Operations

1,151	Number of personnel (international and national)
46	Number of offices
5,136,000	Estimated number of people of concern (PoC)
USD 475 M	Overall funding requirements (ExCom-approved 2016 budget)

A. Operational Environment and Strategy

As of September 2015, the total number of displaced people within the subregion, including refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people IDPs) stood at 5.1 million. Conflicts and generalized insecurity, both within the Central Africa and Great Lakes subregion and in neighbouring countries, such as in Nigeria, continue to fuel displacement.
 
Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were faced with either renewed or continuing internal conflict in 2015, which led to the displacement of thousands of refugees. Over 190,000 Burundians, fleeing pre- and post-election violence since April 2015, have sought asylum in the neighbouring countries of the DRC, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania (Tanzania) and Uganda. In the CAR, sporadic violence saw the continued displacement of its people. As of September 2015, there were over 360,000 IDPs in the country and over 470,000 refugees from the CAR in Cameroon, Chad, the DRC and the Congo. Instability and violence in eastern DRC has seen internal displacement as well as an outflow of refugees to the neighbouring countries of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.
 
These three ongoing situations in the subregion led to the nomination of Regional Refugee Coordinators (RRC) for the CAR and the Great Lakes situations in 2014, and for Burundi in 2015, in order to coordinate the Office’s response to the refugee situations and lead the implementation of Regional Refugee Response Plans (RRRP) in the CAR and Burundi. The political environment in these two countries seems to suggest that the RRC functions and RRRPs will continue in 2016.
 
UNHCR’s work to protect refugees in the subregion will include efforts to address and prevent sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) as well as programmes in child protection. Basic needs, such as health care, education for children and livelihood/self-reliance activities to stimulate local economies, will also remain priorities in 2016. UNHCR will pursue its efforts to search for durable solutions, including the planned return of 20,000 DRC refugees from Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia through integrated regional contingency plans and tripartite agreements.
 
UNHCR will continue to lead the Protection cluster for IDPs through life-saving activities such as protection monitoring, tracking and mapping spontaneous returns in main return areas in countries such as the CAR and the DRC. IDPs will also be provided with basic assistance and support for their return and reintegration. Social cohesion efforts will be important for smooth reintegration.
 
The main challenges for UNHCR operations in the subregion relate essentially to the lack of security and logistical constraints. Continued conflict and violence in the CAR and eastern DRC, as well as recent events in Burundi, are pushing internal and external displacement,  sometimes to remote and inaccessible areas. Restrictions on humanitarian access and space will affect UNHCR’s capacity to respond to those requiring assistance.
 
The gap in funding is proving to be another challenge for UNHCR to be able to carry out its protection responsibilities and to provide basic assistance for refugees.

B. Response and Implementation
 
Operations in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania are presented in separate country chapters. For other countries where UNHCR operates in the subregion, please see below.
 
Close to 1,900 refugees, mainly from Chad and the DRC, have been living in Gabon for the last 15 years. In 2016, UNHCR will continue to reinforce the capacity of local authorities to undertake refugee status determination and to explore durable solutions, including voluntary repatriation.
 
In addition to refugees in protracted situations, there are 250 refugees from the CAR for whom UNHCR will promote access to documentation, and free and full access to basic services.
 
For the 47 refugees from Angola, Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone who remain under UNHCR’s care, the Office will continue to advocate for sustainable solutions, local integration and self-reliance. 
 
Local integration prospects are limited in Gabon, as the authorities continue to anticipate voluntary return.