African refugees neglected as crises deepen

African refugees neglected as crises deepen

World Refugee Day is a reminder that Africa and the world cannot peacefully maintain the current pace of displacement.

As of May, 120 million people had been forcibly displaced around the world this year – up from 35.8 million in 2012, according to the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) annual global trends report. Most (75.9 million) are internally displaced people.

Political unrest and violence, conflict, climate change and natural disasters are worsening and increasingly triggering crises of unprecedented scale and complexity.

For years, the Institute for Security Studies has warned that the number of African refugees is growing at an unsustainable rate, while durable solutions and humanitarian aid continue to dwindle. Many protracted African crises are chronically underestimated, underfunded and undertreated, regardless of their severity. Extremism, political instability, violence and human suffering thrive in neglect. The world’s responsibility for African refugees goes beyond humanitarian goodwill; peace and development depend on it.

Around 37% (45.9 million) of forcibly displaced people are in Africa, including around 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers, 35 million internally displaced people and one million stateless people. Conflict in Sudan, increased violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), ongoing violence and flash floods in Somalia have led to further mass displacement in 2023. Many other countries face displacement prolonged due to long-standing conflicts or instability.

Nine of the ten most neglected refugee crises are African and destabilize peace and development.

The UNHCR report warns of “apathy and inaction” in the face of increased displacement. As the number of refugees increases, so does underfunding. UNHCR’s 2024 global appeal shows a shortfall of 55%. The funding gap means UNHCR must reduce its operations to the bare minimum or determine who receives aid while cutting out others.

Refugees in Africa are protected by the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol as well as the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention. The latter extends the scope of the Refugee Convention to include indiscriminate events such as external aggression, occupation, foreign domination and incidents seriously disturbing public order. It allows for prima facie recognition of refugee status, meaning people do not need to be assessed individually if they flee. Both conventions contain the principle of non-refoulement which prevents countries from expelling people when they fear harm.

In recent years, wealthier countries, including the founding countries of the Refugee Convention, have reduced protections, restricted pathways and supported fewer solutions in response to rising anti-migrant policies. Many of these measures are aimed at Africans and have serious consequences.

In April, the UK passed legislation ensuring it can send asylum seekers to Rwanda. This follows a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that the proposed deal was unlawful without guarantees that asylum seekers would be safe and protected. The Rwanda deal has been widely condemned for undermining the Refugee Convention.

The UN Refugee Agency is running a 55% funding gap, forcing substantial cuts in aid distribution.

France has accelerated the adoption of the French immigration law of 2024 – “the most repressive text since 1945”. The French Constitutional Council censored almost half of its provisions before their promulgation. This month, United States President Joe Biden issued an executive order authorizing the United States to close the border if daily arrivals reached 2,500 people and send migrants back through the border, including those seeking immigration. ‘asylum.

Many African countries are also restricting protections. Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania have been accused of forcibly deporting African migrants, including asylum seekers, to the deserts by truck, using European funds. In late 2023, South Africa published a white paper aimed at overhauling its migration system, including a proposal to withdraw from the 1951 Refugee Convention and rejoin it with reservations.

On June 3, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) released its annual list of the most neglected displacement crises. Nine of the top ten countries are contiguous African countries located in or near the Sahel region. Displacement occurs within or to other crisis-affected states. The report highlights that the world has normalized by ignoring protracted displacement crises. The rankings are based on media attention, funding, political and diplomatic efforts relative to the number of people in need.

Figure 1: List of the most neglected displacement crises Source: NRC 2024

The NRC report ranks Burkina Faso as the most neglected displacement crisis for the second year, with two million displaced people and 36,000 refugees, including 707,000 new displacements in 2023. Warring parties create blockades that trap two million people in 39 cities and cut the roads. civilians are deprived of help and information.

The report cites Sudan as an example of the consequences of years of neglect. This is one of the most acute emergencies today, with more than 10 million people displaced, or 7.26 million since April 2023, when war broke out between the Sudanese army and the forces of fast support. Mass atrocities, including torture, sexual violence and ethnic cleansing, have been documented. More than 25% of Sudanese were forced to flee; more than half are children. It is the worst humanitarian disaster in recent history, with 18 million people suffering from acute hunger. Around two million people have fled to neighboring Chad and South Sudan.

Chad, ranked 189th out of 193 on the Human Development Index, has maintained a generous open border policy while becoming one of the largest displacement operations. It welcomes 1.3 million refugees including 550,000 Sudanese who have arrived since April 2023, as well as refugees fleeing Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Cameroon. Ninety percent are women; 77% arrive alone with children.

UNHCR had to suspend biometric verification and protection assessments to prioritize new arrivals due to a funding gap. In December 2023, the World Food Program reduced rations for refugees and the government declared a state of emergency over food security, including suspending aid distribution across the border with Darfur.

In 2023, 158,700 refugees – less than 1% of the total refugee population – will be offered resettlement.

In the DRC, underfunding has led to a 79% reduction in the number of protection observers documenting human rights violations. The Ugandan operation has halted health services and hygiene kits for women since 2022. In South Sudan, flood protection kits and improved drainage systems have been cancelled.

Refugees have three options for durable solutions: return home, integrate into host communities or resettle in third countries. In many cases, returns are not viable and all that remains is integration or resettlement.

In 2023, 158,700 refugees were offered resettlement to third countries, a significant increase compared to 2022 but less than 1% of the total refugee population. Resettlement is reserved for the most vulnerable – the elderly, children, sick or disabled people, or survivors of violence or abuse. UNHCR estimates that 2.9 million refugees will need resettlement in 2025.

Kenya currently hosts 700,000 refugees, many of whom came from Somalia in 1991. After years of reliance on aid and growing frustration from local populations, Kenya enacted the 2021 Refugee Act. the refugees. It recognizes the protracted nature of the conflicts that are pushing refugees into Kenya. Once implemented, it will contribute to the socio-economic integration of refugees by expanding their rights to live, work and access financial services outside of camps. More countries hosting refugees should consider similar approaches.

Today is World Refugee Day – a reminder that Africa and the world cannot peacefully maintain this rate of displacement. The cost of neglecting displaced people and the crises affecting them is too high.

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