“The deep crises represented by millions of displaced Africans are yet again the most underfunded, ignored and deprioritized in the world. They are plagued by diplomatic and political paralysis, weak aid operations and little media attention. Despite facing a tornado of emergencies, their SOS calls for help fall on deaf ears,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
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Humanitarian crises in these countries are expected to worsen throughout 2020, compounded by the global coronavirus pandemic that is adding further hardship to millions.
“Covid-19 is spreading across Africa, and many of the most neglected communities are already devastated by the economic shocks of the pandemic. We need solidarity with these conflict-stricken communities now more than ever, so the virus does not add more unbearable disaster to the myriad of crises they already face,” said Egeland.
For a second year running Cameroon topped the list as the most neglected crisis on the planet in 2019. Three separate emergencies faced the African nation: an exacerbation of Boko Haram attacks in the north, a violent conflict in the English-speaking west, and a Central African refugee crisis. Ineffective conflict resolution, global news silence and a massive aid funding shortfall all contributed to the country topping this year’s list.
Cameroon was followed by DR Congo, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Venezuela, Mali, South Sudan, Nigeria, Central African Republic and Niger.
The Sahel region of Africa was prominent in this year’s list, with Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria and Niger all embroiled in the extreme violence that engulfed the region, yet with massively underfunded aid appeals. Niger and Burkina Faso appeared on the list for the first time.
The neglected crisis list is based on review of over 40 displacement crises based on three criteria: lack of funding, lack of media attention, and political and diplomatic neglect. Cameroon scored high on all three, followed closely by DR Congo and Burkina Faso, two other crises where a lack of public attention contributed to a lack of funding to run aid operations.
