December 26, 2022

A hundred million people were forced to leave their homes in 2022. The UN continued to help those in need in a myriad of ways, and push for more legal, and safe ways for people to migrate.   The 100 million figure, which includes those fleeing conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution, was announced by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in May and described by Filippo Grandi, the head of the agency, as “a record that should never have been set”.   The figure is up from some 90 million in 2021. Outbreaks of violence, or protracted conflicts, were

UNITED NATIONS— The United Nations intends to continue to engage with the Burkina Faso government after a senior UN official was declared as “persona non grata” by the authorities of the West African country, a UN spokesman said.   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has “learned with regret” that the transitional government of Burkina Faso declared Barbara Manzi, UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in the country, as “persona non grata,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, said in a statement.   The Burkina Faso government on Friday made the declaration and asked Manzi to leave the country immediately.  

Two Gambian military officers linked to an alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Adama Barrow have been arrested over the weekend, Gambia’s government spokesperson said Monday. The government said Dec. 21 that a group of soldiers had been arrested in connection with an attempt to stage a coup in the tiny West African nation of 2.5 million people, which is almost surrounded by Senegal. “Two more soldiers linked to the alleged foiled coup plot were arrested over the weekend and are helping investigators unearth allegations of plans to overthrow the government,” Ebrima Sankareh, the government’s spokesperson said in