The Roman Catholic Bishop of Niamey, Monsignor Guy Romano, has given a group of refugees until 17 August to leave the city’s cathedral, which they have been occupying for the past two weeks, or face expulsion by government forces, a humanitarian source told IRIN on Wednesday.
Some 200 African refugees have refused to leave the cathedral until their requests for asylum are reviewed quickly, the Missionary News Agency, MISNA, reported on Tuesday.
The refugees, most of whom come from Cameroon, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have refused offers by the UNHCR to move to a school where they would be fed and cared for.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
Share this article