhari and the international community.

    “There is no greater pain like depriving people of their ancestral homes.

    “This passion has led me to bring food to you and soon I will build camps for you while waiting for my contacts to come to fruition in a bid to see you return to your ancestral homes.

    “I love you all and urge you to live in peace with your hosts. Remain patriotic and obey the laws of the land.

    “I urge you to share these items in love, for your suffering will not be too long.’’

    Director-General of Cross River State Emergency Management Agency Mr. John Inaku assured the refugees that the governor is concerned about their plight.

    “We have your brothers and sisters in other locations as well. These items are for those of you in Ikom and I can assure you that the governor will reach others soon.’’

    Inaku said arrangements were being made to convey medicines to the refugees.

    “The governor will come with more things for you. Be law- abiding. You are our brothers and sisters and we love you all,’’he said.

    The Coordinator, Southern Cameroon refugees, Mr. Abia David, hailed the government and people for their concern, noting that the gesture was a sign of true love to those in need.

  • Alleged deportation of Nigerian refugees by Cameroon worrisome, says Dabiri-Erewa

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Abike Dabiri-Erewa has described the alleged mass forced return of over 100,000 Nigerian asylum seekers by Cameroonian military as worrisome.

    In a statement by her Media Assistant, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, she decried the inhuman treatment meted out to Nigerian asylum seekers, who were affected by the Boko Haram insurgence in the Northeast.

    Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa noted with concern that despite the friendly disposition between the two countries, the alleged mass forced return of Nigerians was disturbing and calls for concern.

    The Presidential aide said Cameroon should heed the UN’s call on all countries to protect refugees fleeing the carnage in the Northeast Nigeria and not to return them there.

    “This unfriendly attitude of the Cameroonian soldiers to Nigerian asylum seekers is really worrisome,” Dabiri-Erewa said.

    She appealed to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well as other West African regional groups to prevail on Cameroon to be their brothers’ keeper.

    The deportations, according to Human Rights Watch, defied the UN refugee agency’s plea not to return anyone to Northeast until the security and human rights situation has improved considerably.

    The Human Rights Watch had interviewed 61 asylum seekers and refugees in Nigeria about the abuses they faced in Cameroon in June and July of 2017.

    They said soldiers accused them of belonging to Boko Haram or of being “Boko Haram wives” while torturing or assaulting them and dozens of others on arrival, during their stay in remote border areas, and during mass deportations”.

    The report stated that their children, weakened after living for months or years without adequate food and medical care in border areas, died during or just after the deportations, and others said children were separated from their parents.

    An asylum-seeker, who was deported from Mora in March 2017, described how without warning, Cameroonian soldiers rounded up 40 asylum seekers “and severely beat us and forced us onto a bus. They beat some of the men so badly, they were heavily bleeding. When we got to the Nigerian border they shouted ‘Go and die in Nigeria.’”

  • Cameroon repatriates 887 Nigerian refugees

    About 887 Nigerian refugees arrived at Banki, Borno State, on Tuesady, following a request by the Cameroonian government to Nigeria, to allow it repatriate them.

    The External Relations Officer, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Nigeria, Mr. Hanson Tamfu, stated this in a statement yesterday.

    Tamfu said the request was prompted by fear and suspicions by Cameroon, that some of the refugees might by Boko Haram insurgents.

    The statement reads: “The returnees arrived in six trucks sent by Nigeria, following a meeting with the governor of the far north region of Cameroon on June 19.

    “At the meeting, Nigeria was requested to cause the return of the refugees, which the Cameroonian authority suspects may also comprise some elements of Boko Haram.

    “Consequently, the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), on June 26, dispatched the buses to transport the refugees.”

    He added that the latest group of returnees comprise 233 females, 187 males, 236 girls, and 231 boys, who were living in host communities in Kolofata, a far north region of Cameroon.

    According to him, it was reported that most of them do not have much in terms of personal effects, but a few items in plastic sacks, while some returned completely empty.

    Tamfu said more refugees had shown interest in leaving Minawowa Camp in Cameroon, adding that they were anxious to return following reports of improved security back home.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the official registered returnees from Cameroon through Banki now stands at 19,257.

