The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, have signed an agreement to strengthen their collaboration in protecting refugees, the stateless and internally displaced persons in the region.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, and the Director of UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, Mr. Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, signed the MoU in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to strengthen the existing cooperation between the two entities.
Mr. Gnon-Konde described UNHCR’s collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission as “long-lasting, highly productive, and relevant given the current humanitarian context confronting the subregion.”
On his part, Dr. Touray said the commission and member states were working assiduously to tackle the root causes of conflicts in the region through diplomatic and political engagements.
The ECOWAS President expressed optimism that the “Commission’s consistent commitment in these areas will yield positive outcomes.”
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 6,976,470 individuals were forcibly displaced by conflicts and violence in West Africa.
Out of the 6,976,470 persons, 6,352,346 are Internally Displaced Persons and 624,124 are refugees and asylum-seekers
The U.N. said Nigeria and Burkina Faso host the highest displaced population with 5,641,530 individuals in West Africa.
U.N. attributed conflicts and insecurity to the high number of displaced persons in West Africa.
“Violent conflicts, disasters and insecurity in several countries in West Africa continue to force people to flee their homes within the sub-region and beyond. There are currently 6,976,470 forcibly displaced by conflicts and violence, and stateless persons in the ECOWAS sub-region, including 6,352,346 IDPs and 624,124 refugees and asylum-seekers.
“Nigeria and Burkina Faso host the highest displaced populations with 3,578,996 and 2,062,534 individuals respectively. Niger hosts the highest refugee populations by far, with 325,419 individuals,” the U.N. disclosed.
