Day: November 18, 2022

CAMEROON

OVER 350 NEW INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN THE SOUTH-WEST REGION

Between 26 October and 5 November, over 350 people were forced to displace in Fako division in the South-West region due to extreme violence. Most civilians fled on bikes and found shelter in abandoned administrative buildings and host communities, and do not intend to return to their localities as the security situation remains volatile. Internally displaced people critically need food, shelter and health aid. Civilians in the North-West and South-West regions continue to forcibly flee due to recurrent clashes between non-state armed groups and security forces as well as between armed groups themselves as they fight over the control of territories.

CHAD

HIGH RISK OF FLOODING IN THE LAC PROVINCE

The level of the Chari River in the capital N’Djamena, which was steadily dropping over the last two weeks, has increased from 8.00 meters on 5 November, to 8.11 meters on 10 November. Since September, heavy rains have battered the south of the country, causing the Chari and Logone rivers, which meet in the capital N’Djamena, to overflow their banks and forcing about 158,000 people to flee their homes and take refuge in public spaces. The situation may worsen further in the Northwest of the Lac province, where Lake Chad has begun rising as the Logone and Chari rivers naturally flow into the Lake. Water spillover could indicate flooding in Lake Chad’s islands, potentially affecting over 100,000 people. Local authorities and humanitarian organizations are mobilizing to provide critical assistance.

DR CONGO

NEARLY 13,000 CIVILIANS DISPLACED IN TWO DAYS FOLLOWING ARMED CLASHES

According to the Committee of Displaced People, on 12 and 13 November, about 13,000 displaced persons were registered in various displacement sites in Nyiragongo territory, North Kivu province, in the east. They fled attacks by the M23 armed group in Kibumba and Buhumba villages, north of Nyiragongo territory. They joined over 97,000 others who have been living in various displacement sites in Nyiragongo since March. People were also forcibly displaced in Tongo village in Rutshuru territory following recent clashes. As of 8 November, about 188,000 people have been displaced since the resumption of the fighting on 20 October.

MALI

ARMED GROUPS ATTACK SCHOOLS IN TIMBUKTU REGION

On 9 November, members of non-state armed groups attacked the villages of Gairama and Bingata, Dire commune, Timbuktu region, in the centre. They ousted the students of the two existing schools, physically assaulted teachers and set ablaze administration documents. In Zouera, a village in the circle of Goundam in Timbuktu, the religious judge announced in a statement that separating girls and boys in classes and teaching religious classes are among the conditions for reopening closed schools in Timbuktu. As of November, about 1,766 schools were closed in Mali due to insecurity and the lack of infrastructure, and 20 per cent of those are in the Timbuktu region.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

As talks at this year’s UN Climate Conference – COP27 – looked set to continue in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt today, the UN Refugee Agency’s Special Advisor for Climate Action Andrew Harper called for refugees and displaced people to be recognized in the summit’s final agreement, and given a say in future negotiations.

“Refugees and displaced people are among those most exposed to the climate crisis,” he said, noting that over 70 per cent of the world’s displaced people come from the most climate-vulnerable countries. “Many are seeking safety in climate vulnerable countries that have done the least to contribute to climate change and yet have the least resources to adapt.”

He called for scaled-up financing for countries on the frontlines of the climate emergency, which are often the same countries providing protection to refugees.

“In many regions, attempts at adaptation have been overwhelmed by the pace of climate change,” he said. “We must be prepared for inevitable loss and damage, such as displacement, for which additional resources must be mobilized.”

The issue of “loss and damage” caused by climate change is on the official agenda for the first time at this year’s meeting, and hard-hit developing countries have been united in their demands to mobilize funding from countries with historically high carbon emissions to help them prepare for and recover from climate-driven disasters.

Recent devastating floods in Pakistan, South Sudan and elsewhere, and a prolonged drought and looming famine in the Horn of Africa have increased pressure on countries to make progress on the issue, but the latest draft outcome document lacks details on when or how a loss and damage fund will be established.

“Loss and damage” refers to the devastating impacts of climate shocks and pressures, such as cyclones, floods, droughts and sea level rise, on people’s safety, homes and means to live with dignity. “There is no greater example of loss and damage than of having to flee your home to seek refuge,” said Harper.

This is what happened to 12-year-old Assad, a refugee from Sudan who, on top of being affected by conflict, saw his entire community engulfed by flooding nearly a year ago. He suffered fractures to his leg when a mud-brick house collapsed on him and his cousin.