     

    UN chief restates support for Fed Govt 

    The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Mr António Guterres, has reiterated the organisation’s support to the Federal Government in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

    Guterres, in a statement by his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, condemned Monday’s suicide attacks on Maiduguri.

    The statement reads: “The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations’ support to the Government of Nigeria in its fight against terrorism and violent extremism. He extends his condolences to the people and Government of Nigeria for the loss of lives.

    “He also wishes a quick recovery to the injured and hopes those responsible for the dastardly act will be brought to justice.”

  • Refugee sets himself ablaze on Greek island of Chios

    Refugee sets himself ablaze on Greek island of Chios

    A Syrian refugee on Thursday set himself on fire on the Greek island of Chios, apparently in despair over conditions at the Vial refugee camp, a news agency reported.

    The report stated that the man was taken to the local hospital with severe burns.

    It added that “a police officer, who sustained burns on his hands while rescuing the man, also required medical treatment.”

    More than 3,500 refugees and migrants on Chios were desperate after spending months in the islands’ overcrowded reception camps, waiting for their asylum applications to be processed.

    Tensions led to repeated clashes between groups of refugees, as well as trouble with residents and the police.

    Refugees arrived on the Greek islands almost daily.

  • Boko Haram: 2,600 Nigerian refugees forced to return from Cameroun

    The UN has expressed concern over the forced return of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon in spite of recent tripartite agreement aimed at ensuring voluntary returns of nationals.
    According to a statement from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday, Cameroon has forcefully returned more than 2,600 refugees back to Nigerian border villages “against their will”.
    UNHCR Spokesperson, Babar Balogh, said in the statement that the organisation was particularly concerned “as these forced returns have continued unabated”.
    Balogh recalled that the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon signed a tripartite agreement with UNHCR in Yaoundé on March 2, 2017.
    He said that the forced return of asylum-seekers and refugees was a “serious violation” of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention, which he said, Cameroon had ratified.
    He, however, commended Cameroon for its generosity in hosting more than 85,000 Nigerian refugees but urged it to honour its obligations under international and regional refugee protection instruments.
    The spokesman said that refugees had fled violent attacks from Boko Haram and urged that “their access to asylum and protection must be ensured”.
    “Insecurity persists in parts of north-eastern Nigeria and access to basic services remains limited.
    “Most returning refugees find themselves in situations of internal displacement upon return and are unable to return to their places of origin,” he stated.
    He also said that UNHCR recognised the legitimate national security concerns of the Cameroon Government. (NAN)

  • 5million refugees in Africa in 2016

    5million refugees in Africa in 2016

    No fewer than five million refugees were in Africa as at 2016 from 2.6 million in 2011, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

    The Executive Director of WFP, Ertharin Cousin, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, in a joint statement issued on Monday, also warned that no fewer than two million of the refugees were facing critical shortages in food assistance in 10 countries across Africa.

    “The number of refugees in Africa nearly doubled from 2.6 million in 2011 to nearly five million in 2016.

    “While donor funding for refugee assistance increased during this period, it did not keep pace with rapidly rising needs.

    “As a result, the humanitarian response is significantly underfunded and this has forced cuts in food assistance for some groups of refugees.

    “Ten refugee operations in Africa have experienced cuts and food rations have been dramatically cut – in some cases by up to 50 percent – in large operations including Cameroon, Chad, Kenya, Mauritania, South Sudan and Uganda,” Cousin and Grandi said.

    The WFP and UNHCR chiefs explained that the refugees needed urgent intervention to prevent severe malnutrition and stay alive.

    “Millions of refugees depend on WFP food and our work to treat and prevent malnutrition to stay alive.

    “But in Africa, they are in danger of being overshadowed by large humanitarian crises elsewhere,” they said.

    According to them, refugees in Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Burundi and Ethiopia have had specific commodities cut including micronutrient fortified blended foods, needed to ensure an adequate quality diet.

    “We can’t imagine how difficult life is for thousands of refugee families with no food, and often denied the possibility to work or provide for themselves in other ways.

    “Refugees are extraordinarily resilient, but cuts in food assistance – sometimes as high as 50 percent – are having a devastating impact on the health and nutrition of thousands of families,” they said.

