Author: web Desk

Implemented by UNHCR in coordination with the DRC government and other partners, this new investment provides education support to refugee and host community children and adolescents.

October 28, 2022, Kinshasa/New York – Education Cannot Wait (ECW) today announced new funding of US$2 million to provide vital education support for refugee and host community children and adolescents in North Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ).

The grant, aimed at a 12-month rapid action “Emergency First Response”, was announced by the Director of “Education Cannot Wait”, Yasmine Sherif, at the end of a mission of one week in the DRC . This funding will be implemented by UNHCR , the United Nations Refugee Agency in coordination with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and other strategic partners.

The grant will help refugee and host community girls and boys return to a safe and protective learning environment in public schools in host communities – an approach in line with the aspirations of the Global Compact for Refugees and the Sustainable Development Goals aiming to “leave no one behind”.

This funding builds on the positive results of the investments of the first emergency response launched last year and implemented by UNHCR and its local partners, together with the Government and in response to the influx of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR).

Through this program, more than 8,000 children and adolescents have been enrolled in school and 56 classrooms have been built/rehabilitated, with implementation still ongoing.

“I have witnessed first-hand the journey of refugees through a grueling journey from CAR and the generosity of the government and local communities who welcome them. For vulnerable children, especially girls, education offers protection and hope. Many boys and girls who had never been to school in their home countries now have the opportunity to learn and grow. With this new grant, we can ensure that the response and build on the success of this programme,” said Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait, the United Nations Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises.

This new investment from ECW has filled a funding gap but UNHCR still needs an additional US$3.94 million to fully meet the education needs of Central African refugees in 2022 and US$6.5 million for 2023 UNHCR has the necessary capacities and partnerships, but it needs urgent funding to fully achieve its goals.

The DRC has a long tradition of welcoming and accommodating refugees and aims to provide universal access to quality education for children in host communities, internally displaced children and refugee children. . However, with conflict, forced displacement, the climate crisis, COVID-19 and other epidemics such as Ebola holding back development gains, some 3.2 million children (aged 6-11 years) are out of school, and less than one in ten have basic reading skills.

According to the UNHCR, the DRC hosts more than 200,000 Central African refugees and asylum seekers (September 2022). In total, there are currently over 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the DRC; more than 60% of this population is under the age of 18.

“ECW’s new funding comes at a critical time and UNHCR in the DRC, on behalf of the refugees and their host community, remains deeply grateful to ECW for its renewed trust and commitment. Once again, this new funding will ensure that the results and gains achieved in the education sector in North Ubangi Province are not lost, but also extended to other refugee and host community children and youth.

UNHCR continues to appeal to other donors to extend its support to more refugee hosting areas in the DRC, which are also under-resourced, particularly given the multiple objectives of education: Protection, Solutions and Prevention ; thus confirming the triangulation of the three pillars of the United Nations Charter,” said Angele Dikongue-Atangana, UNHCR Representative in the DRC.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

The International Development Association (IDA) helps the world’s poorest countries with knowledge and financing to achieve their development goals. IDA recognizes the challenges faced by the countries that host significant refugee populations while pursuing their own development objectives. The Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR) helps eligible host countries create meaningful medium- to long-term development opportunities and sustainable solutions for refugees and host populations. Here are 10 things to know about the WHR:

Forced displacement is not only a humanitarian crisis, but also a development challenge. The WHR recognizes the tremendous stress placed on a host country with the sudden arrival of a large population of people. The window also acknowledges the difficulty in pursuing a country’s own development goals while accommodating protracted refugee groups, often in areas where local communities themselves lack basic services and resources.

The number of refugees living in IDA countries has increased from 8.9 million in 2017 to 9.5 million in 2020. A surge in violent conflict since 2010, in addition to other stressors like climate change, has led to historically high levels of forced displacement around the world.

WHR resources have grown in IDA20. Under IDA20, WHR received a total envelope of US$2.4 billion, an increase from US$2.2 billion under IDA19 and US$2 billion under IDA18.

For eligible countries, the WHR can provide up to US$500 million per IDA cycle to benefit both the refugees and host communities.

An emergency support mechanism is integrated into the window, providing 100 percent grants for countries experiencing a sudden massive inflow of refugees. A sudden massive inflow is defined as receiving at least 250,000 new refugees or at least 1 percent of the country’s population within a 12-month period.

