25, June 2019
Nigerian widow opens her doors to Southern Cameroonian refugees 0
When the insecurity in Cameroon’s restive western region forced Susan Agbo to leave her home, she did not know what lay ahead. All she knew was that she needed to get her eight grandchildren to a safer place. She found that safer place in Nigeria.
“When I came to Nigeria, I had no place to stay,” says Susan, who fled Cameroon nearly two years ago.
She struggled with homelessness for months, relying on the goodwill of the local Nigerian community for shelter.
“I was staying with people for a few weeks here and there and then I would leave and stay somewhere else for a month,” explains Susan, who is in her 60s.
Escalating violence in Cameroon has displaced hundreds of thousands of people within the country’s borders and forced about 37,000 more like Susan to seek safety in Nigeria.
“I saw she had run away and had no place to stay.”
The constant movement from one place to another, with her grandchildren in tow, was exhausting for the sickly grandmother who longed for a lasting solution to her situation.
Lucia Ikuru, who lives near Agbokim Waterfalls on the border with Cameroon, sympathized with Susan’s predicament and offered her shelter without a second thought.
“I saw she had run away and had no place to stay,” says the 77-year-old Nigerian widow. “I gave her a house and told her to stay there.”
Lucia’s large compound has several rooms that she has turned into shelters for other Cameroonian refugees including Susan.
“I try to help them, and whatever little I have, I give them,” adds Lucia.
Susan is grateful for the shelter, solace and friendship that she has found here and is especially grateful for the food that Lucia provides her grandchildren.
Susan Agbo, a 60-year-old Anglophone refugee from Cameroon sits outside her temporary home in Agbokim, Nigeria. © UNHCR/Will Swanson
“When she cooks, she feeds my grandchildren and they eat. I am happy,” says Susan, adding that she has no means of supporting them herself.
She explains that due to the conflict, their parents’ whereabouts is unknown – a constant source of worry for her.
“I don’t know where they are since they ran away so now the children are here with me,” she says.
To keep her worries at bay, she talks to Lucia often, sitting with her in the courtyard and carving wooden sticks into toothbrushes and toothpicks to sell at the local market.
“I’m happy that I have her staying here with me,” says Lucia. “If something happened to her, I wouldn’t feel happy.”
“I am happy because we are like friends.”
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has launched an urgent appeal to increase support for displaced Cameroonians who have survived nearly two years of ongoing violence. But of the US$184 million required for UNHCR’s operations in Cameroon and Nigeria – including US$35.4 million needed urgently for critical life-saving assistance to newly displaced Cameroonians – just four per cent has been raised.
The majority of the refugees – over 50 per cent of the population – live in host communities in over 47 villages along the border. The support they receive from kind Nigerians like Lucia is crucial and reflective of the sense of solidarity that most refugees experience from their Nigerian hosts
Susan hopes that the situation back home will improve so that she can return. But for now, she continues to adjust to life here and is grateful for Lucia’s kindness and that of the Nigerian people.
“I don’t know where I would have been,” she says. “I am happy because we are like friends.”
UNHCR continues to seek funding to provide basic assistance to refugees and carry out projects that empower the host communities, also in need.
Source: UNHCR
25, June 2019
AFCON 2019: Mali thrash Mauritania, Angola and Tunisia draw, Ivory Coast off to winning start 0
Mali produced three stunning goals as they thumped Africa Cup of Nations debutants Mauritania 4-1 on Monday, handing their neighbours a harsh lesson in their first ever match at the finals.
Abdoulaye Diaby blasted Mali in front and Moussa Marega converted a penalty to put them 2-0 ahead by halftime.
Adama Traore added a third before substituted by his namesake Adama Traore who then scored the fourth, both from outside the penalty area.
In between, El Hacen El Id made history by converting a penalty for Mauritania’s first ever goal at the tournament.ADVERTISING
Mali, playing at their seventh successive finals, became the first team to score more than two goals in a match at the tournament and also produced arguably the best performance so far.
