- Reductions of assistance to refugee camps could worsen in the coming months unless urgent additional funding is received in time.
- Over 2.7 million refugees in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Djibouti have already been affected.
Image: FILE
About 490,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya risk malnutrition and hunger in the coming months.
This is a result of shrinkage of funds and donations following the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on donors, the UN says.
Over 2.7 million refugees in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Djibouti have already been affected, with food or cash transfers reduced by between 10 and 30 per cent as the socio-economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic reduces vital funding from donors.
Kenya, which is among the top refugees host countries in Africa, currently has about 489,000 refugees and 18,500 stateless persons, according to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Almost half of the refugees in Kenya reside in the Dadaab refugee camp in Garissa county, 40 per cent reside in Kakuma in Turkana and 16 per cent in urban areas mainly Nairobi.
The World Food Programme said in a report on Wednesday it has been forced to reduce its food and cash assistance for refugees by up to 30 per cent.
It voiced fears that the reductions to refugee camps could worsen in the coming months unless urgent additional funding is received in time.
“Refugees are especially vulnerable to the spread of Covid-19 because they are crowded together in camps with weak or inadequate shelter, health services and access to clean water and sanitation,” Michael Dunford, WFP Eastern Africa regional director, said.
In addition to Covid-19 the refugees, especially women, children and the elderly, are also at risk of becoming malnourished. This can in turn impact their immune systems and increase their risk of being infected by disease, a tragic vicious cycle in the midst of a global pandemic.
“With Covid-19 yet to peak in East Africa, we cannot turn our backs on people forced to flee and stuck in remote camps,” Dunford said.
In July, the World Health Organization urged African countries to provide greater access to Covid-19 detection, testing and care among refugees.
WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said Covid-19 has exacerbated existing humanitarian challenges, particularly with regards to access to health services in many African countries.
“With the pandemic, we have seen some humanitarian operations delayed due to lockdowns, curfews and the restrictions on movement for both personnel and cargo vital for Covid-19 response,” Moeti said.
She spoke during a virtual conference on July 16 with Pierre Somse, Minister of Health and Population, Central African Republic, Patrick Youssef, regional director Africa, International Committee of the Red Cross, and Adhieu Achuil Dhieu Kueth, a South Sudanese refugee from Dadaab.
It was noted that long-running conflicts in the region leading to the closure of health facilities and the flight of health workers have made it difficult for people in sub-Saharan Africa to access health services.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than 26 per cent of the world’s refugees.
In Burkina Faso, for instance, 110 health facilities have been closed due to insecurity while services have been impaired in 186 others.
This has left around 1.5 million people without adequate healthcare.
Edited by Henry Makori