Already difficult lives of 1.5 million people of Central Sahel who are grappling displacement due to violence are further worsened by climate change and Covid-19 crisis, said UNHCR senior official. Ioli Kimyaci, UNHCR Representative in Burkina Faso, told Emirates News Agency, WAM, “The Central Sahel - Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – is at the epicentre of one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement and protection crises. A political, security and humanitarian crisis has displaced millions.”

Horrid poverty due to climate change and Covid-19

Kimyaci said in an email interview on Tuesday from Burkina Faso, “It is important to highlight the impact of environmental change in the region. In recent months, devastating floods have killed dozens and left hundreds of thousands in urgent need of shelter, clean water and health service.” She said that climate events have exponentially exacerbated the vulnerabilities of communities who are already struggling with poverty, food insecurity, and armed conflict.

She explained, “This year, the Covid-19 pandemic has also compounded this situation. Lockdowns and other Covid-19 prevention measures have pushed an additional 6 million people in the region into extreme poverty, with 4.8 million people – most of them children – in need of urgent nutrition assistance.”

Ministerial Round table’s importance

She said that the Ministerial Round table on the region is taking place at a very critically important time on Tuesday, hosted by the governments of Denmark and Germany, the European Union and the United Nations. “Solutions – not only through the security lens - are urgently needed. Governance reforms need to be scaled up with the same urgency as lifesaving interventions and with appropriate resources. Humanitarian appeals in the region are just 35 percent funded. This pledging conference is an opportunity for donors to demonstrate commitment before it is too late,” Kimyaci said.

UAE’s support of US$80 million

Kimyaci expressed her gratitude and thanked the UAE for supporting UNHCR generously with over US$80 million contributions since 2010 in various locations. She noted that this proved to be life-saving for millions of refugees and internally displaced persons, and targeted important sectors like education, health response, food and protection.

“The government of the UAE also hosts UNHCR’s largest Global Stockpile at the International Humanitarian City, IHC, in Dubai. Through its presence in Dubai, UNHCR is able to rapidly deliver life-saving assistance to people in need within 72 hours of the outbreak of a crisis anywhere in the world, in which the government has contributed greatly to support UNHCR’s emergency shipments to countries in MENA, Africa and beyond,” she explained.

Recent support extended by UAE

Kimyaci relayed that a recent aid consignment donated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai in June brought shelter equipment and plastic sheets that helped 5,000 people receive shelter in all five regions of Burkina Faso.

The UNHCR official said, “This support was timely as it arrived in the midst of the rainy season, with heavy rainfalls and strong winds, and helped better protect these families from possible floods by providing shelter to those without one or strengthening existing ones. We are extremely grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid for his donation, which made a real difference in the lives of those most in need.”

Kimyaci elaborated that due to violence in the region over 1.5 million people have fled, including over 650,000 who have been forced from their homes this year alone. She said that in Burkina Faso, over one million people have displaced due to increased violence inside the country, and nearly half displaced this year. UNHCR was able to provide assistance for shelter to over 1,600 forcibly displaced persons. The Covid-19 pandemic has further posed difficulty in access to education for children. In Burkina Faso, around 2,500 schools were forced to close due to violence, affecting at least 350,000 students.

Solar radios have been helpful for children

Kimyaci noted that solar donor support is essential in supporting children continue their education, also distance learning amid pandemic. Across the Sahel region, around 12,000 children from displaced and host communities have been able to continue their education through distance learning, using solar radios to listen to education programmes. “The needs remain huge and we must make sure we are to respond to them not just this year, but next year as well,” Kamyaci said.

WAM