Tag: IOM

Categories
-Top News Africa News

IOM says climate change fueling displacement in Horn of Africa

IOM needs $93.4 mn in funds for Horn of Africa( eastandhornofafrica.iom.int)

McDermott called for policy coherence and speedy implementation of local, national and regional interventions to tackle climate emergencies and their spillovers, including forced mobility…reports Asian Lite News

The climate emergencies, including droughts, floods and wildfires that have escalated in the Horn of Africa region are to blame for the forced migration of civilians, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a specialised UN agency said.

More than two million people have been internally displaced in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia amid a prolonged dry spell, IOM said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on Wednesday, citing statistics from humanitarian agencies.

Justin McDermott, IOM’s Deputy Regional Director for the East and Horn of Africa, said that tackling the climate crisis will aid efforts to stabilise human mobility, peace and green growth, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to McDermott, a cross-border response was imperative in order to arrest the growing crisis of forced migration and ethnic tensions fuelled by climate-induced calamities like droughts in the region.

More than 20 million people are grappling with acute food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia amid the worst drought that has hit the Horn of Africa region in the last four decades, according to relief agencies.

McDermott called for policy coherence and speedy implementation of local, national and regional interventions to tackle climate emergencies and their spillovers, including forced mobility.

He said that a two-day workshop convened by IOM and partners in Nairobi on Wednesday will explore innovative ways to address climate change as a means to spur green economic development and safe mobility in the region.

McDermott added that taming the climate crisis in the Horn of Africa region is key to facilitating safe, orderly and humane migration, besides hastening the realisation of the UN 2030 Agenda.

The Horn of Africa region is often described as a climate hotspot, with regular occurrences of droughts, floods, landslides and wildfires triggering large-scale displacement of civilians, including nomads and subsistence farmers.

ALSO READ-IOM warns of drought-induced impact in Horn of Africa

Categories
-Top News Africa News

IOM warns of drought-induced impact in Horn of Africa

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) last week warned that catastrophic consequences of the multi-year drought will continue in 2023 in the Horn of Africa region, leaving communities in urgent need of assistance…reports Asian Lite News

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has warned of the impact of the drought in the Horn of Africa region.

“Following a historic fifth consecutive failed rainy season in the Horn of Africa, more than 36 million people have been affected by the drought in the region, of which more than two million people have been forced to leave their homes in search of life-saving assistance,” the IOM said in its latest East and Horn of Africa Drought Response Situation Report.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) last week warned that catastrophic consequences of the multi-year drought will continue in 2023 in the Horn of Africa region, leaving communities in urgent need of assistance.

According to a new seasonal forecast, below-normal rainfall is expected in most parts of the region over the next three months, the WMO said in a statement issued last Wednesday.

“Should this happen, it would be an unprecedented sixth poor season for the worst hit countries — Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.”

The WMO said the current drought began with the poor performance of the October-December 2020 rains and has since deepened with all four subsequent seasons also performing poorly. A persistent La Nina event has had a key influence.

ALSO READ-Macron ends Africa tour

Categories
Africa News Diaspora

IOM :Egypt hosts 9 mn int’l migrants from 130 countries

International migrants have contributed positively to local labour market and the growth of the Egyptian economy, the IOM noted…reports Asian Lite News

More than 9 million international migrants from about 130 countries currently live in Egypt, according to the latest figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In a statement, the IOM said the number of international migrants residing in Egypt is 9,012,582, which constitutes 8.7 per cent of the country’s population, reports Xinhua news agency.

There has been a noticeable increase in the number of international migrants since 2019, because the prolonged instability in Egypt’s neighbouring countries prompted Sudanese, South Sudanese, Syrians, Ethiopians, Iraqis and Yemenis to seek refuge in the North African country, according to the statement.

Among the international migrants are 4 million Sudanese, 1.5 million Syrians, 1 million Yemenis and 1 million Libyans. Migrants from the four countries account for about 80 per cent of the migrants residing in Egypt.

International migrants have contributed positively to local labour market and the growth of the Egyptian economy, the IOM noted.

Egypt has been generous in enrolling migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in its national education and health systems on an equal basis with Egyptians, despite challenges in the two sectors and the heavy economic costs, the UN agency added.

ALSO READ-13,016 migrants have crossed Channel since Rwanda plan