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UN / BURKINA FASO REFUGEES
STORY: UN / BURKINA FASO REFUGEES
TRT: 03:17
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 22 FEBRUARY 2023, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations
22 FEBRUARY 2023, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, speakers at podium, briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Millicent Mutuli, Director, UN High Commissioner for Refugees' Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa:
“We do have a growing concern for the number of people fleeing to coastal countries to escape crisis in Burkina Faso. These numbers have risen quite significantly in the last several weeks. We have seen a marked increase in the number of people arriving in Cote d'Ivoire, in Ghana, in Benin, and also in Togo. That is also the four countries bordering Burkina Faso southern border, and they are fleeing due to security incidents in their villages close to these borders.”
4. Wide shot, briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Millicent Mutuli, Director, UN High Commissioner for Refugees' Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa:
“These four countries have now recorded in total, some 23,000 arrivals from Burkina Faso, and UNHCR is right now supporting governments to register the new arrivals and to confirm the numbers. In some instances, some of these numbers are likely to go up.”
6. Close up, journalist asking question
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Millicent Mutuli, Director, UN High Commissioner for Refugees' Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa:
“The influx that we're seeing into the coastal countries is in addition to some 70,000 refugees from Burkina Faso, who have sought asylum in neighboring Niger and also in Mali, with a majority of those numbers having gone into Mali itself.”
8. Close up, journalist asking question
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Millicent Mutuli, Director, UN High Commissioner for Refugees' Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa:
“Overall, we now have over 90,000 refugees and asylum seekers in six countries neighboring Burkina Faso, and this really is in the last several months. It is definitely in addition to an estimated 1.9 million people who are displaced inside Burkina Faso and some of those crossing the border today into the countries – what we're calling the coastal countries – are people who have been displaced inside their inside Burkina Faso and are now leaving to go into the neighboring countries.”
10. Close up, journalist asking question
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Millicent Mutuli, Director, UN High Commissioner for Refugees' Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa:
“We remain worried that the number of people fleeing to the coastal countries will very likely rise due to the very difficult humanitarian situation inside Burkina Faso itself. In many locations in Burkina Faso today, it is very difficult for aid agencies to reach communities, it is difficult for communities themselves to also access aid. And with this sort of situation, we fear that we're going to see more numbers of people coming across the borders to seek asylum.”
12. Close up, journalist asking question
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Millicent Mutuli, Director, UN High Commissioner for Refugees' Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa:
“Overall, we are calling for support to governments in the coastal countries. They will need a support, not just them but also UNHCR and partners, so that we are ready to respond as necessary.”
14. Wide shot, speakers at podium, briefing room
The Director of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, Millicent Mutuli, said today that the agency has “a growing concern for the number of people fleeing to coastal countries to escape crisis in Burkina Faso.”
Speaking to journalists in New York on Wednesday (22 Feb), Mutuli said that “these numbers have risen quite significantly in the last several weeks”, with a marked increase in the number of people arriving in Cote d'Ivoire, in Ghana, in Benin, and also in Togo.
According to the UNHCR Director, these people “are fleeing due to security incidents in their villages close to these borders.”
These four countries have now recorded in total, some 23,000 arrivals from Burkina Faso, and UNHCR is supporting governments to register the new arrivals and to confirm the numbers. According to Mutuli , “in some instances, some of these numbers are likely to go up.”
Thus influx is in addition to some 70,000 refugees from Burkina Faso who have sought asylum in neighboring Niger and also in Mali.
Overall, there are now over 90,000 refugees and asylum seekers in six countries neighboring Burkina Faso in the last several months.
The UNHCR official informed that these numbers are “in addition to an estimated 1.9 million people who are displaced inside Burkina Faso” and some of those crossing the border today are people who have been displaced inside their country.
Mutuli added, “We remain worried that the number of people fleeing to the coastal countries will very likely rise due to the very difficult humanitarian situation inside Burkina Faso itself.”
According to the UNHCR Director, “in many locations in Burkina Faso today, it is very difficult for aid agencies to reach communities, it is difficult for communities themselves to also access aid.”
Overall, she said the agency is calling for support to governments in the coastal countries but also UNHCR and partners, so that they are “ready to respond as necessary.”
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