We Need More Action, Less Rhetoric On Responsibility Sharing
OPINION
By Victor Odero
Despite commitments, international response is floundering and the needs continue to grow
Last year world leaders made two crucial decisions on refugees: wealthy nations promised to increase by 30 percent humanitarian aid and double resettlement commitments globally if low and middle income countries provided greater legal protections and access for refugees to jobs, education and other essential services.
The leaders also agreed to establish a Global Refugee Compact by 2018 – which aims to outline a plan for more equitable sharing of responsibility for hosting and supporting refugees. Despite these visible and well-publicized commitments, the international response is floundering and the needs continue to grow among refugees and the communities that are hosting them in East Africa.
Countries in East Africa are in the midst of an exceptional refugee crisis. There has been a sharp increase in the number of refugees from within and outside the region-nearly 2 million more than just one year ago. Today there are 4.4 million refugees scattered across the region due to armed conflict and insecurity in South Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.
The heart-wrenching fact is that majority of these refugees are unlikely to return home soon – across Africa refugees are displaced for 17 years on average.
Since early 2017 when famine was declared in parts of South Sudan, there is increasing attention to the rampant food insecurity and malnutrition throughout region, but let’s be clear the situation in East Africa is not just about food shortage but also a full blown displacement crisis. The causes and consequences of displacement in the region are complex and multi-layered as are the needs of those displaced.
The sheer scale of displacement and how quickly it has escalated is staggering. Recent refugee influxes have occurred in six countries-Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania. Uganda, the largest recipient, has accepted close to one million South Sudanese refugees over the last year-that’s roughly 3,000 new refugees every day.
Source: Allafrica