  • Thousands protest Trump’s refugee temporary ban

    Thousands protest Trump’s refugee temporary ban

    Thousands of protesters on Saturday demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in London against American President Donald Trump over his temporary ban on refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering U.S.

    The protesters held black banners with blood stains bearing slogans including: “No to Trump. No to War’’; “Trump: Special Relationship? Just Say No’’  against the ban and Trump’s foreign policy.

    Trump had a week ago signed an order putting a four-month hold on entrance of refugees into the U.S. and temporarily barred travellers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries.

    However, on Friday, a Seattle federal judge on Friday put a nationwide block on U.S. President Donald Trump’s week-old executive order that had temporarily barred refugees and nationals from seven countries from entering U.S.

    The judge’s temporary restraining order represents a major setback for Trump’s action.

    The White House said late Friday that it believed the ban to be “lawful and appropriate” and that the U.S. Department of Justice would file an emergency appeal.

    Early Saturday morning, Trump criticised the ruling, warning of big trouble if a country could not control its borders.

    However, many in Britons were angry about the measure, which they saw as discriminatory, and the time it took for Prime Minister Theresa May’s Government to criticise it. (Reuters/NAN)

  • IDPs: UN rapporteur calls for urgent action to protect refugees

    After a four-day visit to Nigeria, the United Nations expert on internally displaced persons (IDPs) has said that there is an urgent need for the West African country to take action to protect the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the Northeast.

    “The situation must no longer be downplayed and it is not too late to save many lives,” said Chaloka Beyani, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs. “The government must act urgently to ensure that food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs without delay.”

    Beyani appeared to be especially disturbed by the lack of international attention on the severity of the situation in Northeast Nigeria, and he urged donors to fulfill their promises and commit to long-term support of the IDPs. “Due to a gross underestimation of the crisis, the existing supplies will only cover needs for a very short period of time and will be soon outstripped by demands,” Beyani said.

    The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) believes at least 2.2 million people are trapped in areas that are under Boko Haram’s control. This is in addition to more than 2.6 million people currently displaced in the Lake Chad region due to Boko Haram’s menace.

    The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that the situation resulting from the Boko Haram violence could lead to crisis of the highest order. OHCHR reported that victims suffer from advanced malnutrition and deep trauma. Meanwhile, access to humanitarians is limited due to security concerns.

    According to Beyani, so many IDPs live outside camps, with little or no assistance. Many of them are forced to endure different kinds of abuse.

  • Ita-Giwa: Bakassi residents are refugees, not IDPs

    Ita-Giwa: Bakassi residents are refugees, not IDPs

    Former Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to resettle Bakassi Peninsula residents.

    She said this was necessary so that the people do not resort to protesting naked and crying out to God.

    In a statement yesterday, she said her people were not cowards and that their silence should not be mistaken for weakness.

    Ita-Giwa said she had been pacifying them not to take the law into their hands because President Muhammadu Buhari is a man of the people and her own way of contributing to the nation’s unity.

    The former presidential aide noted that it was Bakassi land that was ceded and not the people.

    According to her, the residents of the peninsula made a choice to remain Nigerians but regretted that 11 years after, over 4,000 of them had become refugees, wallowing in poverty and suffering because the Federal Government has failed to resettle them in their choice location.

    Ita-Giwa said her people needed to be in a place where they registered and voted for their choice candidates during the previous elections.

    She added that Bakassi residents and other people in Cross River State were suffering since the loss of their oil wells and other benefits.

    The statement reads: “I am using this medium, again, to protest the insensitivity of the Federal Government to our collective plight as Bakassi people.

    “As far as I know, Bakassi Local Government Area is still in Cross River and it is constitutionally catered for like every other council area. But sadly, we have been neglected. Even the host community has suffered a lot of inconveniences and they are not being encouraged in any way with social facilities.

    “The Buhari administration is busy rebuilding the Northeast but feels so unconcerned about the Bakassi people, despite the fact that our situation existed before Boko Haram.

    “Did we commit a crime by choosing to remain in our fatherland? Why rebuild the Northeast and abandon Bakassi? My people are refugees and they should be rehabilitated.”