Humanitarian Issues Media Monitoring 3/26/19

Camaroon

1. UNHCR says funds urgently needed for displaced Cameroonians

   Mar 26, 2019 | UNHCR

   UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is today asking donors for stepped up support for half a million displaced Cameroonians who have survived over a year of ongoing violence in different parts of the country. Violent clashes in Cameroon between the military and armed separatists over the past thirteen months have forcibly displaced thousands, including across the border into Nigeria. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. And there are fears now that more people will become displaced over the coming months.

Zimbabwe

2. UNHCR prepares to send aid to Cyclone Idai survivors in Zimbabwe

   Mar 26, 2019 | UNHCR

   UNHCR is readying tents, tarpaulins, solar lanterns, cooking utensils and other aid for thousands of refugees who lost homes in Zimbabwe.

Camaroon

1. UNHCR says funds urgently needed for displaced Cameroonians

   Mar 26, 2019 | UNHCR

   UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is today asking donors for stepped up support for half a million displaced Cameroonians who have survived over a year of ongoing violence in different parts of the country.

   Violent clashes in Cameroon between the military and armed separatists over the past thirteen months have forcibly displaced thousands, including across the border into Nigeria.

   The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. And there are fears now that more people will become displaced over the coming months.

   According to UN estimates more than 437,000 people are currently displaced in Cameroon, 246,000 of them in the Southwest Region, 105,000 in the Northwest Region, and 86,000 in the Littoral and West Regions.

   Most of these are women and children. And people who become displaced face grave situations whether in Cameroon or Nigeria. Having fled with very little, they are arriving in impoverished host communities where food supplies are strained and with few facilities for health, education, water and sanitation.

   As well as causing internal displacement in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon, the deadly conflict has also forced over 35,000 Cameroonians to seek asylum in Nigeria. With the fighting continuing, this number is expected to rise. 

   UNHCR now requires US$184 million for its operations in Cameroon and Nigeria – including US$35.4 million needed urgently for critical life-saving assistance.

   In February, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon launched the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) that includes the situation in the South and North West regions. UNHCR activities and related funding requirements for this program in Cameroon are part of the HRP. UNHCR advocates for international support to the plan.

   Inside Cameroon, many of the displaced in the Southwest and Northwest Regions are living in overcrowded conditions, without proper shelter or health and sanitation support.

   Underfunding and insecurity have restricted protection and assistance activities to affected populations. The safety of women, children, unaccompanied and separated minors, people with disabilities, and lactating and pregnant women are of deep concern to us in light of increased protection incidents and the severe underfunding. The most frequently reported security incidents include destruction of homes and other domestic properties, extortion, torture and inhumane treatment including rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation.

   In Nigeria, refugees are currently being hosted in settlements, and more than 47 villages along the border. There is significant pressure on existing social services, and facilities for health and education. Refugees in settlements are depending on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs.

   https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2019/3/5c99e8254/unhcr-says-funds-urgently-needed-displaced-cameroonians.html
   

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Zimbabwe

2. UNHCR prepares to send aid to Cyclone Idai survivors in Zimbabwe

   Mar 26, 2019 | UNHCR

   UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working to dispatch emergency relief items – including tents, tarpaulins, solar lanterns, cooking utensils and other items – to help refugees who lost their homes in parts of Zimbabwe devastated by Cyclone Idai.

   The cyclone affected tens of thousands of people when it struck the eastern coast of Southern Africa during the night of 14–15 March, causing torrential rain and flooding in parts of Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.

   The refugee agency is working with the governments of the affected countries and other humanitarian partners to assist those in need. These include refugees in Tongogara, Zimbabwe, and the communities hosting them.

   One survivor is Deborah Kibangu, 44, who fled to Tongogara to escape conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

   She had built a two-room house for herself and her two children. On Saturday, she stood next to its destroyed walls and surveyed the damage.

   “My children don’t even have a single pair of shoes,” she said. “Everything was washed away by the rains.”

   “Before the cyclone, my life was hard. Now it’s just gotten worse,” she added.

   Deborah is one of some 13,000 refugees at Tongogara camp. They and 20,000 residents who live nearby need urgent assistance.

   More than 100 people are reported to have died due to the cyclone in Zimbabwe and the government has declared a state of disaster. In Chipinge district, where Tongogara camp is located, over 2,000 refugee houses, mostly built with mud bricks, were completely or partially damaged and over 600 latrines have collapsed.

   UNHCR staff on the ground have conducted a rapid assessment to determine the extent of the damage and concluded that there is a danger of waterborne diseases as borehole water is feared to be contaminated by flood waters.

   “We have compiled emergency shelter and core relief items from our global stock which will be flown into the affected areas immediately,” explained Valentin Tapsoba, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Southern Africa.

   The relief cargo will include items like family tents, plastic tarpaulins, sleeping mats, cooking sets and utensils, jerrycans, buckets, mosquito nets, solar lamps and soap.

   “We are planning to distribute these critical items to some 30,000 people in dire need,” added Tapsoba.

   The assistance will come as a huge relief, not least for elderly refugee Magdalena Niragire, who sits among the rubble of her demolished house. The 97-year-old Rwandan lost nearly everything when the cyclone struck.

   “My life is not good. I’m always sick and now I’ve lost all my property in the rain,” she said.

   She is lucky to have her family with her and they are trying to rebuild her house.

   “By responding to this situation and by using our expertise, we continue to demonstrate solidarity with the people of this region,” says Tapsoba. “For decades, they have hosted refugees and shared their limited resources with them.”

   UNHCR will continue to support the effort to respond to the urgent needs of the affected, including refugees and their host communities.

   https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2019/3/5c9901c94/unhcr-prepares-send-aid-cyclone-idai-survivors-zimbabwe.html
   

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