TANZANIA: ASSISTANT Director of the Refugee Camps and Settlement, Mr Marijan Nsato has said the on-going Russia-Ukraine War, Middle East Crisis and global climate change effects culminate in shortfalls of resources including food to cater for refugees in Tanzania.
Appealing for humanitarian agencies and donors to consider them amid worldwide humanitarian needs, he said so far Tanzania hosts over 240,000 refugees mostly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC), mainly residing at the Nyarugusu and Nduta Refugee Camps in Kigoma Region.
According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as of October this year (2023) only 33 per cent of the agencies received from donors of the total financial requirement which is 115.9 million US dollars (about 289bn/-) for refugees hosted in Tanzania.
Mr Nsato, who is the Commissioner of Police (CP) told the 'Daily News' recently in a sideline interview at a workshop organised by the Dignity Kwanza in Morogoro to capacitate journalists on refugees' reporting called for lifelong peace in the conflicting nations to give room for voluntary repatriation and sustainable development.
He said the Russia-Ukraine War, Israel-Hamas Wars, and global catastrophe including flood, drought and earthquakes are necessitating for intensive rationing of funds from the UNHCR among other international humanitarian agencies-posing burden for Tanzania to protect refugees under scarcity resources.
"From May to November this year we have received about 12,000 plus refugees from the DRC, the situation is tense as the world is experiencing resource scarcity, worldwide rationing in resource is worsening humanitarian assistance provision to refugees in Tanzania" he said.
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Mr Nsato said the East Africa Community (EAC) has chance on strengthening political stability in the region through diplomatic dialogues to address problem in violence or warring countries including in DRC.
"Peace is a product of diverse interrelated factors including good governance and solidarity of citizens of a given country. When citizens get united without point finger on another tribe or religion, they keep first interest of their country by applying dialogue to conflicts for peace" he said.
He said war in one country creates instability to its neighbours saying it is important for all countries in the EAC to have peace which is critical for achieving development plans in the region as whole.
Additionally, Mr Nsato called upon people across the world to protect the environment in effort to prevent worldwide refugees' crisis and forced displacement of people caused by climatic change effects including flood and drought.
For his part, International Laws Expert, Professor Khoti Kamanga who doubles as a lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam training journalists during the workshop, urged them to create visibility on the push factors for refugees' presence in East Africa.
He said addressing the root causes of the push factors including wars is the foundation for an enduring peace presence in Africa and all over the world.
Globally, according to UNHCR At the end of 2022, 108.4 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence and human rights violations.
