According to UNHCR, almost one-third of the world’s refugee population lives in Africa. Around 30 million people on the continent are internally displaced, seeking asylum or classified as a refugee. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) published its annual top 10 list of most neglected displacement crises in June 2022 and for the first time the entire list is composed of African countries. The full list in order is DR Congo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, South Sudan, Chad, Mali, Sudan, Nigeria, Burundi, and Ethiopia. The NRC’s list is based on neglect in three particular domains: lack of funding, lack of media attention, and lack of international political and diplomatic initiatives. The recent outpouring of support and resources for individuals from Afghanistan and Ukraine, while very positive, further reflect these inequities.
UNHCR’s data for 2021 of refugees under their mandate show there are more than 7.5 million refugees from 12 African countries, which all have more than 125,000 registered refugees. South Sudan has highest by far (2,362,759), followed by DR Congo (908,401), Sudan (825,290), Somalia (776,678), Central African Republic (737,658), and Eritrea (511,911).