UN says 1 Mln Newly Displaced In 8 Months In Eastern Africa

Saturday, November 30, 2013

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At least 1.05 million people were displaced in Eastern Africa between March and September due to insecurity in Eastern Africa, the UN humanitarian agency said on Friday.

According to a latest report published by UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Eastern Africa, the figure brings the total number of displaced to some 10.2 million across Burundi, Eastern DRC, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

    “This represents an increase of 1.05 million individuals since end of March. Of the total displaced population, 2.15 million are refugees while 8.05 million are internally displaced persons and people severally affected by conflict,” OCHA said.

According to the report, Sudan, DRC and Somalia host the largest IDP populations in the region at an estimated 3.2 million, 2.7 million and 1.1 million people, respectively.

    “During the last six months, the refugee population in the region increased by 134,777 individuals largely due to the armed conflict and inter-communal fighting. New arrivals were mainly from the DRC, Somalia and Sudan and were occasioned by armed conflicts,” OCHA said.

With parts of Somalia showing signs of increasing stability, countries hosting Somali refugees are considering the potential to encourage them to return, while some Somalis have spontaneously decided to move back to areas under government control.

The report comes as the UNHCR, Kenya and Somali governments on Nov. 10 signed an agreement laying out the framework by which Somali refugees in Kenya could return to their homeland.

The agreement comes as between 30,000 and 80,000 Somali refugees have spontaneously returned to south-central Somalia since January.

A Tripartite Commission will be established, per the agreement, to oversee the implementation of its provisions, the UN agency said.

Kenya hosts an estimated 610,000 refugees from the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region. Somali refugees in Kenya are estimated at 470,000 and the number has increased due to turmoil and recurrent droughts in the horn of Africa state.

    “As the security situation in countries producing the highest numbers of refugees remained unstable, it was likely that refugees would continue to seek safety in neighboring countries,” OCHA said.

According to the UN humanitarian agency, IDP numbers in north Kivu Province (DRC) stand at 1.03 million people while Orientale province to the north is home to 506,880 people and South Kivu province hosts 591,627 people.

Following a major offensive by the Congolese military, backed by the UN’s Force Intervention Brigade, the M23 announced an end to its armed rebellion.

While regional security analysts noted this was certainly a step in the right direction, many cautioned that this news was likely of limited comfort to the more than 2 million IDPs of eastern DRC, as several dozen other armed groups remain active throughout the region.

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