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    On being a refugee in Africa : refugees
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    Abstract:
    The refugee problem in Africa seems to be escalating despite the decrease in the number of refugees as shown in UNHCR statistics. The cross-border movements of refugees, internal displacement, failed reintegration and resettlement of returnees all contribute to this phenomenon. Added to this is the seemingly stagnant refugee protection regime as compared to the changing nature of refugee problems and the changed priorities of the present-day African state.
    Keywords:
    Phenomenon
    Internally displaced person
    Forced migration
    The number of refugees all over the world has steadily increased – reaching around 65.6 million by the end of 2017 – which requires that international laws legalize and institutionalize their existence, define the roles and responsibilities of receiving states, and ensure sufficient humanitarian, social and economic support for vulnerable forcibly displaced people (UNHCR 2017). Yet, receiving states are varied in their legal maneuvers, institutional schemes and polices approaches to handle the sudden inflow of refugees. This article reviews key legal bases for dealing with the influx of Syrian refugees in Jordan. It outlines an institutional framework for managing the sudden influx of refugees by considering the main entities that share the responsibility for managing humanitarian entrants. This paper describes the Jordanian policies used to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis. It also discusses the conditions that led to the formulation of these policies, and triggered the acceptance of the refugee policies in the national framework aimed at alleviating refugees' suffering and softening the repercussions of their entry on host communities.
    Refugee crisis
    Syrian refugees
    Humanitarian Crisis
    Refugees are one of the major problems facing the international community today. Africa today has a refugee population (according to UNHCR statistics) of over 7 million. The causes for the refugee problem in Africa are political, social, economic, and ethnic among others. Once these refugee populations are in the country of asylum, they do not live in isolation but the indigenous people do exist whom they interact with. The broad objective was to establish the socio-cultural and economic effects of refugees on the host community. The theory of Social Change provided the framework within which this work was done, meaning that values and norms of the refugees could have been diffused to and adopted by the host community. The study gave particular emphasis on the Kakuma Refugee Camp between 1992 — 2002. The main concern of the study was to explore how the refugees inclusive of the refugee agencies' interventions impact either negatively or positively on the host community. The refugee problem in Sub — Saharan Africa extensively narrated. Refugee protection issues were tackled in my work and serves as a background to United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR). The study found out that in defining the links between refugee flows and their impact on receiving communities, the proposition is that government repression or persecution, domestic conflicts, or regional wars generate refugees. Refugee problems, however, are not only consequences of conflicts or wars, but increasingly are causal factor sometimes even the primary cause of conflicts as in the case of Kakuma refugee camp.
    Forced migration
    Citations (1)
    Refugees in Africa are forced to flee their homelands because of ongoing conflicts, persecution and humanitarian crises in their countries. Refugees constitute one of Africa's most complex challenges, and in many regions protracted refugee situations (PRSs) have developed. This means that refugees have lived in host countries for more than five years with no immediate prospect of finding a sustainable solution to their situation. The case study of Krisan Refugee Camp explores the perceptions of local Ghanaians, refugees and camp officials in finding sustainable solutions for protracted refugee situations. The study explores why the three traditional approaches to solving protracted refugee situations, namely voluntary repatriation, local integration and third-country settlement, have not been successful in Africa.
    Repatriation
    Settlement (finance)
    Citations (0)
    Forced migration
    Displaced person
    Internally displaced person
    International community
    Citations (0)
    India is one of the largest refugee receiving countries in the world. While the Indian State has been very munificent in its treatment of certain refugee communities, it has not yet formulated a well-defined refugee law specifying norms for treatment of refugees. As a result, different refugee communities have been subjected to varied standards of protection. The judiciary has sought to fill this normative gap by creative interpretation of the Indian Constitution and provisions of international law to offer protection to refugees and asylum seekers. However, the absence of clearly defined statutory standards for refugee protection has held refugees and asylum seekers hostage to inconsistent and arbitrary government policies dictated more by political exigencies than by legal imperatives.
    Refugee Law
    Constitution of India
    Citations (10)
    In response to the increasingly severe issue of global refugees in the new century,the international society has established a series of mechanisms for refugees,and much progress has been made in refugee assistance.However,since there exist remarkable differences among various countries in terms of the law,the common practice,and recognition of sovereignty,and because of the lack of refugee participatory mechanisms,much need to be done before the refugee problem can be solved.The international society should jointly promote the consensus on international cooperation in the global refugee regime
    Citations (0)
    In general, refugee camps are enclosed areas restricted to refugees and those assisting them. These camps are supposed to be temporary, and often lack even very basic social infrastructure and economic development. In many cases, however, they have become permanent homes for refugees, lasting in some cases over ten years. Using empirical evidence from the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana, this article examines the possibility and the practicalities of transforming refugee communities from their initial undeveloped state into more developed and modernised societies. It explores the role of the principal stake‐holders ‐ the refugees, the UNHCR and the host government ‐ in the practical transformation of the refugee community. The article concludes that refugees themselves can be instrumental in any substantial transformation of their communities, and that effective transformation is possible through concerted efforts by the various stake‐holders.
    Citations (14)
    The Covid-19 pandemic severely threatens refugees: Most refugees live in developing countries with poor health care systems, the lockdowns left many refugees without income, border closures prevented forced migrants from their right to seek asylum and anti-refugee sentiment as well as insecurity in refugee settlements increased. Building on past refugee research and reports on refugee-related challenges during the Covid-19 crisis, we explain how bad sanitation, inadequate accommodation, additional restrictions of movement and employment and language barriers increase grievances among refugees and tensions between refugees and host populations. Particularly in large and overcrowded settlements these issues can lead to violent conflict, as we demonstrate with a case study of the Moria refugee camp in Greece. Yet, the impact of Covid-19 on refugees generally lacks politicization, and many governments are reluctant or unable to provide adequate housing and sanitation to refugees. We present policy recommendations for improving refugee protection amidst Covid-19, including not only the prevention of further spread of the virus but also that of insecurity.Die Covid‐19 Pandemie bedroht Flüchtlinge mehrfach: Viele Flüchtlinge leben in Entwicklungsländern mit schlechten Gesundheitssystemen, die Lockdowns verringerten das Einkommen vieler Flüchtlinge, Grenzschliessungen hindern Flüchtlinge an ihrem Recht Asyl zu beantragen, und flüchtlingsfeindliche Stimmung und Unsicherheit in Asylunterkünften haben zugenommen. Basierend auf bestehender Forschung und Berichten über Herausforderungen während der Covid‐19 Krise, erklärt diese Research Note wie schlechte sanitäre Versorgung, mangelhafte Unterkünfte, zusätzliche Einschränkungen der Bewegungsfreiheit und Arbeitsmöglichkeiten sowie Sprachprobleme, Unzufriedenheit bei Flüchtlingen und Spannungen zwischen Flüchtlingen und der lokalen Bevölkerung erhöhen. Besonders in grossen und überbevölkerten Unterkünften können diese Probleme zu gewaltsamen Konflikten führen, wie mit einer Fallstudie des Flüchtlingslagers Moria in Griechenland aufgezeigt wird. Jedoch ist der Einfluss der Covid‐19 Krise auf Flüchtlinge wenig politisiert: Viele Regierungen wollen oder können den Flüchtlingen keine angemessenen Unterkünfte und sanitären Anlagen zur Verfügung stellen. Diese Research Note präsentiert Politikempfehlungen für die Verbesserung des Schutzes der Flüchtlinge währen der Covid‐19 Krise, welche nicht nur die Vermeidung der weiteren Ausbreitung des Viruses, sondern auch die Eindämmung von Unsicherheit beinhaltet.La pandémie du Covid‐19 représente une forte menace pour les réfugiés: la majorité vit dans des pays en voie de développement possédant des systèmes de santé lacunaires. Le confinement a laissé beaucoup d’entre eux sans revenus et la fermeture des frontières les prive de leur droit d’asile. L’hostilité à leur égard et la précarité dans les camps ont également augmenté. Sur la base d’études existantes ainsi que de rapports relatant les défis auxquels les réfugiés font face durant la crise du Covid‐19, nous expliquons à quel point la mauvaise situation sanitaire, les logements inadéquats, les restrictions de mouvement et d’emploi supplémentaires ainsi que la barrière des langues augmentent les tensions entre les réfugiés ainsi que celles des populations d’accueil envers ces derniers. Particuliérement flagrante dans les grands camps surpeuplés, cette problématique peut être à l’origine de conflits violents, à l’exemple de l’étude menée dans le camp de Moria en Grèce. Pourtant, l’impact du Covid‐19 sur les réfugiés n’est que peu politisé, beaucoup de gouvernements étant peu enclins ou tout simplement pas en mesure de fournir des logements et des infrastructures sanitaires adéquates aux réfugiés. Nous présentons ici des recommandations ayant pour but d’augmenter la protection des réfugiés face au Covid‐19 et incluant des mesures visant à prévenir la propagation du virus ainsi que de l’insécurité.
    Pandemic
    Human settlement
    Forced migration
    Refugee crisis
    Humanitarian Crisis
    Citations (18)