Senegal Regional Office

Working environment

In 2016, most West African countries witnessed relative political stability, with peaceful elections taking place in Benin, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Ghana and a referendum in Senegal. The Gambian election standoff was also resolved peacefully.
 
In eastern Côte d’Ivoire, inter-communal clashes between herders and farmers left 20 people dead, several more injured, and homes and property destroyed. Violence continued until early April 2016, displacing some 6,000 people. An estimated 2,000 individuals crossed the border to Burkina Faso and another 740 to Ghana to seek safety. More than 3,000 individuals were internally displaced in Côte d’Ivoire.
 
Boko Haram related insurgency in the North-East of Nigeria continued to kill, injure and displace civilians.
 
In Niger and Cameroon, terror attacks have continued unabated, leading to fatalities and wide-scale displacement.
 
The Governments of Ghana and Senegal have increased security measures after attacks in Côte d’Ivoire.  Armed security forces continued to stop and search vehicles, especially in Senegal.

Population trends

In 2016 UNHCR reported  700,000 people at risk of statelessness and nearly 50,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the six countries (Benin, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo) covered by UNHCR’s Regional Office in Dakar:

• Benin hosted 1,035 refugees and asylum seekers at the end of 2016
• The Gambia hosted 7,940 refugees, of which 95 per cent were from Senegal
• Guinea-Bissau hosted 8,697 refugees, 99 per cent of whom were from Senegal
• Senegal was home to some 17,803  refugees and asylum seekers, the vast majority of whom were from Mauritania
• In Sierra Leone, UNHCR supported 690 refugees and asylum seekers at the end of 2016.
• In Togo, there were 13,274 refugees and asylum seekers mainly from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, representing a significant decrease after verification exercise when compared to 2015.

Achievements and impact

• In Benin, 620 individuals were enrolled in the mutual health scheme. In the sector of education, the primary and secondary school enrollment rates in Benin were 100 per cent.
• In Gambia, advocacy interventions such as meetings and workshop held in consultation with Government and private actors at the highest levels resulted in the waiver of the expatriate tax levied on employers who hire refugees, leading to more employment opportunities for refugees.
• In Guinea Bissau, in March 2016, the Government of Guinea Bissau approved 15 cases of naturalization for Senegalese refugees during its Council of Ministers. There are still 545 files pending analysis and approval for the same purpose.
• In Senegal, particular attention was given to durable solutions, and in particular naturalization of mixed couples. These efforts included an extensive sensitization campaign on different options available.
• In Sierra Leone, UNHCR focused on strengthening the legal and administrative framework in a bid to enhance asylum and provide adequate protection and assistance to the remaining exempted and red-coded Liberians and other nationalities in protracted situation.
• In Togo, UNHCR developed a multi-year strategy to address the situation of Ghanians in Togo and carried out advocacy for durable solutions for this group with emphasis on local integration.
• With the support of UNHCR, the Government of Liberia conducted a more thorough screening of the red-coded individuals in 6 countries namely Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. As result, 708 individuals were processed, out of these 703 (560 from the initial figure of red-coded + their dependents) were approved, 5 were rejected while 350 did not show up for the exercise.
• The Comprehensive Durable Solutions regional strategy for refugees from Cote d’Ivoire was reviewed, and approved by the relevant stakeholders during a regional meeting on durable solutions for Ivorian refugees held in Abidjan in July 2016. 

Unmet needs

• In Guinea Bissau, due to budget constraints, the operation had to prioritize and consequently cut many activities related to WASH, self-reliance, education, community sensitization, and support to people with specific needs (PSN).
• In Benin, refugees could not afford payment of exam fees, school supplies and other requirements due to lack of sufficient assistance by UNHCR.