Mauritania began brightly but were let down by too many elementary mistakes. They completely messed up one free kick around 30 metres from goal, gifting possession to their opponents, and their first touches were often heavy.
Mali took a while to get going but, with a young team of players based mainly in France and Portugal, were impressive once they got into full flight.
Diaby broke the deadlock after collecting a pass around 30 metres from goal, shuffling past two defenders and firing a rising shot into the net from just outside the area.
The powerful Moussa Marega was a constant threat for Mali, and after being denied several times, finally got on the scoresheet with a penalty in the 45th minute after Hamari Traore was tripped by Mauritania goalkeeper Brahim Souleimane.
Mali continued to dominate after halftime and, 10 minutes after the re-start, Adama Traore slipped past a couple of defenders and beat Souleimane with a low shot from outside the area.
Mauritania kept pressing forward and were rewarded with a penalty which El Hacen El Id converted, prompting delirious celebrations amid the players and officials.
Those were cut short, however, when substitute Adama Traore curled in from 25 metres to complete the scoring in style.
Angola snatch draw
In Group E’s other encounter Monday, Angola salvaged a surprise but deserved 1-1 draw against an uninspired Tunisia after Djalma Campos cancelled out a Youssef Msakni penalty.
In a generally disappointing game, Tunisia went ahead against the run of play in the 34th minute but failed to build on the lead and paid the price when Djalma snapped a rebound in the 73rd minute.
The game was played in hot conditions, although a sea breeze made the temperature more bearable and it did not seem to unduly affect the players. The stadium was barely one quarter full with spectators scattered around the arena.
“It was a very difficult and demanding game … I think we played the best African team,” said Angola coach Srđjan Vasiljevic. “We had enormous difficulties in the preparation period but we faced a strong rival and got a good result.”
There was a lot of probing by both sides early on but Angola were more positive and Wilson Eduardo went close with a looping shot across the face of the goal.
Tunisia went ahead with a penalty as Msakni found Sliti Naim who cut inside Salomao Paizo and was brought down by the Angolan’s clumsy lunge. There were few complaints from Angola and Msakni fired the spot kick into the roof of the net.
The North Africans, the second highest African team in the FIFA rankings, sat on their lead and Angola, back at the tournament after missing the previous two, took advantage.
Tunisia goalkeeper Farouk Ben Musthapha spilled a shot by Matheus and Djalma turned in the rebound.
Tunisia twice came close to a stoppage time winner as Wahbi Khazri prodded the ball wide after a free kick and Msakni sent a free shot wide of the post from the edge of the penalty area.
Two-time champions Ivory Coast off to winning start
Earlier Monday, striker Jonathan Kodjia struck 26 minutes from time to hand Ivory Coast a 1-0 win over South Africa as the two former champions kicked off their Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
Kodjia squandered several earlier chances before finally breaking the deadlock in the 64th minute of the Group D match at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo.
The goal was scored at the end of a swift move out of defence by the Ivorians.
It took just two passes to find the forward, who was goalside of the defence and had only the keeper to beat.
Kodjia had been in a similar position in the first half but instead of placing the ball, he blasted it to allow South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to come up with a brilliant close-range stop in the 32nd minute.
The Aston Villa striker was also twice set up with goal scoring chances in the opening 11 minutes, but both times failed to get a touch.
The Ivorians also struck the woodwork just after the half hour mark as Nicolas Pepe curled a left-footed effort on the crossbar.
Pepe had another set piece chance two minutes from time but Williams made a finger-tip stop to deny the Ivorians a second.
With the temperature in the stadium touching 36 degrees Celsius, it stifled the tempo of what was a largely scrappy affair.
South Africa, who won their only Cup of Nations title in 1996, were unable to get their short passing game going and only had one half chance which captain Thulani Hlatshwayo headed wide of goal.
Two-time winners Ivory Coast join Morocco, who edged Namibia with a last gasp goal on Sunday, at the top of the group standings.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)