WHR is sector- and instrument-neutral—it supports all World Bank operations in eligible countries that aim to create medium- to long-term development opportunities and sustainable solutions for both the refugees and their host communities.

WHR works in tandem and closely coordinates with partners and other actors to ensure that the development challenges it focuses on remain complementary to the humanitarian support provided by others. A successful partnership was forged with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in this respect, in which the Bank assesses the adequacy of refugee protection in consultation with UNHCR.

WHR has successfully contributed to strengthening refugee policies and implementation across several contexts. Eligible countries work to improve the policy and institutional environment for refugees and host communities. This enables IDA to work in partnership with countries to support refugee protection, freedom of movement, labor force participation, access to education, health, and other services.

To date, countries in South Asia, Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa have benefited from WHR and its predecessor, the Regional Sub-Window for Refugees and Host Communities (RSW) under IDA18. These include Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Pakistan, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda.

WHR has been used across a wide range of contexts, providing scale and flexibility to respond to crises. Examples include:

In Chad, where the southern Goré region is home to roughly 70,000 refugees and returnees who fled the crisis in the Central African Republic, WHR support is boosting productivity and improving food security. To strengthen gains and facilitate the expansion of basic social services, support has transitioned from humanitarian to focus on improving resilience and strengthening development.

South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries and plagued with fragility, conflict, and violence, is also host to some 330,000 refugees. WHR support will build on the crucial gains of humanitarian aid and transition to a development-oriented approach to improve the socioeconomic conditions of refugees and host communities, helping to deliver critical services such as access to basic health care, COVID-19 vaccines, clean water, and education.

Other examples include Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Uganda.

Source: World Bank

Members of the Canadian Parliament have urged the government to expedite the resettlement to Canada of Uyghur refugees now living in third countries.

The Parliament voted Tuesday on a motion from Conservative MP Garnett Genuis to reaffirm its recognition of the Uyghur genocide in China and to call for special immigration measures to assist Uyghur refugees at risk of deportation to China from third countries.

“House of Commons thankfully endorsed that motion,” Genuis told VOA.

Almost 50,000 Uyghur refugees are living in Turkey, and smaller numbers of Uyghurs who fled China are in countries such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, from where Uyghurs were deported to China in recent years.

Another motion, debated Wednesday in Parliament, calls on Ottawa to expedite the entry of Uyghur refugees.

“[My motion] calls on Canada to welcome 10,000 Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities over two years starting in 2024,” Sameer Zuberi, chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs subcommittee on international human rights, told VOA. “It builds on the House of Commons’ formal recognition in February 2021 that a genocide has been taking place against the Uyghur people.”

Genocide designation

Canada became the second country to recognize China’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocide in February 2021. The U.S. was the first country to designate human rights violations against Uyghurs in China as genocide in January of the same year. Other legislative bodies in Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Ireland have made similar determinations since.

The government of Canada has sanctioned four individuals and one entity for their roles in human rights violations in Xinjiang.

A report by the Canadian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs subcommittee on international human rights published in October 2020 contained recommendations calling on Canada to uphold basic human rights of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

“One of the recommendations of this report is for the department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to expedite the entry into Canada of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities,” Zuberi said. “If passed by the House of Commons, my motion will give life to this recommendation.”

According to Mehmet Tohti, executive director of Ottawa-based Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, most Uyghur refugees who live in third countries are in danger of being sent back to China.

“Uyghurs who fled to countries like Turkey are vulnerable for being repatriated to China,” Tohti told VOA. “Countries like Turkey where most Uyghur refugees live depend on China economically and that can influence those countries’ decision on how to deal with Uyghur refugees, like intimidating them to return to China.”

Detention, deportation

According to a report released in June 2021 by the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and Uyghur Human Rights Project, there were 1,546 cases of detention and deportation of Uyghurs in at least 28 countries between 1997 and March 2021.

“[M]ost notably in much of the Middle East and North Africa with 647 cases, and in South Asia with 665 cases,” the report said. “The dataset contains 1,151 cases of Uyghurs being detained in their host country and 395 cases of Uyghurs being deported, extradited or rendered back to China.”

