Nigeria: UNHCR resettled refugees to USA.

[Concerned Migrants]

Commnunication exchanged between Concerned Migrants Group(C-M-G)Worldwide Official
and Congo DRC refugees in Lagos-Nigeria.
By: Prince R.A.Adegoke Fusigboye.

As they are doing on earth, so also they do in heaven. The refugees predicaments in Africa and in some other parts of the world are practically similar.

Yet, refugees from Congo DRC, Sudan, TChad, Central Afrique and Cameroun in Nigeria were hard hit by some of the policy of HCR officials in the country. Refugees from Congo DRC spread all over the globe in thousands, in Nigeria alone, more than 20,000 of them sought international protection under UNHCR, whose principal functions are to seek durable solutions to refugees predicament and furnish them with material assistance.

According to the chairman of the Congolese refugees committee in Nigeria, Mr Bonnie Bonga Sampuya, he said that the protection officer at the Nigeria Oru camp where refugees from both Liberia and Sierra Leone were kept frankly told them that the refugees camp was not meant for Congolese refugees. This situation forced some of them to rent accommodation outside the camp, while some also find shelters in sanctuary. These refugees were named Urban Refugees, and they resides mostly in Lagos-Nigeria. They can be found in Ikeja, Iyana-Ipaja, Surulere, Lagos Island etc....

The chairman stated further that since they have been living in Nigeria, non of his colleagues ever complain of arrestation by the Nigerian police nor their immigration counterparts, which means that Nigeria is a land of hospitality. The problems facing them are as follows: high rent, poor medical attention, shelter, insufficient monetary education funds, integration issue etc...., They felt the absent of both Caritas and Medicine sans frontier in thier lives which might have provide adequate medicare for them.

Sometimes last year, a female embassy official from Congo DRC wrote a stern letter to the house owner (landlord) of one Congo DRC sanctuary that shelters refugees in Lagos to please eject them with immediate effect while their pastors, also from Congo DRC were given severe warning to desist from harboring refugees in their respective churches.

Those with HCR Status are likely to be taken to a third country. In year 2007, some refugees were posted to Canada while in year 2008, about 10 refugees were resettled to usa. On February 02, 2010, 19 refugees were resettled to usa while on 04 February 2010 another batch was flown to usa while others will be leaving later this year.
Refugees are demanding for a durable solutions, no repatriation but onward transfer to a third country where they can live a normal life with their children.