Insurgency: UNHCR, ECOWAS Court Agree to Protect Right of IDPs, Refugees

Following the increasing plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs ) and refugees as a result of insurgency in Nigeria and other West African nations, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice have entered into agreement to protect the rights of IDPs, refugees, asylum-seekers, returnees, stateless persons and other vulnerable persons at risk of statelessness in some part of West Africa.

According to UNHCR estimates, as at April 2015, about 1.5 million persons are internally displaced while 2,095 are refugees and asylum seekers in Nigeria.

This was made known at the signing ceremony on the rights of IDPs and refugees in Abuja yesterday.

UNHCR Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Angele Dikongue-Atangan, explained that the partnership was coming at a critical time in the sub-region where additional efforts are needed to improve the legal protection environment for persons of concern and ensure the full respect of their rights.

She said: “Partnership will allow UNHCR and the ECOWAS court to work together to ensure proper interpretation and application of relevant international, regional and national legal and policy instruments.”

Atangan stressed that the agreement details that in the area of training and capacity building, the ECOWAS court judges and staff will be trained in international and regional laws relating to persons of concern, while UNHCR staff will be trained on the mandate of the court, relevant jurisprudence a d court procedures.

Also, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, Dr Fatimata Dia Sow, said part of the agreement is the training of lawyers in the region who would ensure that cases are brought before the ECOWAS community court on behalf of refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons and IDPs.

Also, the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, Chijioke Nweke reiterated the commitment to ensure quick dispensation of justice and imploring aggrieved person to seek justice through to the court, as the court will not go out to sick for victims.

Justice Nweke further stated: “We envisage a region where all people of concern have access to timely and fair status procedures without fear of expulsion or punishment.”