The Regional Office in Senegal covers UNHCR’s operations in Benin, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Operational context
West Africa continues to face waves of instability coupled with a rise in terrorist activities and attacks which have had a serious impact on security. UNHCR continued to respond to the humanitarian crises in Nigeria and Mali, which have caused displacement both internally and outside of these countries.
The majority of protracted refugees are de facto integrated into the host communities, living in the same conditions and facing many of the same challenges as the local populations. However, most of them do not have any legal alternative to their refugee status.
Although most countries of asylum offer a path to naturalization enshrined in their law, the implementation is often challenging. Administrative procedures for naturalization are often cumbersome, expensive and include numerous requirements. Moreover, some countries of asylum are reluctant to grant naturalization due to the perception that this may increase insecurity, violence and crime. Furthermore, there is fear that naturalization will create an economic burden.
For refugees who are citizens of ECOWAS Member States, some countries consider the ECOWAS provisions for freedom of movement and access to the labor market for ECOWAS citizens to be sufficient for their local integration, even though the provisions lack adequate safeguards to constitute a durable solution. Nevertheless, Guinea Bissau has recently officially signed an agreement to offer naturalization to all protracted refugees on its territory.
Lack of civil documentation remains one of the biggest protection challenges in this region. Civil registration, including birth registration, coverage is very low. At least 30 per cent of the population in the region is estimated to lack documentation proving their identity or nationality.
Population trends
- Some 37,000 refugees remained in a protracted situation in Benin, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Key achievements
- The first ever UNHCR solar-powered mobile registrations were successfully tested in Guinea Bissau and Senegal.
- In Gambia, the Government facilitated local integration of refugees by increasing the validity/duration of the residence permit from 1 year to 5 years.
- In Sierra Leone, 14 families (60 individuals) composed of exempted Liberians and refugees of other nationalities (Ivorian, Sudanese, and Malian) opted for local integration. Furthermore, the local integration package was reviewed and amended in order to make it more attractive for refugees.
- In December 2017, the Government of Guinea Bissau signed an official protocol for local integration of refugees in a protracted situation, with a commitment to naturalize approximately 7, 000 refugees. The Government also reduced individual naturalization fees by 83 per cent.
- In Senegal, 5 applicants, out of the 165 naturalization applications completed and submitted to the relevant authorities in 2017, were issued with certificates of nationality. These were mainly Mauritanian refugee spouses of Senegalese citizens.
- The Government of Senegal agreed to issue birth attestations to Mauritanian refugees who do not have birth certificates in order to facilitate their legal local integration process.
- UNHCR continued to explore and promote the use of cash-based interventions (CBI) in West Africa. As a result, the Guinea operation started to use CBIs in September 2017, while Togo operation started the delivery of cash grants in December 2017
Unmet needs
- The reduction in resettlement quotas by the United States of America, the main resettlement partner in the region, left many vulnerable refugees without a durable solutions.
- Reduced funding negatively impacted the ability to conduct adequate livelihood programs in most of the countries under RO Dakar purview.
- Local integration through long-term permits or naturalization needs adequate resources which are normally not available.