Cape Town - For the first time, all of the ten most neglected refugee crises are on the African continent, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said in a report earlier this month.
Each year, the NRC publishes a list of the ten most neglected displacement crises in the world.
The purpose is to focus on the plight of people whose suffering rarely makes international headlines, who receive no or inadequate assistance, and who never become the centre of attention for international diplomacy efforts, the human rights organisation has said.
The council said most international media outlets rarely cover these countries beyond ad hoc reporting on new outbreaks of violence or disease.
Furthermore, in several African countries the lack of press freedom is exacerbating the situation.
These are the 10 ten most neglected refugee crises
1 - Democratic Republic of Congo
2- Burkina Faso
3- Cameroon
4 - South Sudan
5 - Chad
6 - Mali
7 - Sudan
8 - Nigeria
9 - Burundi
10 - Ethiopia
A reminder: Millions of people are afflicted by crises taking place in the shadows.
RT to shine a spotlight on the world's most neglected displacement crises. pic.twitter.com/f0my8HAFSa
Then there’s donor fatigue, and the fact that many African countries are deemed to be of limited geopolitical interest.
Seldom has the selectivity been more striking, the human rights organisation said.
“In response to the tragic crisis in Ukraine, we have witnessed an outpouring of humanity and solidarity. Political action has been swift. Donor countries, private companies and the public have all contributed generously,” it said. “The media has been covering the crisis around the clock. At the same time, the situation is deteriorating for millions of people afflicted by crises taking place in the shadows of the Ukraine crisis.”
So far this year in #Sudan, over 85,000 people displaced by armed #conflict & over 375 civilians killed or injured in over 129 incidents
— William Carter (@WillCarter_NRC) June 8, 2022
Figures are likely to be underestimates
Main violence appears centred in West & North Darfur States & in South Kordofanhttps://t.co/ih04QZAen1
Hunger levels are on the rise in most of the countries on the neglected crises list, compounded by rising wheat and fuel prices caused by the war in Ukraine.
The Norwegian Refugee Council is a humanitarian, non-governmental organisation that protects the rights of people affected by displacement.
IOL