Effects of the refugee problem in Africa.
1. Creation of refugee camps. There exists a number of refugee camps all over the African continent e.g Kigoma refugee camp in Tanzania, Kivu camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kakuma camp in Kenya , Cibitoke in Burundi etc.
2. Displacement of people and separation of families. There exist a number of unaccompanied (parentless) child refugees. Their parents and relatives have disappeared without trace! This has brought a negative psychological impact on such children.
3. Sexual assault. The female refugees have been subjected to horrifying acts of rape. They are raped during wars, along the escape journeys, in camps by fellow senior refugees and even by officials in charge of them! Particularly vulnerable have been the Somali and Rwandese women- they have been traumatized!
4. Poverty. The refugee concentration camps or protected villages are usually overcrowded, dirty and poverty stricken. This makes refugees to experience some of the poorest standards of living on the African continent.
5. Refugees suffer from social discrimination in areas of asylum. For instance the Rwandese refugees were exposed to extreme social discriminations and insult in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and DRC. This made them to use the force of arms to return home between 1990 - 1994.
6. Rampant deaths. Due to the movement of long journeys, overcrowding, malnutrition, attacks by diseases and epidemics, the African refugees usually experience high death rates. For Example, the 1997 - 1999 Cholera epidemic in DRC led to great losses of lives of the Rwandese refugees.
7. Formation of Non-governmental organizations. A number of NGOs have been formed to cater for the needs of refugees, returnees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons. These provide employment opportunities to several Africans and white expatriates.
8. It has encouraged social research. The refugee problem has provided unlimited opportunities to academicians and researchers who delve deep into the causes, life styles problems and effects of refugees. With the help of the UNHCR, regional databases have been set up in different countries. These have enriched information about refugees.
9. Land pressure. In some cases such as those of the Rwandese and Sudanese refugees in Uganda, the large numbers of refugees infringe on the host country's resources, especially land. This usually leads to hostility between refugees and the citizens of the host country e.g in Sierra Leone, there was violence against Liberians.
10. Environmental degradation. The need for firewood and sticks for building has led to unreserved exploitation of wood in the nearby bushes and forests. This has resulted into deforestation, soil erosion, loss of wild life, depletion and contamination of water resources e.g. In Kenya, Sudan and Cameroon.
11. Interstate conflicts. In many cases, the refugees use their country of asylum as a base to criticize or even fight against their country of origin e.g Ugandan refugees in Tanzania kept on destabilizing Amin's government in the 1970s; there were cross-boarder attacks from Uganda to Rwanda between 1990 - 1994; refugee problems almost brought Uganda and Kenya to a blink war in the early 1990s, etc.
12. Subversive activities. At times refugees interfere into the internal affairs of the host countries e.g the Rwandese refugees in Uganda joined the National resistance Army (NRA) and played a leading role in overthrowing Obote IPs government in 1985. They also joined the forces that overthrew Mobutu of DRC in 1997.
13. They create a dependence problem in the already poor African countries. They are a major economic burden to the host country and the donor communities' .e.g. About 1.2 million people in Southern Sudan depend on donor food, medicine, clothes etc...
14. It has contributed to the rule of justice in Africa. This is because the international community has started trying the perpetrators of human rights abuse in Africa e.g International tribunals were set up to try the perpetrators, of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
15. The UNHCR has set up social amenities such as schools, health centres, recreation centres and the like in refugee camps e.g by December 2000, 40 bridges had been constructed in Congo, 18 health centres repaired, surgical laboratories set up, 55 schools rehabilitated etc... Women and children refugees have been given handcraft skills and when repatriated/returned to their countries of origin, they are often given starting capital.
Qn: Examine the causes and effects of the refugee crisis in Africa
Approach: Define the term a refugee. Identify countries which faced the problem. Give and explain its causes and effects
2. Displacement of people and separation of families. There exist a number of unaccompanied (parentless) child refugees. Their parents and relatives have disappeared without trace! This has brought a negative psychological impact on such children.
3. Sexual assault. The female refugees have been subjected to horrifying acts of rape. They are raped during wars, along the escape journeys, in camps by fellow senior refugees and even by officials in charge of them! Particularly vulnerable have been the Somali and Rwandese women- they have been traumatized!
4. Poverty. The refugee concentration camps or protected villages are usually overcrowded, dirty and poverty stricken. This makes refugees to experience some of the poorest standards of living on the African continent.
5. Refugees suffer from social discrimination in areas of asylum. For instance the Rwandese refugees were exposed to extreme social discriminations and insult in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and DRC. This made them to use the force of arms to return home between 1990 - 1994.
6. Rampant deaths. Due to the movement of long journeys, overcrowding, malnutrition, attacks by diseases and epidemics, the African refugees usually experience high death rates. For Example, the 1997 - 1999 Cholera epidemic in DRC led to great losses of lives of the Rwandese refugees.
7. Formation of Non-governmental organizations. A number of NGOs have been formed to cater for the needs of refugees, returnees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons. These provide employment opportunities to several Africans and white expatriates.
8. It has encouraged social research. The refugee problem has provided unlimited opportunities to academicians and researchers who delve deep into the causes, life styles problems and effects of refugees. With the help of the UNHCR, regional databases have been set up in different countries. These have enriched information about refugees.
9. Land pressure. In some cases such as those of the Rwandese and Sudanese refugees in Uganda, the large numbers of refugees infringe on the host country's resources, especially land. This usually leads to hostility between refugees and the citizens of the host country e.g in Sierra Leone, there was violence against Liberians.
10. Environmental degradation. The need for firewood and sticks for building has led to unreserved exploitation of wood in the nearby bushes and forests. This has resulted into deforestation, soil erosion, loss of wild life, depletion and contamination of water resources e.g. In Kenya, Sudan and Cameroon.
11. Interstate conflicts. In many cases, the refugees use their country of asylum as a base to criticize or even fight against their country of origin e.g Ugandan refugees in Tanzania kept on destabilizing Amin's government in the 1970s; there were cross-boarder attacks from Uganda to Rwanda between 1990 - 1994; refugee problems almost brought Uganda and Kenya to a blink war in the early 1990s, etc.
12. Subversive activities. At times refugees interfere into the internal affairs of the host countries e.g the Rwandese refugees in Uganda joined the National resistance Army (NRA) and played a leading role in overthrowing Obote IPs government in 1985. They also joined the forces that overthrew Mobutu of DRC in 1997.
13. They create a dependence problem in the already poor African countries. They are a major economic burden to the host country and the donor communities' .e.g. About 1.2 million people in Southern Sudan depend on donor food, medicine, clothes etc...
14. It has contributed to the rule of justice in Africa. This is because the international community has started trying the perpetrators of human rights abuse in Africa e.g International tribunals were set up to try the perpetrators, of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
15. The UNHCR has set up social amenities such as schools, health centres, recreation centres and the like in refugee camps e.g by December 2000, 40 bridges had been constructed in Congo, 18 health centres repaired, surgical laboratories set up, 55 schools rehabilitated etc... Women and children refugees have been given handcraft skills and when repatriated/returned to their countries of origin, they are often given starting capital.
Qn: Examine the causes and effects of the refugee crisis in Africa
Approach: Define the term a refugee. Identify countries which faced the problem. Give and explain its causes and effects
National Movements and New States in Africa