The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced that over 10,000 refugees from Cameroon have been registered in various communities in Cross River State in South-south Nigeria.

The Assistant Representative in charge of Operations for UNHCR in Abuja, Mr. Bamba Boubacar, made the announcement in Calabar, the state capital, at the weekend while donating a field Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) to the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) in Calabar to facilitate the registration of refugees seeking asylum in Nigeria.

“We have registered, so far, 10,400 Cameroonian refugees in Cross River and the registration is continuing. We have been informed that there are people not registered in various areas. But, until we complete the registration, we would not be able to give an accurate figure.

“We have people from other countries, and also Nigerians who were established in Cameroon coming back. They cannot be registered as refugees. So, we need to be cautious and register before providing a figure.

“Today we are providing this additional support to NCFRMI in Calabar because we have an influx of Cameroonian refugees in this area. This entry was not foreseen and the capacity on the ground was not up to provide a better response to this crisis and as partners of NCFRMI in the protection of refugees, we are providing this support because as you know the refugees are scattered across vast areas in Cross River State, and to register them, the team has to move from one place to the other. And so far, there are a limited number of vehicles. So, this additional vehicle will help to speed up the registration process so that the asylum seekers would be registered on time, and having at least a proof of registration as asylums seekers. This would be helpful for their protection when they are moving. They would provide this document to security officials so they will know that they are asylums seekers, and they have been registered. The vehicle is a four by four SUV for rugged terrain, with sitting capacity for seven persons, equipped with communications facilities.

“UNHCR is working closely with government to improve their protection to ensure the people have documentation so they will not be harassed or arrested by authorities for lack of documentation. We would continue to work with the NCFRMI, and the state authorities to improve the security and protection of asylum seekers and refugees.

“Before we provided this vehicle, we have already started to provide assistance to the refugees, and I am happy that you are concerned about food. We have provided water, food, items, mattresses, blankets and also shelter kits and so on. We are providing much broader assistance to the people,” Boubacar said.

Boubacar said the UNHCR was planning to establish as office in Calabar, and additional two field offices in other parts of Cross River State.

Also speaking at the event, Head, Refugee Status Determination Unit, NCFRMI, Mr. Murdakai Titus, said they were grateful to the UNHCR for donating the vehicle.

“On behalf of the Federal Commissioner, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, the management and entire staff of NCFRMI, I would like to express our profound appreciation to the office of the UNHCR in Nigeria led by Mr. Antonio Jose Canhandula, for this great gesture. It is indeed an exemplary demonstration of partnership in action, which has long been in existence since the establishment of the commission in 1989.

“The gift of this vehicle is made timely when the South-south zone is witnessing unimaginable influx of persons of concern from our neighbouring country Cameroon and more are still arriving. It will certainly facilitate our collective humanitarian response in the South-south zone. Hence, the need for such gesture cannot be overemphasised. We look forward to a better collaborative relationship in Nigeria,” Titus said.

Source: ThisDay

The UN has expressed concerns about the swelling numbers of people fleeing English-speaking areas of Cameroon for Nigeria, saying it is particularly worried over the safety of women and children.

William Spindler, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), decried the precarious situation of women and children, which made up about 80 percent of the approximately 10,000 registered refugees in Nigeria’s Cross River.

“Some of these are boys and girls who fled to Nigeria alone,” Spindler said, adding that unaccompanied and separated children are particularly vulnerable.”

“UNHCR has received numerous reports that children have to work or beg to survive or to help their families.”

“Many reported that they were unable to attend school, for lack of time and money.”

“Thousands more are among the population of unregistered Cameroonians in neighboring states, where some of the children are unaccompanied and vulnerable.”

“UNHCR is working with the Nigerian authorities to assist with the reunification of separated children with their families, to provide unaccompanied children with protection services and to restore the basic right of all children to education,” Spindler said.

He said some of the children fleeing to Nigeria told UNHCR that they had been out of school in Cameroon for all of 2017.

“For women, the lack of work combined with the over-stretched reception facilities, creates a higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly from survival sex.”

“While only a limited number of cases have been recorded, mainly in the Amana community of Cross River state, UNHCR is concerned that many more cases go unreported or are referred only to community elders.”

“Incidents of domestic violence, as well as cases of teenage pregnancies involving girls as young as 14, have also been reported,” the spokesperson elaborated.

He said in Benue, two school buildings were serving as temporary refugee accommodations, where women and their families sleep inside communal school halls – deprived of private space and the right to family dignity.

“For them, and for the rest of the population living in temporary tents hastily built next to local residences, sufficient and appropriate shelter is key to ensure adequate registration, systematic aid distribution and reduced protection risks,” Spindler stressed.

According to him, UNHCR and the Nigerian authorities are currently working to identify sites away from the border, where the refugees can live according to international standards.

“We are also establishing offices in the towns of Calabar and Adikpo to better provide assistance and protection to the women and children,” he said, noting that support includes food, basic relief items, water and sanitation facilities.

Since mid-2017, Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have seen demonstrations as tensions have mounted over what the country’s English-speakers see as discrimination against them in favor of the majority French-speaking population.

Source: Sahara Reporters

The Russian Defense Ministry has accused the US of fueling tensions in northern Syria by supplying arms to militant groups.

“The Pentagon’s uncontrolled deliveries of modern weaponry to the pro-US militants in the north of Syria contributed to the rapid escalation of tensions and prompted the Turkish special operation,” said a statement released by the ministry on Saturday.

The statement was released after Ankara began new air and ground operations around the area of Afrin in northern Syria aimed at ousting the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara views as a terror organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).

The US’ “provocative actions” such as establishing “border forces” and other activities aimed at the “disintegration of Syrian sovereignty, and supporting armed militant groups” have resulted in Turkey’s “extremely negative” reaction.

A few days before the launch of Turkey’s northern Syria operations, Washington claimed that it was not supporting the YPG in Afrin.

“We are not operating in Afrin. We are supporting our partners in defeating remaining Daesh pockets along the Middle Euphrates River Valley, specifically in areas north of Abu Kamal, on the eastern side of the Euphrates River,” said spokesman for the US-led coalition Colonel Ryan Dillo.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement voicing its concerns over Turkish military operations in Syria, in which it noted that Russian troops were withdrawing from Afrin “to prevent potential provocation and exclude the threat to the life and well-being of Russian military.”

Turkish tanks cross border into Syria

Meanwhile, several Turkish military trucks carrying tanks and other armored vehicles have crossed the border into the Syrian city of A’zaz in northern Syrian.

The deployment started after Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that ground operations are expected to begin on Sunday.

Yildirim also said that Turkish “armed forces have started an air campaign in order to destroy elements” of the YPG militants in Syria.

The Turkish army also said in a statement that the airstrikes had struck 108 targets belonging to Kurdish militants, but it did not say whether the targets were all in Syria’s Afrin’s province.

According to an YPG spokesman, the air raids have killed 10 people, seven of whom civilians.

“Seven civilians were killed, including a child, as well as two female fighters and one male fighter,” said YPG spokesman Birusk Hasakeh, adding that the child was an eight-year-old boy.

YPG vows to resist Turkish airstrikes

Following Turkey’s Saturday night airstrikes on Afrin, the YPG announced that it had no choice but to fight back.

“We will defeat this aggression, like we have defeated other such assaults against our villages and cities,” said a statement.

While noting that Turkey was targeting civilian neighborhoods, the YPG called on the people of north Syria to unite and defend Afrin.

Source: Presstv