Alarming world refugee crises

The issue of displaced persons moving from conflict zones in search of relative safety is as old as mankind. But never has the situation attained such a catastrophic level since the end of World War 11.   All over the world, especially in Africa, Asia and Middle, the incidence of people fleeing from their homes and communities has continued to be on the rise. According to United Nations Human Rights Refugee Commission (UNHCR), there are more than four million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. In Africa, the number of displaced persons; especially in Sub-Saharan Africa is put at three million with more than one million desperately in need of resettlement.
Most striking is the fact that more migrants are leaving for Europe as refugees, even as thousands continue to perish in the treacherous Mediterranean Sea. For example, outbreaks of fighting in countries including South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR), have led to an increasing number of people on the move. Of the top 10 countries globally from which people are fleeing as refugees, five are in are in sub-Saharan Africa. Four of the top ten refugee-hosting countries are also in sub-Saharan Africa, even as the conflicts and crises in the region have led to an influx of refugees to neighbouring countries, many of which already host tens of thousands of long-standing refugee populations from places as Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, among others.
In Nigeria, the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is a recent phenomenon brought about by the raging Boko Haram insurgency in the North East and communal conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and their host communities, especially in the Middle Belt.   Available statistics show that as at 2016, Nigeria had about 4 million internally displaced persons, making the country the largest IDP population in sub-Saharan Africa. A report released by the Internal Displaced Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), says Nigeria is leading the region ahead of Democratic Republic of Congo which has 2.9 million IDPs; Ivory Coast 709,000, North Sudan with 470, 000, Ethiopia 200, 000; Central African Republic 197, 000 and Chad with 178, 000.
More telling is the fact that the number of internally displaced persons in Nigeria is approximately a third of the IDPs in Africa and 10 per cent of IDPs in the world. The report further stated that in 2016 alone, Nigeria had 800,000 displaced persons and this was the third highest in the world, behind Syria with 6.5 million and Colombia with 5.7 million, even as it noted that over 9 million Nigerians are indirectly affected by the rising insurgency attacks in the country. We totally condemn the present humanitarian crisis and demand a stop, as its continuation portends grave consequences for the entire world.
According to Amnesty International Secretary General, Salil Shetty, “the world is witnessing the worst refugee crisis of our era, with millions of women, men and children struggling to survive amidst brutal wars, networks of people traffickers and governments who pursue selfish political interests instead of showing basic human compassion”. Definitely, the world can no longer sit and watch with passive indignation as portions of humanity are deprived of their basic human rights to life and dignity. Governments across the world have the duty to ensure people do not die while trying to reach safety. It is essential that they offer a safe haven for desperate refugees and take effective action to prosecute trafficking gangs.
Today, the world is troubled with challenges largely on account of the decisions of leaders. Without doubt, injustice and oppression, particularly of minorities are also aggravating conflict and social strife across the globe. Now is the time to step up protection for refugees, anything less will make world leaders accomplices in this preventable tragedy?