The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has revealed that five African countries led by Ethiopia and Kenya are among the world’s top-10 refugee hosting nations.
The UNHCR in a report released in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, also revealed that the total number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in sub-Saharan Africa was 18.4 million in 2015.
The report was released on Monday as the world marked the World Refugee Day.
The UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report, which tracks forced displacements worldwide, shows that sub-Saharan Africa recorded the third highest number of displacements in 2015 after the Middle East and North Africa.
“Continuing bitter conflict in South Sudan in 2015, as well as in Central African Republic and Somalia, plus new or continuing mass displacement in or from countries including Nigeria, Burundi, Sudan, DR Congo, Mozambique and elsewhere together produced 18.4 million refugees and IDPs as of year’s end,” UNHCR said.
The report also says that sub-Saharan Africa currently hosts around 4.4 million refugees, more than any other region in the world.
