The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday called for immediate international action to put an end to the forced displacement of civilians in the Sahel region, which is witnessing a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The UNHCR confirmed, in a statement Friday, that more than 3.3 million people were forced to flee their homes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger over the past four years as a result of conflicts exacerbated by climate change.
The Commission added that it needs about USD 443.5 million to cover the cost of urgent humanitarian needs in “Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mauritania,” in addition to the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea, the UNHCR noted .
Alpha Sidi Ba, UNHCR’s spokesman in West and Central Africa, said in a press statement that this astonishing forced displacement of civilians requires immediate international action to prevent its escalation, adding that the security situation in the central Sahel is turbulent, forcing people to flee their homes in search of sa
fety and protection.
Sidi Ba added that the UNHCR is deeply concerned about the increasing number of humanitarian crises in the Sahel region, noting that women and children are the most vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and smuggling.
The UNHCR spokesperson in West and Central Africa explained that the increase in cross-border movement underscores the deepening of the crisis and the continuing need to respond to the needs in the Sahel by investing in protection, assistance and sustainable solutions.
Source: Qatar News Agency
