• 126 more Nigerians return from Sudan
Nearly 61 million new internal displacements or movements were registered in 2022, according to a newly released Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) report.
The figure represents a 60 per cent increase compared to the previous year and is the highest ever reported. According to the Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2023, released yesterday, conflict and violence triggered 28.3 million displacements, the highest figure in a decade, with Ukraine accounting for 60 per cent of the total.
Every year, millions of people are displaced because of disasters. Last year, disasters, including the floods in Pakistan and typhoon Noru in the Philippines, led to 32.6 million internal displacements, the highest ever recorded.
The number is expected to rise as the frequency, duration and intensity of natural hazards worsen in the context of climate change. The World Bank has projected that as many as 216 million people could become internal climate migrants by 2050, if concerted climate action is not taken.
Reacting to the report, Director General of International Organisation for Migration (IOM), António Vitorino, said: “We are seeing the continuing trend of unprecedented large-scale disasters causing significant loss of life, destruction of homes and livelihoods and new levels of displacements. Enhancing our common efforts on climate action and investing in safe, regular and orderly migration pathways are more important than ever.”
This year’s report highlights food insecurity as a driver, consequence and potential barrier to solutions to internal displacement. Unprecedented, multi-dimensional crises are becoming the norm, and the impact on human mobility is increasingly evident.
Crises related to ongoing climate impacts, the lingering effects of the pandemic, economic instability, rising food prices and global reverberations of war in Europe resulted in record-high levels of food insecurity in large parts of the world in 2022.
Despite these daunting challenges, knowledge gaps remain in how the international community understands and addresses internal displacement in conflict and disaster contexts.
“The IDMC GRID report is a clear warning that concrete action needs to be taken now to find sustainable solutions to internal displacement, and is an invaluable tool for humanitarian and development partners, governments, and a range of diverse stakeholder groups as they work to prepare for and prevent future displacements,” the IOM chief stated.
Meanwhile, another batch of Nigerians stranded in crisis-torn Sudan have arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. A Tarco Aviation aircraft carrying 126 evacuees, all students from Port Sudan, touched down at 12:25 p.m. There has not been any record of loss of any Nigerian, so far.
Upon arrival, officials processed the returnees, who filled registration forms. They were received by personnel of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM); Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigeria Immigration Service.
Others in the welcoming team included operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the military.
So far, over 2,000 Nigerians have been evacuated since conflict broke out in the North African country. According to NEMA, about 500 Nigerians are still in Sudan awaiting airlift.
