SITUATION REPORT: REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE'S IN AFRICA. Jenny Clover, 2002

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1 SITUATION REPORT: REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE'S IN AFRICA Jenny Clover, 2002 Technically the term Refugees refers to those who have been displaced across the border of their home States, while Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) refers to those who have been displaced within their country of origin. IDPs endure similar circumstances but lack legal protection. Definitions legal and policy implications Who is a refugee? According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country. By definition, cannot benefit from the protection of their own government. A person is a refugee whether or not a legal eligibility procedure has already recognized that status. In its Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status the UNHCR outlines the policy guidelines for the determination of refugee status. Who is an Internally Displaced Person? Internally displaced persons are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violations of human rights or natural or humanmade disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border. This is the definition given in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, drawn up by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in The Guiding Principles constitute a non-binding, but influential document, that sets forth the rights of IDPs and that the obligations of governments and insurgent forces in all phases of displacement. Complex emergency this term refers to the need for food and non-food aid to and IDPs affected by the combination of conflict, drought and economic decline. Refugees and IDP s in Africa: 2000/01 The OAU Co-ordinating Committee on Assistance and Protection of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons estimated in mid-2001 that there were some 21 million internally displaced people and 5 million in Africa. Of the 22m people worldwide that the UNHCR cares for, some 28% are in Africa. Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR, end-2000 Region Refugees Asylum seekers Returned Others of concern Internally Returned displaced IDP's Various TOTAL POP. OF CONCERN

2 WORLD 12,148, , ,104 5,265, ,055 1,653,892 21,125,960 AFRICA 3,421,399 78, ,361 1,112, , ,104,943 Central & West 851,540 12,800 86, , ,361-1,574,926 Africa East & Horn 2,261,319 45, , , ,935,251 Southern Africa 308,540 19,788 8, , ,766 At the end of 2000, Asia the largest refugee population (45%), followed by Africa (30%), Europe (19%), North America (5%), and the Caribbean (0.3%). According to the UN, countries that are classified as least developed host some 80% of African, most host countries having over-stretched their inadequate resources. Women comprise about half of the population of concern to the UNHCR Refugee children under the age of 18 constitute 56% of all in Africa. In the following countries of asylum, refugee children constitute over 60% of : Angola, Togo, Guinea, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan and the DRC. IDPs now outnumber around the world, and although their humanitarian needs are often just as compelling, providing protection is complicated by issues such as sovereignty. Humanitarian assistance required world wide in complex emergencies ª during 2001 Affected country/region Financial requirements, US$ Targeted beneficiaries TOTAL 2,783,648,474 44,168,854 ASIA, EUROPE & COMMONWEALTH INDEP. STATES 1,195,323,428 20,930,000 Afghanistan 253,912,488 10,430,000 Korea (DPR) 386,339,454 7,500,000 AFRICA 1,588,325,046 23,238,854 Ethiopia 203,338 6,800,000 Sudan 244,633,343 4,000,000 DRC 139,464,893 2,487,000 Sierra Leone 82,390,853 2,000,000 Angola 227,472,828 1,900,000 Burundi 61,279,978 1,462,000 Eritrea 157,540,306 1,061,854 Uganda 76,762,503 1,200,000 Congo 34,142, ,000 Tanzania 40,266, ,000 SOURCE: Mid-Year Review Of The 2001 United Nations Consolidated Appeals Process. Countries with the most Internally Displaced People: November 2000 March 2001 SUDAN 4,000,000 ANGOLA 3,800,000

3 DRC 1,800,000 SIERRA LEONE 1,300,000 UGANDA 610,000 RWANDA * 600,000 BURUNDI 580,000 SOMALIA 350,000 ETHIOPIA 350,000 ERITREA 208,000 MAIN REFUGEE-HOSTING COUNTRIES January June 2001 TANZANIA * 900,000 GUINEA 502,000 SUDAN 415,000 DRC 330,000 BURUNDI 318,000 ZAMBIA 260,000 KENYA 220,000 * Includes 560,000 unassisted Burundi living in settlements and Tanzanian villages. At least 200,000 Burundians have been in Tanzania since the 1970s. * Includes 560,000 unassisted Burundi living in settlements and Tanzanian villages. At least 200,000 Burundians have been in Tanzania since the 1970s. MAIN REFUGEE POPULATIONS BY OF ORIGIN January June 2001 BURUNDI * 577,00 SIERRA LEONE 500,000 SUDAN 468,000 ANGOLA 430,000 SOMALIA 425,000 ETHIOPIA 206,000 ERITREA 177,000 * Does not include 200,000 Burundi who have been in Tanzania since the 1970s and who are not assisted by UNHCR.