“Uyghurs’ futures in those countries are far from certain. They do not have safe refuge,” Zuberi said. “In the spirit of Canada’s proud humanitarian tradition, where Yazidis, Syrians, Afghans and recently Ukrainians have been welcomed, I am hoping that Canada can again step up and resettle vulnerable Uyghurs.”

According to Zuberi, after Wednesday’s hour of debate of his motion at Parliament, there will be a second hour of debate in December, followed by a vote in mid-December or early February.

If endorsed, the bill requires that within 120 days following the adoption of the motion, a report must be completed on how the refugee resettlement plan would be implemented.

Human rights

Canada’s Immigration Ministry spokesperson, Remi Lariviere, said Canada is “deeply concerned about the serious human rights violations in Xinjiang affecting Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities, as outlined in a recent U.N. report.

“The Government of Canada remains committed to providing protection to vulnerable individuals in need of resettlement,” Lariviere told VOA in an email. “Our resettlement programs are available to those most in need of protection around the world, including Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities who have fled persecution in China.”

In August, the U.N. Human Rights Office asserted in a report on human rights in Xinjiang that China “may have committed crimes against humanity” against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, including arbitrary detention, credible allegations of torture, forced labor, forced sterilization, sexual violence and adverse conditions of detention.

China claimed the U.N. report was based on “disinformation and draws erroneous conclusions” about human rights in Xinjiang.

According to Lariviere, Canada relies on referrals from the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), other designated referral organizations and private sponsorship groups to identify refugees in need of resettlement.

“Our first priority is the safety of Uyghur refugees. We therefore cannot provide any details on our efforts or plans since it could put this vulnerable population at risk,” Lariviere said.

Source: Voice of America

Amid a resurgence of violence and intercommunal attacks, Sudan and South Sudan must continue their political engagement for implementing security and administrative arrangements in Abyei, and achieving an acceptable solution on the final status of the Area, speakers told the Security Council today, as it also looked towards a renewal of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) mandate and the mission’s support to the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism before they expire on 15 November.

Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, recalled the agreement earlier in the week between Sudan and South Sudan officials to enhance cooperation in addressing those issues, as well as their willingness to resume the meeting of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee, which had not met since 2017. Noting the African Union’s various efforts, she welcomed the African Union High-level Implementation Panel’s effort to engage the local communities. UNISFA stands ready to support the shared objectives for Abyei, she affirmed, detailing its work with communities and leaders in Khartoum and Juba in that regard.

Although the security situation in the Abyei area remains mostly calm, a new conflict is emerging between the Dinka Ngoc and Twic communities in southern Abyei, she said, pointing out that much of the intercommunal violence there has related to that conflict with loss of lives on both sides and the displacement of thousands of civilians. UNISFA has intensified patrols to deter further violence, offering protection to those displaced and providing medical services. Clashes recently resumed after a lull in violence during the rainy season, she noted, warning that the upcoming dry season with improved conditions for mobility could bring further violence.

She reported that the reconfiguration of UNISFA into a multinational peacekeeping force continues and is near completion with 2,567 military personnel out of the authorized 3,250 personnel in place. Turning to the mission’s support for the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, she called on Juba to ensure re-operationalization of the Mechanism’s sites as soon as possible. During the reporting period, there was also no progress on deployment of three formed police units and individual police officers due to continued non-issuance of visas, she said, calling for the Council’s support in that regard.

Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa, briefing the Council on progress in implementing resolution 2046 (2012), said that while Sudan and South Sudan have improved relations, through regular bilateral meetings, each country’s priority are on domestic issues. In Sudan, the parties are yet to agree on the way forward to restore a democratic transition after the coup of 25 October 2021; in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, the stalemate in talks between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu has persisted; while some progress was registered in the peace process in South Sudan, with the graduation of forces on 30 August.

Detailing her Office’s efforts to find a way out of the stalemate on the settlement of the final status, she pointed out that: “Meaningful progress in the negotiations appears unlikely absent the prior agreement on the restoration of a civilian led transitional Government in Khartoum.” Her Office will continue to engage with the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) towards fully normalizing relations between both countries.

