Regional update - Southern Africa Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme 14 September 2021 English Original: English and French Seventy-second session 4-8 October 2021 Update on UNHCR’s operations in southern Africa A. Situational context including new developments Southern Africa is currently home to some 9.7 million persons of concern. This includes almost 6.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), mainly in the Congo (Republic of), the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe;1.1 million refugees and asylum-seekers; and an estimated 2.1 million IDP returnees1. More than two-thirds of those displaced in the region are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with some 962,000 hosted in 20 African countries. The situation is further complicated by the impact of climate change and natural disasters, which have caused loss of life, livelihoods and property, and created setbacks on the path to development. In May 2021, the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano, close to the humanitarian hub of Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, left an estimated 30,000 individuals homeless. The displacement resulting from the eruption happened against a backdrop of an already grave humanitarian situation in North Kivu, where there were nearly 2 million IDPs. As part of the joint United Nations relief efforts, UNHCR is responding to immediate protection and assistance needs, and is working with the authorities to conduct biometric registration. Also in May, fresh outbreaks of fighting in the north-east provinces of Ituri and North Kivu led to the Government declaring an état de siège. UNHCR continues to lead the coordination of the inter-agency regional refugee response plan for the Democratic Republic of the Congo situation. The plan aims to provide protection and assistance to the most vulnerable, bolster livelihood opportunities and support the needs of host populations, and strengthen peaceful coexistence, in line with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). Conflict in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province has escalated since October 2017, forcing more than 732,000 people from their homes as of April 2021. There are reports of widespread human rights abuses, and access to some areas is limited due to insecurity. The escalating violence compounds challenges arising from under-development and climate shocks, and the country is still recovering from tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth in 2019. UNHCR and partners have adapted their humanitarian operations to the COVID-19 context, to address the immediate needs of IDPs and host communities in northern Mozambique and seek durable solutions for refugees in the country. The level-2 emergency announced by UNHCR ended on 19 May. Violence in the Central African Republic following the December 2020 elections led to 213,000 people becoming internally displaced and some 128,500 seeking asylum in several countries, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (73,645) and the Congo (Republic of) (5,803) as of June 2021. Biometric registration is being carried out in both countries in order to facilitate protection and assistance effectively, according to the needs. Southern Africa continues to experience mixed flows of persons fleeing conflict, persecution and natural disasters, combined with economic migrants from over 90 countries. Despite asylum-seekers making up only a small proportion of those crossing borders in the region, many national asylum systems are overwhelmed, causing backlogs in asylum claims and implications for the reception of asylum-seekers. 1 This figure is provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.