East and Horn of Africa

Operational environment

 
East and Horn of Africa continues to be characterised by displacement driven by the recent and protracted conflicts, and drought, which has led to increasing food insecurity and the threat of famine in Somalia and South Sudan. In 2017, the subregion hosts some 3.2 million refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Sudan, and nearly 5.76 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan at the end of October 2017 according to OCHA. The war in Yemen continues to affect the subregion, with more than 95,000 refugees, third-country nationals and others fleeing to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and the Sudan since the war began in 2015.
 
Somalia remains one of the most protracted displacement situations globally, with nearly 850,000 refugees in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Yemen, in addition to some 1.56 million IDPs. Political instability and insecurity, particularly in southern and central Somalia, as well as an unstable economy, limited livelihood opportunities, environmental degradation and severe droughts, contribute to this protracted crisis.
 
The South Sudan situation continues to be the largest and most complex emergency in Africa, with 2 million refugees in the sub-region, in addition to the 2 million South Sudanese who are internally displaced. The political and security situation inside the country remains volatile, with armed conflict persisting, killings, abductions, rape, and a general state of lawlessness. Severe food insecurity further exacerbates the situation, leading to massive internal displacement as well as movements across borders, with many refugee children facing alarming levels of malnutrition. The toll on neighbouring countries is high. Uganda hosts the largest number of South Sudanese refugees, with more slightly than 1 million, followed by Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. In 2018, UNHCR will continue to focus on life-saving and life-sustaining assistance for South Sudanese refugees, including the provision of basic services and meeting the immediate needs of new arrivals from South Sudan in neighbouring countries.
 
The number of refugees from Sudan currently stands at 650,000, hosted mainly by Chad and South Sudan, and there are some 2.3 million IDPs in need of humanitarian assistance. Similarly, close to 300,000 refugees from Eritrea are hosted by Ethiopia and Sudan as of 31^st October 2017. 
 
In 2018, UNHCR will continue to focus on life-saving, protection and assistance activities, as well as durable solutions initiatives for people of concern. It will do this by strengthening administrative institutions, regional, legal and policy frameworks (where applicable), and practices relevant to refugee protection. Furthermore, UNHCR will promote the self-reliance and economic inclusion of refugees and asylum-seekers by focusing on livelihood opportunities and education initiatives, while targeting new arrivals and the most vulnerable with financial assistance programmes, including through cash based interventions. Additional priorities for 2018 include addressing the reintegration needs of Somalis returning from Kenya and Yemen, by enhancing reintegration projects that benefit both people of concern and host communities, as well as the emergency pre-famine response in Somalia.
 
The Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) will have considerable bearing in the subregion in 2018. As of November 2017, five of 12 countries rolling-out this framework are in this subregion, including the regional approach to the Somali Refugee Situation driven by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The Governments of CRRF roll-out countries, namely, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda, will be key partners in 2018, putting the CRRF into practice and leading global efforts to address refugee matters comprehensively. The commitment of host countries to uphold the highest standards of protection for refugees and IDPs—including by working closely with the UN and other partners on capacity-building initiatives, technical assistance, and national policies—reflects their willingness to address the ongoing challenges associated with refugee movements on the continent, while seeking approaches that benefit refugees, host communities and local economies alike.