UNHCR seeks 21.4 million USD to ramp up support for displaced in Africa

Nairobi, Sep 11 (IANS) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday issued an appeal for 21.4 million US dollars to support 9.9 million forcibly displaced people and host communities across 35 African countries.

The UN refugee agency said the funds, which will run until December, aim to ramp up critical response and prevention efforts for refugees in countries impacted by the monkeypox emergency.

“These funds are also essential to ensure that refugees and other forcibly displaced people are fully integrated into government-led preparedness and response plans,” the UNHCR said in a statement.

The agency reported that some 88 mpox cases have been detected among refugees in Africa, with 68 cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has recorded the highest number globally. Cases have also been confirmed among refugees in the Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.

The UNHCR said although mpox has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades, the rise of a new strain, clade 1b, particularly in the DRC, prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of