From Allafrica · · 1m 10s
UN Alarmed by Sahel Displacement Crisis
UN warns nearly four million displaced in Central Sahel as crisis worsens.
In brief
UN warns nearly four million displaced in Central Sahel as crisis worsens. UNHCR reports nearly four million displaced in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger due to violence and instability, with funding shortfalls worsening the humanitarian crisis. Originally reported by Allafrica.
UN raises alarm
The United Nations on Friday raised the alarm about a displacement crisis in the central Sahel where nearly four million people have been forced to flee their homes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Displacement numbers double
The number is more than double that of six years ago, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said, before a wave of coups in a region bedevilled by instability and violence.
818,000 displaced
It includes 818,000 refugees and asylum seekers, it added.
Crisis compounded
The crisis is being compounded by continued attacks affecting civilians, climate-related shocks and severe humanitarian funding shortfalls, the UNHCR said in a statement.
Regional director warns
Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, UNHCR's regional director for west and central Africa, said the international attention is receding.
Resource pressure
In Mali, most refugees come from neighbouring Burkina Faso, with Koro hosting 86,000 Burkinabe refugees including over 14,000 children.
At a glance
UNHCR reports nearly four million displaced in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger due to violence and instability, with funding shortfalls worsening the humanitarian crisis.
