Tag: UN

More and more Anglophone Cameroonians are fleeing a violent crackdown in their country and seeking asylum in Nigeria, the Office of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), said on Wednesday.

The UN refugee agency also expressed concerns over reports of further Cameroonian nationals’ arrests in Nigeria.

“UNHCR urges the Nigerian authorities to refrain from the forcible return of individuals who may have fled persecution in their country of origin.

“We also want respect to the principle of no forced returns,” Ms Aikaterini Kitidi, spokesperson for the UNHCR, said at the regular briefing in Geneva.

The UN refugee agency warned that without more funding and assistance, the fleeing Cameroonians’ situation and that of the Nigerian communities hosting them, would become even more desperate.

According to Kitidi, Anglophone Cameroonians began fleeing violence in October 2017 and continue to pour into Nigeria’s Cross River, Taraba, Benue and Akwa-Ibom states.

“In total, over 20,000 refugees have been registered in the area. Women and children account for four-fifths of the population.”

She added that a recent assessment by humanitarian groups showed how grim the situation had become – with 95 per cent of the asylum seekers having only three days of food.

Most families are down to one meal per day and their coping strategies people are themselves risky, ranging from borrowing money to cutting food portions or saving food only for children, she said.

According to her, most say they are having to drink water from streams, ponds and other unsafe sources, because of inadequate or dysfunctional drinking water facilities.

“Essential relief items, such as clothing, blankets and plastic sheeting, are available to fewer than 25 per cent of them,” Kitidi explained.

She disclosed that only five in every 100 Cameroonians had proper or independent shelter while the rest had little or no privacy, squatting in rooms with some 10 to 15 people.

The UN refugee agency decried that the lack of protection from the cold was increasing health concerns as the start of the rainy season approaches.

Additionally, malaria is reportedly increasing, UNHCR said, noting that many participants at the assessment were suffering from fear and anxiety, poor sleep and flashbacks.

According to the UNHCR spokesperson, about 20 to 30 per cent of the asylum seekers have some kind of vulnerability, such as a physical disability.

Three-quarters of the children who recently fled currently cannot access school, because their families cannot afford to pay for books and uniforms. Adults are also struggling to make ends meet.

“A political solution to the situation in Cameroon is urgently needed, so that the Cameroonians can safely and voluntarily return home.

“Until then, UNHCR and its partners will continue their efforts to provide assistance and support to this population as long as we are able,” Kitidi stressed

The UN refugee agency regretted that while UNHCR had worked on an 18 million dollars contingency plan to help cover their needs, to date, no funds had been received.

The UNHCR spokesperson said: “Earlier this month, the Nigerian authorities allocated land to UNHCR for shelters, to ensure the refugees’ safety, security and self-reliance.

“In line with humanitarian principles, UNHCR acknowledges the authorities’ commitment to assist in moving the refugees at least 50 kilometres from the border”. (NAN)

Nigeria ranked 91st out of 156 countries in the annual Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s (SDSN) 2018 World Happiness Report released yesterday by the United Nations (UN).

The report ranked 156 countries according to factors such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.

The report revealed that Finland is the world’s happiest country while Burundi placed at the bottom of the happiness index.

The survey also found Americans were getting less happy even as their country became richer, while Finland rose from the fifth place in 2017 to oust Norway from the top spot.

In 2017, Nigeria ranked 95th on the index.

The 2018 top-10, as ever dominated by the Nordics, is Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia.

The U. S. came in at 18th, down from 14th place in 2017 while Britain was 19th and the United Arab Emirates 20th.

One chapter of the 170-page report is dedicated to emerging health problems such as obesity, depression and the opioid crisis, particularly in the U. S. where the prevalence of all three has grown faster than in most other countries.

While income per capita has increased markedly in the U. S. over the last half-century, the happiness index has been hit by weakened social support networks, a rise in perception of corruption in government and business and declining confidence in public institutions.

The SDSN Head, Jeffrey Sachs of New York’s Columbia University, told Reuters that the U.S. faces a social crisis as there is “more inequality, less trust, less confidence in government.”

“It’s pretty stark right now. The signs are not good for the U.S. It is getting richer and richer but not getting happier,” he said.

Asked how the current political situation in the U.S. could affect future happiness reports, Sachs said: “Time will tell, but I would say that in general that when confidence in government is low, when perceptions of corruption are high, inequality is high and health conditions are worsening … that is not conducive to good feelings.”