Mogadishu, SOMALIA
The UN refugee agency on Wednesday welcomed Somalia’s
ratification of an Africa-wide treaty on the protection of internally displaced
people.
The United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the ratification of the
African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally
Displaced People (IDPs) in Africa is a landmark achievement for the country and
the African continent.
FILE: Men pray at an IDP (Internally Displaced People) camp in Karin Sarmayo, Somalia. |
“The
ratification of the Kampala Convention cements the government’s commitment to
the millions of highly vulnerable internally displaced people living in
Somalia, and to finding solutions for the issue of displacement,” UNHCR Somalia
Representative, Johann Siffointe said in a statement.
The
Convention known as the Kampala Convention was signed on Nov. 26 by Somali
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo after being passed with a
near-unanimous vote by parliament last week.
The Horn of
Africa nation is the 30th African Union Member State to ratify the convention
since 2009.
The Kampala
Convention which was adopted in 2009 by the AU’s 55 members is the world’s
first and only regional legally binding instrument for the protection and
assistance of IDPs, who often face heightened risks, violations and sexual
violence because of their displacement, while they struggle to access their
rights and basic protection.
“The move is
a significant milestone for Somalia, which has the fourth-largest population of
internally displaced people in the world, estimated at over 2.6 million
individuals,” UNHCR said.
In 2019
alone, more than 665,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to
floods, conflict and drought, said the UN refugee agency.
According to
UNHCR, serious protection challenges faced by IDPs include inadequate shelter,
poor sanitation, insecurity, threats of evictions and gender-based violence.
They often remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance
According to
UNHCR, the Kampala Convention covers displacement from causes that include
conflict, natural disasters, climate change and projects.
It affirms that States have
primary responsibility for their own internally displaced citizens, but also
calls for national and regional actions to prevent internal displacement and to
ensure that such people are protected and helped. - By CGTN Africa
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