In the ensuing debate, speakers welcomed positive steps in relations between Khartoum and Juba. They voiced concern, however, about the recent acts of violence between the Dinka Ngok and Twic communities and called on parties to cease hostilities. Many Council members expressed support for a one-year extension of UNISFA’s mandate and called on stakeholders’ strengthened engagement and dialogue to facilitate the work of the mission and advance on outstanding issues.

Ghana’s representative, also speaking for Gabon and Kenya, urged the two countries to seek a peaceful settlement on the final status of Abyei as provided in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in 2005. Voicing concern about the resurgence of armed violence and intercommunal attacks in Abyei, he emphasized the need for more broad-based intercommunal dialogues to address grievances and tensions among the communities. Stressing the need to maintain UNISFA’s presence, he urged Sudan and South Sudan to fully cooperate with the mission, including full respect of the status-of-forces agreement.

The representative of the United States pointed out that a one-year extension of UNISFA’s mandate will allow the mission to complete its troop reconfiguration and give it adequate time to receive visas, identify key stakeholders and develop essential relationships required to implement its mandate. Condemning recent acts of violence between the Dinka Ngok and Twic communities, he urged Sudan and South Sudan to facilitate the smooth functioning of all UNISFA bases and the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism’s team sites.

Ireland’s representative stressed: “We cannot let this become a forgotten crisis. Echoing other delegations, he voiced concern about the humanitarian situation as well as ongoing sexual and gender-based violence in Abyei. He joined other delegations in welcoming progress made in the reconfiguration of UNISFA to a multinational force and called on both parties to address outstanding operational issues, such as the issuance of visas and access to Athony airstrip.

South Sudan’s representative said that despite the incomplete deployment of the multinational force and intercommunal clashes leading to greater insecurity, his Government is working tirelessly to address the root causes of the conflict to restore and foster intercommunal harmony between the two communities. He called for the reconfiguration of the MINUSFA force to enable a rapid response to any security situation, as well as an early warning system to prevent and diffuse clashes.

Sudan’s representative underscored the need for the implementation of the political and legal terms of reference, including the interim security agreements concluded in 2012 and the Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, until the two parties reach the solution on its final status. Stressing the interim nature of the mission in Abyei, with specifically agreed on tasks, he called for efforts to to bolster the work of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, and to undertake humanitarian work to consolidate peaceful coexistence.

Source: UN Security Council

A doctor’s group said one protester was killed during demonstrations marking one year of military rule in Sudan as security forces used tear gas on the crowds.

Thousands protested in cities across the country Tuesday under yet another internet blackout.

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said one protester was killed in Omdurman, a city across the Nile River from Khartoum, after being hit by a tank, and three others were wounded.

Since army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized power, Sudan has seen near-weekly anti-coup rallies and crackdowns by security. The doctors committee said the death toll from rallies over the past year stood at 119.

In Khartoum, scores of youths marched toward the presidential palace, listening to revolutionary songs and poems. Police used tear gas and water trucks to disperse them as they tried to enter the palace.

Protester Abdulhaleem al-Sheikh said life under military rule had crippled Sudan’s development.

He said the economy, health and education had all deteriorated. Sudan also lost a lot of money from the International Monetary Fund, he said.

Sudan was to receive nearly $50 billion in debt relief from Western creditors and billions more in funding. But the U.S., the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other lenders suspended those plans after last October’s coup.

Al-Burhan took power from the transitional shared-power government headed by former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, who was detained along with other civilian ministers. They were released after Hamdok signed a political agreement with the military in November. He resigned in January.

Still hopeful

Protester Ahmed Abdulwahab said he was still hopeful that democratic change would come to Sudan.

He said the country was promised a democratic transition and that citizens hoped God would support them. “We need to see development in our country,” he said, “and we should complete what our former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok started.”

Human Rights Watch released a statement on the anniversary, calling on Sudan’s military leaders to respect peaceful protest and restore democratic rule.

Mohammed Osman, a Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said security forces had committed a range of abuses, from killings to arbitrary detentions of hundreds of people.

“Over the last year, Sudan’s military leaders have faced no consequences for their repression of the protest movement,” Osman said. “As protesters once again bravely take to the streets in the coming days, the world should stand behind their demands for a rights-respecting future and make clear that impunity for the ongoing serious crimes, including at the highest level, will not be accepted.”

Sudanese police issued a statement Tuesday night accusing some protesters of being armed but providing no evidence.

