Millions Fleeing Their Countries

0

Countries must work to prevent further mass displacement as crises in the Middle East and Africa produce unprecedented numbers of refugees, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday in Geneva.

wpid-UN20Secretary20General2C20Ban20Ki-moon.jpg“Never before in United Nations history have we had so many refugees, displaced people and asylum seekers,” Ban told the executive body of the office of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

“Never before has the United Nations been asked to reach so many with emergency food assistance and other life-saving support,” he added.

The world must do more to prevent further displacement and help those who have been forced to flee, he said, adding that this would require “greater resources and more political leadership.”

The UN chief lamented that some crises in Africa receive hardly any international attention, despite the fact that millions have been fleeing strife in countries including the Central African Republic and Nigeria.

Later on Thursday, Pope Francis was scheduled to meet with a group of survivors from a major shipwreck that occurred last year near the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Most of the 366 people who died in the accident on October 3, 2013, were asylum seekers from Eritrea.

Africa is home to 15 million refugees and internally displaced people, the highest number of any continent. Nearly 2.5 million people have become displaced there in the first half of the year, according to the office of the UN high commissioner for refugees.
GNA

Send your news stories to [email protected] Follow News Ghana on Google News

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here