Refugee Day: UNCHR holds solidarity walk to create awareness

Refugee Day: UNCHR holds solidarity walk to create awareness

Refugee

By Uche Bibilari

Abuja, June 19, 2019 (NAN) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) on Wednesday, in Abuja, organised a solidarity walk to create awareness on refugees’ plight; and called for support refugees and displaced persons.

Mr Roger Hollo, Deputy Representative (Protection) UNHCR, Nigeria in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that the solidarity walk was part of activities to commemorate the 2019 World Refugee Day (WRD).

Hollo said that the world refugee day was an advocacy opportunity for UNCHR, as partners, to call the attention of Nigerians to the plight of refugees in the country.

“We have more than 35,000 Camerounian refugees in Nigeria.
“We also have close to 1.8 million IDPs in the North-East of Nigeria and few thousands of refugees from various nationalities in Lagos and Abuja.

“Today is the commemoration of their lives, their courage and their suffering; and we want to associate with them,’’ he stated.

He said that another significance of the event was that the African Union (AU) has declared this year as a year for refugees, asylum seekers, and IDPs.

He said it was also a year for durable solution for people who have been forcefully displaced in Africa.

“We are here to call the attention of the government, media and the general public to the plight of this category of population,’’ Hollo added.

NAN reports that the theme for the 2019 World Refugee Day is “Take a step with Refugees’’.

World Refugee Day is celebrated every 20th of June. (NAN)

UU/DOR
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Edited by Nyisom Fiyigon Dore