BURKINA FASO
VIOLENCE DISPLACES OVER 3,700
A violent inter-community land dispute in Burkina Faso’s Centre East province forced more than 3,700 people to flee across the border into Togo on 23 May. The majority are sheltered in four primary schools and have received some relief from the Togolese Red Cross and local authorities. Cases of diarrhoea among young children have been reported. The Burkinabe relief coordination committee and authorities from the Centre East province visited the displaced population on 25 and 26 May. Efforts are under way to facilitate their return to Burkina Faso.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
MORE THAN 500,000 NOW DISPLACED INTERNALLY
There are currently 503,600 internally displaced people, a 14-per cent rise from 440,000 in April due to a recent upsurge in violence in several areas. In prefectures such as Haute Kotto, Mbomou, Ouham Péndé, Nana Mambéré, Haut Mbomou, clashes between armed groups have generated huge population displacements. The current level of displacement was last seen in August 2014.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Najat Rochdi has voiced concern at the resurgence of violence, atrocities and violation of human rights the country has witnessed in recent months.
DR CONGO
NEW SUSPECTED EBOLA CASES REPORTED
Six suspected Ebola cases were reported on 27 May in Likati health district in the northern Bas-Uélé province where the disease erupted in April. Thirty cases previously suspected to be Ebola have been confirmed negative following laboratory analysis. The last confirmed case was on 11 May. Currently there are a total of two confirmed, four probable and 16 suspected cases. Some 357 people are being monitored. The outbreak remains within Likati health zone. Aid agencies have requested US$10.5 million to battle the outbreak.
NIGERIA
MORE THAN 20,000 REFUGEES RETURN FROM CAMEROON
More than 20,000 Nigerian refugees have returned from neighbouring Cameroon in recent months. In the latest influx on 27 May, 1,272 people arrived in Pulka locality in the north-eastern Borno state. Most of the returning refugees have settled in Banki and Ngala border towns and some have moved onwards to Pulka and Gwoza localities. With the new arrivals, the population of Pulka has risen to 24,000. Aid organisations are stepping up relief assistance. The authorities project that an additional 78,000 refugees could return in the coming weeks.
STORMS DESTROY OVER 500 IDP SHELTERS
Rainstorms have destroyed more than 500 shelters in several camps hosting displaced people in Borno state, an IOM assessment on 27 May found. Twenty out of 44 camps in Jere, Kaga and Konduga local government areas and in Borno’s capital Maiduguri have been badly damaged. Konduga is the worst hit, with nearly 1,500 displaced people rendered homeless. Those affected lack material to rebuild their shelters, meanwhile, poor drainage could cause flooding in the camps and raise the risk of disease outbreaks. Aid groups are finalising rainy season preparedness plans which prioritise shelter improvement and establishing alternative routes to camps and locations at risk of being cut-off by floods.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.