A hundred refugees have so far attended the TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stage matches across the different centres.
The TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 kicked off last Sunday with the match between Cameroon and Burkina Faso in the magnificent lair of Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé and among the guests at this prestigious event, were refugees from the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Rwanda.
They took their places in the stands, vibrating to the rhythm of the spectacle offered by the teams on the lawn.
The moment of communion was captured by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) officers also present for the opening ceremony and the other scheduled matches.
The day before the opening, some of the refugees played a football match.
The initiative of UNHCR is supported by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which makes a point of bringing joy and hope to communities and vulnerable people.
UNHCR’s primary mission is to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee.
The agency works alongside its partners and communities to ensure that everyone has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in other countries. UNHCR also strives to secure lasting solutions.
Some refugees, in large numbers, witnessed Nigeria vs Egypt game played in Garoua on Tuesday night.
