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By APD writer Melo M. Acuña
The International Committee of the Red Cross said the number of people forced to leave homes due to violence has increased while 10 years ago, member States of the African Union became the first in the world to pass a legally binding framework to help and protect internally-displaced persons.
In a statement dateline Dakar and released early this evening, the ICRC said the surge in population in the western Sahel nation reminds everyone why the framework is needed.
Burkina Faso registered a 507 percent increased in internally-displaced people. As of mid-October, almost half a million people have been displaced in the country based on United Nations’ data, which showed a steep increase from 80,000 at the beginning of the year.
“Displaced people are among the most vulnerable. Families often live in host communities where resources may be scarce. They may be invisible in these environments and difficult for humanitarian organizations to access,” said Patrick Youssef, ICRC deputy regional director for Africa.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) calls on States to take more concrete measures to improve the fate of displaced people in Africa by ratifying and implementing the Kampala Convention.
Youssef added Africa has set the standard by having the first legal framework in the world to assist and protect people uprooted form their homes due to conflict, violence, or natural disaster. He explained it is important for countries to ratify the Convention and implement practical steps to advance the wellbeing of displaced people.
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded about 7.4 million new displacements associated with conflict and violence while 2.6 million from natural disasters, in 2018 according to figures from the International Displacement Monitoring Centre.
The Kampala Convention was adopted on October 23,2009 and came into force in 2012. It has remained an important step in reaffirming the obligations of States to prevent people from fleeing their homes in the first place and to protect and assist those already displaced.
ICRC said 28 out of 55 African Union Member States have ratified the treaty and 40 have signed it.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