Addressing delegates at COP27 alongside other people displaced on the climate frontlines, he recounted how he and his family then fled to Egypt.

“I lost my family, my friends, my home and my dreams in Sudan,” he said. “And that is why I am coming today to ask, with the voice of every child, for rich countries to help the poor countries so they can face disasters.”

Also on the panel was Koyam Boulama Falmata from Niger, who was initially displaced by conflict but forced to flee again after flooding destroyed her fields and livestock. She now lives in a makeshift shelter in a drought-prone area of the country where, she said, life was extremely difficult. “My children don’t go to school, there is no drinking water or health care. It is even hard to find food because we no longer grow anything.”

“For everyone on this panel, this is a life or death question.”

Other panellists spoke about the work they are doing to try to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate. Eman Al-Hamali, a displaced woman from Yemen, talked about the solar microgrid plant she and a group of other women are managing. The plant delivers affordable and sustainable energy to her community and generates an income for the women.

Opira Bosco Okot, a South Sudanese refugee, formed an organization with other young people after seeing how climate change was disrupting farming and worsening poverty in the refugee settlement in Uganda where he lives. The organization is replacing trees cut down for firewood and supporting their community to find their own ways of coping with climate change.

“My key message to global leaders is to come forward and support refugee-led organizations which are doing interventions to combat the climate crisis,” said Opira.

During the conference, Andrew Harper noted that only 4 per cent of adaptation finance currently goes to Africa. UNHCR is calling for more support for developing countries’ National Adaptation Plans, including measures that strengthen the resilience of displaced people and their host communities as global heating fuels further crises and forces more people to flee.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, poet and former Sudanese refugee, Emtithal (Emi) Mahmoud called for displaced people to be not just included in adaptation plans, but present at every stage of planning responses.

“For everyone on this panel, this is a life or death question,” she said. “Next year, I expect to be in the negotiation rooms, and for all of us to have a voice there. I think we’re ready, and we’ve been ready and it’s time for us to be included.”

Harper echoed her call for displaced people to have seats at the table at COP28 “to ensure decisions are not taken about them, without them.”

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

SITUATION AT A GLANCE

21 MILLION: Population in Need of Food Assistance due to Drought in the Horn of Africa
UN – September 2022

24.1 MILLION: Estimated Number of People Affected by Drought in Ethiopia
UN – September 2022

3.6 MILLION: People Living With Daily Household Water Insecurity in Kenya
UN – September 2022

7.8 MILLION: Estimated Number of People Affected by Drought in Somalia
UN – September 2022

1.1 MILLION: Number of People Displaced Due to Drought in Somalia Since January 2021
UN – September 2022

• A suspected AS car bomb attack resulted in the deaths of at least 120 civilians in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu on October 29, representing the deadliest attack in the country in five years.

• Relief actors warn that an unprecedented fifth consecutive drought season is likely affecting parts of the Horn of Africa.

• USAID/BHA partner UNICEF recently provided WASH services to flood-affected populations in western Ethiopia’s Gambella Region.

• Severe drought and deteriorating security conditions in Somalia prompted thousands of Somalis to seek refuge in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya’s Garissa County between September and early November.

Source: US Agency for International Development

SHARM EL-SHEIKH (Egypt), Nov 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on countries to take climate actions instead of “finger-pointing” at the ongoing UN climate change conference.

He made the remarks during a press briefing at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which closed on Friday in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Guterres said that COP27 will come to an end in 24 hours, but there is clearly a “breakdown” in trust between North and South.

There is no time for finger-pointing, he noted, adding “the blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction.”

On climate actions, Guterres urged the parties to act in three critical areas — to respond to loss and damage, close the emissions gap, and deliver on finance.

The UN chief also asked the developed countries to fulfill their pledge of providing US$100 billion per year for developing countries and set a credible roadmap for doubling adaptation finance.

He noted that developed countries “must” provide the support that developing countries need to develop renewable energy and enhance their climate resilience.

“Renewables are the exit ramp from the climate hell highway,” he said, echoing his earlier remarks about the so-called “highway to climate hell” made at the COP27 leaders’ summit.

Guterres called for quickly reaching a consensus at COP27, warning that the “climate clock is ticking and trust keeps eroding.”

During the briefing, Egyptian Foreign Minister and COP27 President Sameh Shoukry stressed that there are still a number of issues lacking progress at the late stage of COP27.

The parties “are shying away from taking difficult political decisions,” he said.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK