SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: TRENDS IN REFUGEE MIGRATION

Created: 4/1/1992

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends in Refugee Migration P

A Restate* Paper

r

S6S

sub-saharan africa: trends in refugee migration! i

0R6

Siib-Saruiraain

civil war. and ethnic violence have driven Suc-Sakaran Africa's refugee coun by the end1 toillion, nearly one-third of Ihe world's refur.ee total. Urge refugee flows and lbc need for receiving countries Io support refugee* in remote and generally barren areas have contributed to turmoil -cron vast regions. We believe several criiicat humanitarian crises will cotiinuc2 and into neii year:

illion Ethiopians. Sudanese, and Somite are currently refugees. Although the end of Ihe Ethiopian civil wr has setscene for repatriation, wc believe ongoing conflict in Sudan and Somalia will keep the region in turmoil, generating new refugees.

Civil war in Uberia caused ihe sudden move ofibenan refugees into Guinea.one, Ivory Coasi, and other neigfaborini countnes. Mats repatriation will probably be delayed, in our judgment, until combatant* arc disarmed and relief goods for repatriate* are available throughout Liberia.

Moiambiauc's neighbors arcillion Mc-mbkaa refugees from the devastation ofyear-old civil war. wiih moref them in Malawi. We believe few refugees wDl returnease-fire is signed and international agencies can guarantee ssibtanee and safety ai borne, conditions lhat probably wlit not be met over ibe coming year

wandans, mostly Tutsis. arc refugees in Uganda, Burundi, Tanrania. and Zaire, andorundian Hutu, are refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda. Continuing ethnic conflict will probably deter large-scale return of refugees this year, although we believe preparations by international agencies for future rcpatruttM will continue. I

Moreover, new refugee flow* are likelyesult of deepening drought orreakdown of civil order, such as ihe recent Flight of Zairions into Uganda when insecure_ condition* and hunger threatened iheir lives in esstern Zaire P

the number of African refugees ii daunting and repatriation unlikely for meet in ihe short term, chances are good thai some tong-sianding refugee populations will be repatriated this year. Tbe repatriation of Sornb African wile* will probably be completed tho year, and we expeel

Il I,

AlA moan

ii'.'

many Aigobn refugees-there arcn Zaire aodin Zamfca-to repatriate as well. Repatriation will not redoceburden (or ihe international community, however, aswill probably be costly and bring new challenges to bothand the home

Donors and relief agencies warn that internally displaced people WUnM| adequate caro-destit-te migrantsountry-also are potential refugees and, to fact, often cross international borders to find food and safety, thereby swelling officially recognized refugee populations Relief experts estimate thai the number of such displaced Africans probably equals or surpasses the sue of the continents refugee populaiionj. For instance, ai the cod of the Ethiopian conflict, victorious Eritrean rebels cupelled from Eritrea several hundred thousand en-soldiers, their families, and former government officials and left them without food, water, or shelter. There arcillion displaced people in Sudan,illion inillion In Mozambique, and hundreds of thousands in Sierra Leone and Angola. Unlike tbe attention tivenhere is no established mteroaUonal assistance network to support displaced persons and governments are oftea more interested in covering up the proNcm than in askmg for emergency assistance for homeless and hungry citizens within their own borders. Neverlheleu. many relief agencies are startins to provide some displaced populations with wme of the same aid that refugees

Humaniu.rian refugee assistance will become more costly and complex over the neat year. Prolonged refugee situations and increasing repatriatMo

requirements ore already taxing the resources of rcl id agencies and governments, and newas care for displaced persons local populations in refugee-affectcd areas, and vulnerable groups withi. refugeeequire additional resources. Indeed, relief official* are beginning to add the cost of assisting local people in rcfugee-alTecied areas to refugee program budgets.hat local people often provide rerugeesat least mitial care and shelter. Donors will also te asked to increase funding of special programs for refugee -omen and childrcn-often the viciin of brutality, abuse, or neglect in refugee settings-such as separate and secure shelter in the camps, supplemental food bejond the customary rauon. and some education and vocational training. I

We believe: that Africa's refugee populations will continue to demand vast outlays of funding from donors, especially ihe United States.ratKm*onsequence of ongoing conflicts in Mozambique. Liberia, and Somalia are likely to continue. At the same time, financing will be needed for repatriations to Angola and South Africa, where conflicts

diminished or been rewired. The international donor community, relit/ organisations, and the governments of affected countries will probably look to the Unitedlargest donor to international refugee programs,1 contributions of food and morencrease funding for humanitarian programs. Washington's leading role in the donor community also will keep it in the forefront of telling assistance priorities so thai bc-lier organized and sustainable refugee programs can be developed. I

n

i

Scop*Research Paper examines key refugee problems in Sub-Saharan

Africa and the progress toward their resolution. The paper concentrates on regional, large-scale refugee flows and on refugee-related issues, such as displaced persons, refugee-affected communities, and the specufctedof refugee women and children!

Jrviott in forma rioo, however, remains inconsistent and fragment-"

ecTand only rarely it available to record the Initial stages of sudden, unexpected refugee Bows. Moreover, both receiving and sending countries often consider the condition and treatment or refugees, as well as their repatriation and reseitlement, to be politically sensitive.esult, they often prohibit access to refugee relief groups and constrain rcporilrm by diplomats and humanitarian agencies. Given the frequent desire of African gowrnmenls to avoid inttmatronal publicily for the condition of ibeir own aniens, as well as their frequent effects lo deny outsiders knowledge ofinternal crises, uaiistics for displaced persons and refugee-affected local populations arc someiimet even more fragmentary aad difficult to collect, n

in 3

Sub-Saharan Africa: Trend. In Refugee Migration

Civilsemeurws ihe dileuli Uanvfiion lo peace following civil tear -at *eJI as tlhnicrecurring drought, and the ihrei! ol famine have generateduge refugee populaiion. not* ai an historical high ofillion andoil apirallng number of refugees in Afiica Iidemands on ihe resources o'ratemaiional donori and haminiurian agencies lhai are trying toorldwide refugee population of0tlkon. double the number ofean ago Hmnanl-laiian aid ii focused on security, food, shelter, and eventual repatriation for tome refugees, such as those returning to South Africa and Angoljefugee sitcaiioasre eomplea, ho. maniiarian agendo have begun to assist persons displaced -ilhin ibeir own counlries -whose numbers may equal ihose oladversely ancctcd local populeUou in refugee settlement areas: until 'eccatly. boib categories have been largely ignored.

nilaon Morambicus have sought refuge in neighboring countries since ibe rod-lvBOs. aboutwandans and Bvundians are re/agees in Ihe region whileO Soull African <uta aid hundreds of thousands of Angolans sheltered in sur-rounding countries are seeling retain to IheirNew refugee tows asa result of Civil inresl ce hu*ger could abo occur. Fee insurer. Zaire's pofiiici) crisis ledreakdown of government control in eastern province* ord the flighi0 Zairian refugees to Ugandan border villages this year. Refugees cited increased banditry and harassment from ill-disciplined irece* is reasons tor leaving iheir homes (set ipptndixU I

Major Refute* Pri**rm

We believe that Sub-Saharan Africa's mosi pressing refugee problems are row in ihe Horn. Liberia. Meosmbiuue, Ruuda.and Burundi. While ihe cause und site of refugeeary, nearly all haveseries difficulties in both sending aadcountries. Not only has the sire of refugeeincreased substantially in rtccni yean ihey save also become mulii nit tonal. In tbe area of Ihe Here, for insiunce, Kihopran refugees have Did io Sudan, Somulin. bjibouii, and Kenya at the sumo lime thai hlhxrpia Usaven for Sudanese and Somali refugees: Sudanese refugees lave alto crossed into Kenyu and Zaire, and Somali) have entered Kenra und Dilbouti. In West Africa, the flight of Liboriunne of the continent*Urgest and rosiestit. pUnccd ils neighbors Intoa moms of hntrunluriana ihe south, mere

none

when the rcbeli accused the Rwandan Government of Hallmg reconciliation talks andfcghiiof, iBtanatiofal interestcglOcaLyee SChlkm remains Ugh, and UNf ICR has began planning for rcoairietton -beo peace i* fenofcd.r j

