As of May 31, 2024, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported receiving $181,646,993 from donors for its work in Nigeria and other West and Central African nations.
The organization is the UN branch that offers refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people the critical protection and support they need.
The finances and advancements in the area were disclosed in its June report, “UNHCR PROJECTED GLOBAL RESETTLEMENT NEEDS 2025.”
According to the UNHRC West and Central Africa Funding Update 2024 cited in the report and seen by THE MATRIX, the United States of America, the European Union, Britain and over 19 contributors provided $181,646,993 as of May 2024 with the US leading in funding.
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This represents 16% of the $ 1.115 billion UNHCR’s financial requirements for 2024.
It noted that the financial requirements for West and Central Africa are for the agency’s operations in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.
According to the -West and Central Africa (WCA) remains one of the most unstable regions in the world due to political instability and the increasing spread and intensification of armed conflict.
It added that both new and protracted conflicts persist and continue to be the main drivers of displacement in the region.
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“As of January 2024, there were 13.4 million forcibly displaced persons within the region (West and Central Africa), of whom 2.3 million are refugees and asylum-seekers and 7.9 million are internally displaced persons.
“The seven largest countries of origin of refugees in the regions are Sudan, the CAR, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon and Chad, accounting for 96 per cent of the total refugee population. Sudan alone makes up 42 per cent of the overall refugee population, followed by the CAR (21 per cent). ,” the report added.
It explained that growing competition for significantly diminished resources, often exacerbated by the effects of climate change across many parts of the region, is compounding humanitarian needs together with the additional impact of poverty and inflation.
Based on the new information, the UNHRC stated that there has been a 41% increase in the refugee and asylum-seeker population in the region compared to 2023, which according to it, is largely attributed to the recent displacement induced by the conflict in Sudan.
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The report added that in Nigeria, 1,200 refugees are projected to need resettlement in 2025.
It explained that the majority are identified from the Cameroonian refugee population, displaced by the ongoing secessionist conflict in Northwest/Southwest Cameroon, which has driven close to 65,000 people to seek refuge in Southeast Nigeria.
“The resettlement profiles under consideration in the context of this crisis are principally women and girls at risk, refugees with compelling medical needs, survivors of violence and torture, including survivors or those at risk of gender-based violence, and persons with legal and physical protection needs,” it added.
It stressed that funding should keep coming in as resettlement remains a critically important, and often lifesaving, protection tool that is being integrated into the protection strategies of UNHCR operations across the region.
