Sierra Leone

The Multi-country Office (MCO) Senegal is based in Dakar. It is responsible for operations in Sierra Leone, Benin, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Togo, The Gambia, Cabo Verde, and Senegal. There are National UNHCR Offices in Togo, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau.

The Government, through the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), assumed full responsibility of refugee protection from April 2022. By May 2022, UNHCR, the Government, and NaCSA, together with refugee leaders and relevant line ministries, defined a strategy and revised the partnership that finalized solutions for the remaining refugees. The revised partnership aimed for and supported two main objectives:

• issuing of legal documents like passports, birth certificates and residence permits for the remaining refugees who opted for local integration
• supporting “Tenki Salon” projects focusing on strengthening local resilience and locally available services and conditions, as agreed with the Government and the host communities.

Despite the national government taking full responsibility over forced displacement, Sierra Leone's asylum system has not been without its challenges, including a lack of resources, limited infrastructure and the need to strengthen institutional capacities. The country has also been identified as a a transit point for people who are on their way to North Africa or Europe.