from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – BURKINA Faso, beset by Islamist insurgency, now tops the list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises.
The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ranks second, having appeared first or second on the list every year since its inception seven years ago.
Colombia, Sudan and Venezuela follow in this grim ranking.
This is according to a new report from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
The annual list of neglected displacement crises is based on three criteria: lack of humanitarian funding, lack of media attention and a lack of international political and diplomatic initiatives.
“Neglect is a choice – that millions of displaced people are cast aside year after year without the support and resources they so desperately need is not inevitable,” said Jan Egeland, NRC’s Secretary General.
The official said the powerful response to the suffering inflicted by the war in Ukraine demonstrated what the world could deliver for people in need.
Political action for Ukrainians has been impactful and swift, borders kept open, funding plenty, and media coverage extensive, Egeland said.
“Those in power need to show the same humanity towards people affected by crises in places such as Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
Burkina Faso’s decline since the crisis broke out five years ago has been devastating.
More than 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes, and nearly a quarter of the population now requires humanitarian aid.
Across the West African country of more than 22 million people, 800 000 citizens are living in areas under blockade by armed groups.
“We must do more to end the suffering in Burkina Faso before despair becomes entrenched and it is added to the growing list of protracted crises,” Egeland said.
– CAJ News