UN agencies to aid African refugees, migrants fleeing Yemen

The UN agencies have agreed to work together to help African migrants and refugees fleeing fighting in Yemen.

Representatives from International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a joint statement Tuesday that they have presented a Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RRMRP) to respond to the crisis in Yemen at a donor meeting held in Nairobi.

Speaking at the Nairobi meeting, Ashraf El Nour, IOM Permanent Observer to the UN in New York, emphasized the importance of a coordinated and strategic approach in addressing the needs of affected people.

"The needs of individuals coming to Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti are multiple. Refugees and migrants arrive after many hours at sea often traumatized and exhausted, with few personal belongings, and in urgent need of food, water and emergency healthcare," El Nour said.

"The most pressing response therefore is to address their basic needs and to register and provide documentation to enable access to essential services," he said.

The RRMRP, covering the period of October-December, is the outcome of an inter-agency planning process coordinated by IOM, UNHCR and partner agencies in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan.

It aims to deliver protection and humanitarian assistance to an estimated 103,000 people fleeing the conflict in Yemen to neighboring countries by the end of 2015. This figure could rise to 202,000 by the end of 2016.

The plan will cost 36 million U.S. dollars from October to December and may cost a further 119 million dollars in 2016.

It also provides preliminary estimates for 2016, including population planning figures and an indicative budget. The 2016 plan will be revised and updated later this year.

According to the two agencies, March marked an escalation of the conflict in Yemen, triggering the flight of thousands of Yemenis, refugees (mainly Somalis), and third country nationals.

"To date, close to 70,000 people fleeing the crisis have arrived in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. Up to 44,080 people are reported to have arrived in Saudi Arabia and Oman," the statement said.

An interactive Refugee and Migrants Response Plan web portal that provides in-depth information on the situation in Yemen and the resultant outflow of migrants and refugees was launched in September 2015.

The portal allows public users to access the RRMRP, together with statistics, situation reports and other related information. IOM and UNHCR have called on the public and media to use the portal to keep abreast of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

The agencies said countries around Yemen have shown great solidarity by welcoming people fleeing the crisis. Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan have granted prima facie refugee status to Yemenis arriving on their soil, while also allowing people of other nationalities fleeing Yemen to stay. Endit