FOREWORD Africa Still Hosts the Largest Number of Displaced People Worldwide
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REGIONAL SUMMARIES FOREWORD Africa still hosts the largest number of displaced people worldwide. In 2017, some 24.2 million people in Africa were forced to flee as the result of conflict, persecution, other human rights abuses and food insecurity. Few Africa political solutions were in sight. The crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was of particular concern, with renewed unrest triggering displacement on an extraordinary scale. Conflicts in both the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan entered their fifth year while Cameroon, Mali, and the border regions of Burkina Faso and Niger were wracked by fighting, pushing even more people away from their homes. Burundi remained volatile with continued outflows of people to Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Finding solutions and providing protection to refugees and asylum-seekers in mixed movements was a pressing priority. Compounding these complex emergencies were challenges related to climate change, which threatened the food security of vulnerable refugees and their host communities across the continent; and increased reports of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), which highlighted the significant challenges faced by a particularly vulnerable sector of an already traumatized population. Urgently-needed humanitarian assistance and protection often could not be delivered sustainably and predictably because of constraints on access, insecurity and underfunding. Allegations of fraud, misconduct and exploitation surfaced in several operations in Africa, leading to thorough investigations and remedial actions by UNHCR and the countries involved. This was matched by measures to enhance accountability and transparency and to strengthen protection responses for people of concern. © UNHCR/Georgina Goodwin UNHCR/Georgina © Burundian refugee schoolchildren study outside at Furaha Primary School in Nduta camp, United Republic of Tanzania. At Furaha there are no classrooms, the children study in groups under trees. Benches have only recently been built. Before, students sat on the ground. 60 UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 2017 UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 2017 61 REGIONAL SUMMARIES | AFRICA REGIONAL SUMMARIES | AFRICA The number of people fleeing rose sharply Major refugee-hosting countries in MALI CENTRAL SOUTH SUDAN SITUATION AFRICAN REPUBLIC SITUATION and their needs were significant and Africa, with support from the international SITUATION widespread, but there were moments of community, led the way in providing aid 130,000 2.4 million hope. Several forward-looking African and support to people of concern and REFUGEES 546,000 REFUGEES sought protection REFUGEES sought protection countries embraced the Comprehensive their host communities. While maintaining mainly in Burkina Faso, sought protection mainly in Ethiopia, Mauritania and Niger mainly in Cameroon, Kenya, Sudan Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). its emergency assistance responsibilities, 38,000 Chad and the DRC and Uganda UNHCR’s advocacy helped advance crucial UNHCR spearheaded new approaches to IDPs by year’s end 688,000 1 million legislative reform to resolve statelessness, housing, energy, long-distance education, IDPs by year’s end REFUGEES 60,000 were displaced and to assist with the inclusion of refugees lighting and access to global markets, all REFUGEE 180,000 in 2017 alone within national plans and systems in areas of which eased the hardships faced by RETURNEES IDPs in 2017 alone 2 million including education, health and labour market refugees in the region. The Office worked 47,000 IDPs by year’s end participation. UNHCR assisted voluntary with local and national governments, private REFUGEE RETURNEES repatriation to Somalia from Djibouti, Kenya sector partners, foundations, banks and and Yemen, and to Côte d’Ivoire from Liberia. international financial institutions to provide A partnership with WFP and other agencies refugees and hosts with greater financial helped to address food insecurity—and stability and freedom of choice through cash, MALI although malnutrition, stunting and anaemia loans, facilitating remittances, better internet DJIBOUTI remain serious concerns—famine was access and telecommunications. NIGERIA ETHIOPIA CENTRAL SOMALIA SOMALIA averted in the three regions most at risk: AFRICAN SOUTH SUDAN Valentin Tapsoba REPUBLIC SITUATION northern Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan. Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Africa UGANDA KENYA 900,000 CONGO* REFUGEES BURUNDI sought protection DEMOCRATIC mainly in Djibouti, REPUBLIC OF UNITED REPUBLIC THE CONGO Ethiopia, Kenya * OF TANZANIA and Yemen 24.2 MILLION ANGOLA 2.1 million * IDPs by year’s end PEOPLE OF CONCERN IN AFRICA ZAMBIA* Africa 75,000 . million NIGERIA REFUGEE AGE AND GENDER BREAKDOWN SITUATION RETURNEES REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERSAfrica 218,000 REFUGEES AGE AND GENDER BREAKDOWN REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS REFUGEES 6.3 MILLIONREFUGEES | 26% sought protection ASLYLUM-SEEKERS. million | % mainly in Cameroon, 20% Chad and Niger 509,000 | 2%ASYLUM-SEEKERS , | % 34% STATELESS PERSONS 40% 2.4 million OF THE GLOBAL 712,000 | 3%STATELESS POPULATION OF by year’s end CONCERN , | % IDPs RETURNEES (Refugees and IDPs) 1.7 million | RETURNEES7% (refugees & IDPs) 12% . million | % 60+ IDPs 18-59 14.5 MILLIONIDPs | 60% 12-17 UNDER 18 . million | % 5-11 THE DEMOCRATIC BURUNDI OTHERS OF CONCERN 4% 0-4 59% REPUBLIC OF THE SITUATION 510,000 | 2%OTHERS CRRFOF CONCERN COUNTRY , | % SITUATIONS CONGO SITUATION 430,000 Situation 685,000 REFUGEES < 1.5 million REFUGEES sought protection People of concern sought protection in mainly in the DRC, neighbouring countries Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic 1.5 > 3 million of Tanzania 333 PARTNERS IN AFRICA 4,931 STAFF IN AFRICA 4.5 million People of concern IDPs by year’s end 175,000 IDPs by year’s end 153 NATIONAL NGO PARTNERS 28% 1.9 million 72% FEMALE MALE 3 > 5.5 million IDPs in 2017 alone 70 INTERNATIONAL NGO PARTNERS People of concern 107 GOVERNMENT PARTNERS 3 UN AGENCIES/OTHER PARTNERS 221 62% LOCATIONS BASED IN CRRF Countries HARDSHIP LOCATIONS New Emergencies * 62 UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 2017 UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 2017 63 REGIONAL SUMMARIES | AFRICA REGIONAL SUMMARIES | AFRICA MAJOR SITUATIONS a total requirement of $429.3 million for The Democratic Republic Mali situation the year. The Office led and coordinated of the Congo situation The volatile security Burundi situation the response to the Burundi refugee Intercommunal conflict situation in the northern emergency in affected countries, in In Burundi, security in the Kasai region and central parts of Mali, close collaboration with the relevant incidents, political displaced thousands of as well as insecurity in governments. tension and rising food people within the DRC border areas, prompted insecurity caused the Central African Republic situation and resulting in their neighbouring countries humanitarian situation to movement to Angola. to introduce additional deteriorate. In addition In 2017, more than Consequently, security measures. to more than 47,000 Central Africans UNHCR launched a At the end of 2017, there were around 175,000 IDPs inside voluntarily returned to supplementary appeal for $102 million in 38,000 Malian IDPs, and more than Burundi, there were approximately the CAR, but the dire June 2017 to scale up its response for the 130,000 Malians were refugees in Burkina 430,000 Burundian refugees in the DRC, security situation in the year. A sharp deterioration in the situation Faso, Mauritania and Niger. More than Rwanda, Uganda, the United Republic of country led to the in Kasai, South Kivu and Tanganyika 60,000 Malian refugees returned home in Tanzania, and other countries in Southern highest level of internal provinces led to the declaration of an 2017. UNHCR strengthened its efforts to Africa. The number of Burundians fleeing displacement since the Inter-Agency Standing Committee ensure such spontaneous returns were their homes more than doubled in 2017, crisis escalated in 2013. Violent clashes system-wide Level-3 emergency in October sustainable. compared to 2016. among armed groups and intercommunal 2017. By the end of 2017, some 4.5 million The DRC, Uganda and the United tensions increased sharply from May 2017, people were displaced internally—including Nigeria situation with conflict spreading to parts of the 1.9 million displaced people in 2017 alone— Republic of Tanzania—which, with Five years into the crisis country previously unaffected. There and more than 685,000 Congolese 230,000 Burundian refugees, hosted in north-eastern Nigeria, were 546,000 refugees and more than refugees—the majority of them women and the largest number—lifted prima facie there were 218,000 688,000 IDPs by year’s end. Of these, some children—were seeking protection in refugee status recognition for refugees Nigerian refugees in 180,000 were newly displaced in 2017. neighbouring countries. Uganda and and asylum-seekers from Burundi. The Cameroon, Chad and Nearly one in four families were forced from Zambia registered some 47,000 and three countries called for the resumption Niger. The conflict also their homes. In the north-west of the 17,000 new arrivals respectively in 2017. of individual refugee status determination resulted in the internal country, a surge in violence sparked the UNHCR increased its presence in the DRC (RSD), sometimes leading to a restrictive displacement of more movement of waves of refugees into and neighbouring countries, focusing on approach to granting asylum or in than 2.4 million IDPs: most were in Nigeria, Cameroon,