Meanwhile. Burardl is uying lo ropatriatcCO Strong Hutu refugee population and it seeking rtnan-cial tappoil from Weiieu doom for the rmrrtecs. Althoueb anutu refugees were repatriated from Tanzania. Rwanda, end Zaireccordiog toewoutbrerik of ethnic violerce u>: between Hulu esitemius and got rnaKnt forces caused0 Hutu* to fleenda and Zaire and significantly slowed ihe rtlura refugee fiowj^

and BaraaA

A reiurgcne* of eihnk conflict over tbe pasteiween the miiority Hulu cihnic gioupind less numerous iro-.li traditionally dominant Tuuis hat eo-iCd an upsurge in regional Instability and large-tcalc refugee fliglii. Aa inmMn of Rwaxd* byOO armed Rwandan refugees from Lgan-rla0 ee-iperonded (he problem* already aitoc -uied -Hb aawodau. moid, Tunis, who -re self billed rtf,*ew la Uganda.Tanzania, andurint-dUn Huius iaada. and

"olillaterjlolution it> re/ogee problems in the region culminated when (ke heads ofol Rwanda. Burundi. Uganda, andrd ihr Prime Mi.tticr of Zaire met inthe rim lime itut too leaden of African counlries airtcled by relueec problems hid sought jointly lo roolvt Iheir difficullie* They calledeaic-lire in ihr guerrilla oarrerojujvite for either refugee renal rutio. or integration imo asylum countries. Al-thougi progress toward peaceetback in

Tlxof UM nfad law tin, l,aniut olu ,k

' OSiftHtM

i r-^i

Appendix

Sub-Saharan Africa: Lstlmattd Numbers of Refugee* b> Asylum founds and Cousin of Oriein.1

Fsiim.tirw RcfaiMf

Reliable estimate) of Ihe number of refugees in Africa arc dtflkoh to formulaic. Tbe UN High Commissioner (or Refugees (UNHCRL unolly inost governments, provides refugee estimate Uul are most often used by the irtterratkm-al and donor cccrminiiy. Nevertheless, the chaotic conditions surrounding relugee movemcfit^ lbc puliti-cal and croaornic tcntiiiviites weigrHng on bothsending and receiving countries, and the reed of donor countries to Justify levels of relit/ aid often procipitaie aharp disagreements between the eitinuies and the perceitd -Hue" numbers. i i

Refugee numbers can change rapidfy asinda.es occur or as refugees slip away from camps to return home or integrate into local populaiions. Theseenis arc rarely documented amid Iht turmoil char-icieriaiie of refigcc concentrations- When complete or partial head counti are micetler time, it 4

seldom possible to account for changes owingdeaths, or movement* in Ihe earlierthereby casting doubt on both setsOtherarac whenrefugee, using signlecantly diftVesttroublesome arel,iQgof illegal aliens, many of whom oTie*thcrnsehej reJugee* bul lev- of whomsought Brrlum. AgenWs report wilhand accuracy ihe numbers for whom aidgiving Mimics of actual recipientsrefugees. Here loo. however,from ike refugees Ibeenscht* orlocal officMls-who liter sell nipbu rat^iihe

t.jiomSu ai*it us DmriiMK d. weiy of us .rd iw.inMl inrositlkci ih* tenDteiwUi iffi. in

mow muum.woe an mem Motto by tic

ihe US rtCR.

Sub-Saharan Africa Refugr* m

Luunicd Kinkn

At toi>

fhiiv.m.

Zaire

Satu Af/ki

Tgg, Oad

CkhcKiiaim

Smrt ajrini

Unaiumo

M ti

IJfl

tl"

114

iH JM

F

IB 3

Mm

Original document.

---

---