World Refugee Day 2016
- SitiTalkBlog
- Jun 21, 2016
- 2 min read
Today, June 20 is World Refugee Day.
Photo Image: Public Domain
As the world recognizes the plight of refuges, the story of 32 year-old Eze Okafor, a Nigerian Boko Haram victim who was deported from Iceland, further highlights the ongoing sufferings of refugees like him around the world.
According to the story by Marie-Helene Carleton & Micah Garen published on www.aljazeera.com, “…Eze Okafor, 32, had been living in Iceland for the last four years, working as a cook in a local restaurant, learning the Icelandic language, building a community…Eze fled Nigera after being targeted by Boko Haram. In 2010, he and his younger brother, Okwy, were attacked in retaliation for not joining the armed group. "They tried to recruit me, but I refused. Members of Boko Haram stormed their house in Maiduguri, Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria. Eze was stabbed in the head and face. Okwy was killed. Soon after, Eze fled Nigeria and made a long and dangerous boat journey to Europe, where in 2011 he sought asylum in Sweden. He told his story and showed his still fresh and infected wounds, including the gash over his eye, which he feared would cost him his eyesight. He was denied asylum and made his way to Iceland. He applied for asylum in Iceland in 2012 but was denied. He has been working with a lawyer, Katrin Theodorsdottir, who then applied for permission for Eze to stay in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, as his case has slowly made its way through the system. Eze said that in October he was given temporary residency and could work…”
After many twists and turns, Eze was deported from Iceland to Sweden where he now remains “in limbo over deportation.” You can read the full story at: www.aljazeera.com.
According to a 2014 global overview report, Nigeria has the highest number persons displaced by conflict, estimated at 3.3 million. This estimate has since grown since 2014.
According to International Medical Corps, “…more than 2.5 million people are displaced by Boko Haram across the four countries of the Lake Chad region…9 million people have been affected by the violence…173,000 Nigerians have fled to Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
Due to the inability of the Nigerian government to provide accurate figures, there is no reliable estimate of the number of people killed so far by Boko haram, although international estimates range from hundreds of thousands to higher.
“Nearly 65 million people are displaced worldwide. Each day thousands more flee their homes.” (UN Refugee Agency)
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