Despite the force against them, a Khartoum protester who identified herself as Rania said they would keep demonstrating.

She said a year had passed and the country had achieved nothing, “but we are still hopeful that good days are coming, and we should not give up. We need to see that justice is achieved for our martyrs.”

U.N. independent rights experts on Tuesday called for justice for protesters against the coup. They said unlawful tactics by security forces had left an estimated 7,700 people seriously injured, thousands of them children.

Source: Voice of America

The deteriorating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to stymie favourable developments in the wider Great Lakes region, the Security Council heard today, as members stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation and dialogue on countering common threats and working towards shared goals, including combating the illicit trade of natural resources that fuels conflict.

Xia Huang, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region, briefing the Council on the Secretary-General’s latest report on the implementation of the peace, security and cooperation framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider region (document S/2022/735), said that the resumption of hostilities by the 23 March Movement (M23) a few days ago had claimed victims and displaced thousands.Their activities, as well as those of other armed groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Résistance pour un État de droit au Burundi (RED Tabara), have amplified insecurities in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and given rise to tension between countries of the region, in particular the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, threatening accomplishments in cooperation over recent years, he said.

Such instability, as well as climate-related events, have given rise to a concerning humanitarian situation, with 4.9 million refugees and asylum-seekers, and 12 million internally displaced in the region, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), he continued.

Against this backdrop, he called for greater mobilization among regional actors, welcoming in this regard the work of Kenya in the East African Community peace process, noting that talks within the framework will resume in Nairobi in the coming weeks. Reiterating his Office’s commitment to providing technical support to such efforts, he recalled the remarks made a month ago in the Council by his colleague Bintou Keita, Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), stressing the vital importance of coordination between all forces deployed on Congolese territory on security.Such coordination should also extend to mediation efforts, he added.

Despite such challenges, he welcomed progress enabled by the work of Angola in building a road map for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while stressing the need to forge progress through tangible actions, including confidence-building measures.He went on to outline efforts he will prioritize in the coming months, including strengthened bilateral coordination, including in matters of security, tackling the illicit extraction of natural resources, and promoting the participation of women in election processes and bodies.

In the ensuing debate, Council members expressed concern about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the country and called for a strengthened focus on non-military as well as military solutions to tackle the root causes of the conflict.Many members stressed the need to counter the illicit trade in natural resources that fuels tensions and funds armed groups, while also taking note of encouraging progress in diplomatic relations between regional States following the accession of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the East African Community.

The representative of Kenya, also speaking for Gabon and Ghana, called for the swift implementation of the Action Plan for the 2021-2023 United Nations Strategy for Peace, Consolidation, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution in the Great Lakes as well as the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region.Condemning the illegal and inhumane activities of groups such as M23 and ADF, he pointed out that some of them have links to terrorist networks including Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh). Also concerning, he said, was the heightened levels of mistrust between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and the use of hate speech as well as disinformation and misinformation by some leaders.

The representative of the United States expressed concern about the “deeply troubling” humanitarian and security situation in the Great Lakes and called on armed groups to discontinue their assaults in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and for States to stop supporting such groups.Expressing concern over the calls for MONUSCO’s immediate withdrawal, he urged Kinshasa to work with the Mission towards a gradual, responsible conditions-based withdrawal guided by benchmarks in the joint transition plan.

China’s delegate was among several delegates calling for a multi-pronged approach to address security threats, including through strengthened support to be lent to disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and rehabilitation efforts. The root causes of regional instability, including the unlawful exploitation of natural resources, must be addressed, he said, calling for the implementation of the recommendations of the workshop held in Khartoum to help advance the lawful trade in such resources.

Meanwhile, the representative of Norway called forviolations of international humanitarian law and abuses of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be investigated and those responsible held accountable. She welcomed steps taken to promote the involvement of women in peacebuilding efforts. She went on to express concern over rising tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and welcomed the region’s political and diplomatic efforts to address security challenges.