4 * Does not include 200,000 Burundi who have been in Tanzania since the 1970s and who are not assisted by UNHCR. Regional overview, East and Horn of Africa At the beginning of 2001 this region of seven countries was hosting over 1.5 and 4.2 IDPs. The main causes were fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea, continuing violence in southern Somalia and Sudan, and severe droughts in parts of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Somalia. During the first half of 2001 the situation in Sudan deteriorated significantly because of drought and continued insecurity. The situation in Somalia remains precarious. The December 2000 ceasefire between Eritrea and Ethiopia has resulted in the return of many and IDPs affected by the war. EAST AND HORN OF AFRICA Refugees & IDPs (Jan.-June 2001) POPULATION OF HOST (1999) IDPS CHANG E IN SITUATI ON OVER THE PAST SIX MONTH S Djibouti ,600 - Stable Eritrea , ,000 Improved Ethiopia , ,000 Improved Kenya ,610 * 100,000 Stable Somalia , ,000 Deteriorated Sudan ,800 4,000,000 Deteriorated Uganda , ,000 Stable Great Lakes With the exception of Tanzania, the countries of the Great Lakes have all at some point since the beginning of the 1960s been at the epicentre of sporadic, but violent, conflict. Rwanda and Burundi have both witnessed internal wars in which the slaughter has occasionally reached genocidal proportions. Eastern Congo, formerly Zaire, and in particular north and south Kivu have long been regions of contention as internal forces aided by foreigners fight for control of mineral and agricultural resources. The dynamics of interaction between the series of resultant refugee flows and subsequent eruptions of conflict, especially during 1996, are widely acknowledged. At the beginning of 2000 Burundi experienced some return to relative stability, and in the DRC the death of President Laurent Kabila and the subsequent movement on the ceasefire process, together with intense diplomatic activity to address the Burundian impasse led to expressions of hope that the cycle of violence may be brought to an end. The continuing peace process in DRC has opened up previously inaccessible areas of the country, although the eastern regions remains very insecure, and the needs of the affected populations remain very high. However, the escalation of fighting in Burundi in mid-2001 again resulted in many people crossing into Tanzania.

5 The conflicts in Angola, Uganda and Sudan have also led to refugee outflows affecting the countries of the Great Lakes region, which hosts 72% of in the SADC region. GREAT LAKES Refugees & IDPs (as at mid-2001) POPULATION OF HOST IDPs CHANGE IN SITUATI ON OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS DR Congo ,000 1,800,000 Stable Burundi ,000 Deteriorat ed Rwanda ,000 * 600,000 Stable Tanzania ,000 - Improved Congo Republic , ,000 Stable West and Central Africa This sub-region comprises 21 countries. Ten years ago West Africa was host to some 20,000, and a negligible number of internally displaced persons. Today there are more that 500,000 and 670,00 IDPs, mostly victims of the conflict in the subregion, most especially from the Mano River Union countries - Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone. Of the population of 15m, in these three countries 1.1m are either or IDPs. The conflicts in the DRCongo and the Republic of Congo have also resulted in a steady influx of into countries to their north. WEST and CENTRAL AFRICA Refugees & IDPs (as at mid-2001) POPULATION OF HOST IDPS CHANG E IN SITUAT ION OVER THE PAST SIX MONTH S Benin 6.1 4,300 - Stable Central African Rep ,000 60,000 Improved Cote d Ivoire Stable Gabon ,500 - Stable

6 Gambia ,800 - Stable Ghana ,000 - Stable Guinea , ,000 Worsen ed Liberia , ,000 Worsened Mali ,300 - Stable Nigeria ,900 - Stable Senegal , Stable Sierra Leone 4.9 6,000 1,340,000 Worsen ed Togo ,400 - Stable Southern Africa For the past 5 years, the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has threatened the stability of the region as a whole, drawing many of its states directly or indirectly into the conflict. Angola s long-standing civil war also continues to have a serious impact on population movements. In August 2001 the UNHCR said that the refugee population in Southern Africa was on the increase, having increased by 7.8% over the first six months of 2001 to reach 345,720. The upward trend is mainly due to the protracted conflicts in Angola, the DRC and Burundi. Zambia which is home to 260,000, has borne the brunt of the crisis. During the first six month of 2001 alone, Zambia 17,900 new DRC and 9,100 Angolans. During the same period the number of in Zimbabwe more than doubled to 8,416, while Mozambique had an 85% increased to 4,216, and Malawi 23% to 4,810. SOUTHERN AFRICA Refugees & IDPs (as at mid-2001) POPULATI ON OF HOST IDPs CHANGE IN SITUATION OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS Angola ,800,000 Worsened Zambia ,000 - Stable/ Namibia ,635 - Improved Zimbabwe 7.0 8,416 - Stable/ Malawi ,810 - Stable Mozambique ,216 - Stable North Africa The long-standing territorial dispute over the Western Sahara has resulted in refugee

7 movements into Algeria, Mauritania and other countries, while ongoing political turmoil in Algeria since 1992 has resulted in hundred of thousands of Algerians being forced to flee armed attacks, massacres and large-scale human rights abuses. North Africa in general is a principal transit point for migratory movements.