The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo stated that the town of Bunagana has been occupied for M23 for more than four months and asked the Council to demand that “Rwanda and its M23 immediately withdraw”.He went on to dismiss the assertion by Rwanda’s delegate about the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) being a main cause of the conflict in the eastern part of his country, stating that the group is used as a pretext to plunder his country’s natural resources. Outlining progress made in the implementation of the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement, he highlighted the decision to deploy the operational unit of the Contact and Coordination Group in Goma from November, following the meeting of the heads of security and intelligence services in the region in September.The aim was to garner the support and involvement of all stakeholders in the non-military efforts to achieve the surrender of armed groups, he said.To this end, he urged the Special Envoy and the Council to assist his country in securing financing for the Demobilization, Disarmament, Community Recovery and Stabilization Programme.

Source: UN Security Council

As prepared for delivery

Good morning.

I went on a quick visit to Burkina Faso last week to meet the new leadership – you will have seen that Ibrahim Traoré was sworn in as the Transitional President on Friday – and, importantly, to get a better understanding of the humanitarian situation in the country.

Allow me to share a few thoughts about this trip.

We flew to Djibo, in the north of Burkina Faso, hours away from Mali and Niger. Close to 90,000 people had lived in Djibo, safely and kindly, for generations.

Then, a few years ago, three times their number descended on their town and stayed.

They stayed out of fear of the many armed groups nearby, who had decided to wage war on the Government. The people of Djibo welcomed them into their sparse township.

For Djibo, food comes down the road from the big cities of Burkina Faso, lying to the south. Trucks have, forever, brought in what the people of Djibo need for their survival. And Djibo has repaid this service with the money they earn from the great cattle market that is their reason for being.

But this year, the trucks stopped.

In September, a convoy of trucks was destroyed in attacks by armed groups. Since then, not a single truck has arrived.

There were no goods in the market, and it has not been possible to grow much food in the area. The cattle were driven out. Mothers were forced to feed their children with leaves and salt.

By the time we visited Djibo, the leaves were also running out. The women told us that they go out at night, in the cover of darkness, to the villages nearby where they might still find leaves for their hungry and sick children. To do this, they break out of their encirclement and risk attacks, rape and death.

A 19-year-old boy wept as he told me how hungry he and his friends were.

Sadly, the situation in Djibo is not unique. Dozens of other parts of Burkina Faso are witnessing a similar plight: Road closures due to the presence of armed groups, leaving people without food, medicine and other vital services.

The families I spoke with told me this themselves: Reopen roads and supply routes. Provide aid not just to the displaced people but also to the host communities. And end the conflict so that people can return to their homes and so that their children can finally have a future.

I relayed this message to Transitional President Traoré.

I told him that we need roads to reopen so that humanitarians can move cargo by road without military escorts.

I renewed the commitment by the UN and our NGO partners to stay in Burkina Faso and carry on our work.

I stressed the need to work in partnership with the humanitarian partners in addressing the access issues, and why it is crucial to respect the principles of humanitarian action.

I also raised the need to protect civilians.

I believe in what the humanitarian system can achieve, but I am very aware that access alone is not enough. We also need more money so that we have more supplies and capacity to deliver.

With the funding we have received so far this year, we brought food aid to 1.8 million people. We helped 740,000 people access health care in areas where medical facilities have shut down. And we provided access to water, hygiene and sanitation to 550,000 people and nutritional support to 421,000 children and new and expecting mothers.

However, we have much, much more to do.

Nearly 4.9 million men, women and children in Burkina Faso – that’s more than one in five of the country’s people – need urgent assistance. In addition, nearly one in 10 people has been forced to flee their homes. And Burkina Faso is facing one of the world’s fastest growing displacement crises, along with Mozambique and Ukraine.

We are grateful for the funds we have received. But the $805 million response plan for Burkina Faso is only one-third funded, while people’s needs have soared 40 per cent since the start of this year.

Before I take your questions, let me zoom out a bit: The situation in Burkina Faso is illustrative of what’s going on in the wider Sahel region, including in Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria.

In communities in Burkina Faso battered by the crisis, I saw how dialogue has created pathways to gain access to basic necessities. I hope this shining example of non-violent methods can be replicated across the Sahel to make a real difference in the lives of millions of people caught up in the crossfires of conflict.

These people have shown tremendous resilience, bravery and dignity, but they face an increasingly uphill battle wrought by violence, the climate crisis, political turmoil, hunger and loss of opportunity for young people.

They, too, deserve our support and your attention.

Thank you.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs